The apostle Paul plainly teaches us that when we partake of the bread in this Supper, we are partaking of the body of Christ, and by this he includes the entire congregation. “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17).
But there is something contained in this passage which is often missed. We do not just eat in the Lord’s Supper. In every faithful commemoration of this meal, we not only eat but are also eaten. If we are all part of that one loaf, and every person who partakes is partaking of that loaf, then this means that we not only consume, but that we also are consumed. So this meal is ritual enactment of the basic principle of body life—my life for yours.
Now of course we cannot do this without partaking of Christ, and by being taken up into Him as well. But this meal knits us together in profound ways. I have often urged our weekly commemoration of the Supper as a basis for Christians to love one another in all their basic dealings. This is broadly understood by many on a rudimentary level, but let us take it a bit deeper.
If two Christians in this congregation are on the outs with one another, and they come to the Table together, what is that saying? Their spat says that they are not interested in the other’s well-being at all. But coming to the table says that each is willing to be consumed by the other for the sake of the other. If it is false then it is robust hypocrisy. If it is true, then there is no real reason to continue the squabble. So come, and partake of all the others here. But in so doing, realize that you are coming to give yourself to all of them as well.