El significado de la cena del Seor

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Yo recib del Seor lo mismo que les transmit a ustedes: Que el Seor Jess, la noche en que
fue traicionado, tom pan,24 y despus de dar gracias, lo parti y dijo: Este pan es mi cuerpo, que
por ustedes entrego; hagan esto en memoria de m. 25 De la misma manera, despus de cenar,
tom la copa y dijo: Esta copa es el nuevo pacto en mi sangre; hagan esto, cada vez que beban
de ella, en memoria de m.26 Porque cada vez que comen este pan y beben de esta copa,
proclaman la muerte del Seor hasta que l venga. 1 Cor. 11.23-26

I. El cambio dramtico de la ltima semana en la vida de Jess

Los eventos en la ltima semana de la vida de Jess sucedieron con rapidez. l entro a
Jerusaln el domingo y fue recibido con gran alegra y palmas por la poblacin. Sin embargo al
da siguiente, el lunes, se dirigi al templo, al nico templo de los judos en todo el mundo, y ech
fuera a los cambistas y a los vendedores. Haba muchas sinagogas en el mundo, eran como salas
de estudio bblico judas. Pero solo haba un templo donde ofrecan sacrificios. Lo que Jess hizo
all fue inesperado y arriesgado. Eso le trajo muchos enemigos. Da a da sigui asistiendo al
templo a ensear, pero su enseanza se torn ms agresiva que nunca para los religiosos. Ellos
buscaban la manera de ponerle trampas con preguntas pero Jess los dejaba avergonzados. Un
da expuso el error de los saduceos. Al otro da, conden la dureza de todos los judos que
procuraban matarlo. Un da despus avergonz la hipocresa de los escribas y fariseos. En menos
de tres das, la ciudad que lo haba aclamado el domingo ya planeaba encontrar la manera de
matarlo lo ms pronto posible. Ellos esperaban que fuera hostil con los romanos pero no contra
los pecados de ellos. El jueves lleg y Jess mand a sus discpulos que prepararan un lugar para
celebrar la pascua juntos. Ellos no la celebraran con sus propias familias, sino con su maestro y
seor.

II. La cena de la pascua era un recordatorio del pasado

La pascua celebraba la noche en que Dios haba sacado al pueblo de Israel de la esclavitud en
Egipto. Aquella noche Dios haba advertido que el ngel de la muerte se llevara a todos los
primognitos de las familias que no sacrificaran un cordero y pintaran una marca de sangre en la
puerta de la casa. Los que creyeron lo hicieron, principalmente los israelitas. Pero casi todos los
Egipcios no creyeron y aquella noche conocieron las consecuencias de la incredulidad. La
maana siguiente los israelitas salieron libres de Egipto. Desde entonces cada ao celebraban
una cena conmemorativa por su liberacin.

III. La cena de la pascua recibe un nuevo significado

Jess escogi esa noche para ensear dos grandes lecciones. Que l como primognito de Dios
morira como un cordero para salvar a un nuevo pueblo. Este pueblo sera suyo, y en esencia se
convertira en su cuerpo. Jess agreg un nuevo significado a esa cena para sus discpulos. La
copa de vino de uva recordaba la sangre del cordero de la pascua, pero tambin adelantaba el
derramamiento de su propia sangre que servira para comprar un nuevo pueblo. El pan
representaba su cuerpo fsico que sera entregado a la muerte para perdonarnos y adems, su
futuro cuerpo espiritual, el cuerpo de creyentes y seguidores suyos que vendran a convertirse en
su iglesia una vez que l se fuera. l les habl de estas cosas profticamente, pues aun no mora
y ellos no entendan. Como cuando los pequeos nios en el preescolar cantan el himno nacional
y saludan la bandera sin entender de qu se trata, pero cuando crezcan y maduren, saben que
esa prctica les recuerda que son muchos miembros de una sola y gran nacin. As Jesucristo,
aquella noche estableci una prctica que les recordara por siempre su sacrificio y futuro regreso
al mundo, pero tambin la unidad que ellos compartiran como un nuevo pueblo de Dios, el cuerpo
de Cristo, su iglesia.
IV. Lo que la cena del Seor significa hoy
A la cena del Seor se le llama la comunin. Se le llama as por que celebra la comn unin entre
sus discpulos y l, pero tambin la comn unin entre unos y otros. Jess les orden celebrar
esta cena como recordatorio del pasado, su muerte, pero tambin del futuro, su regreso. De
modo que participar de esta prctica implica que
1. Hemos decidido confiar en la muerte del Seor para el perdn de nuestros pecados.
2. Hemos resuelto cualquier pecado por medio del arrepentimiento
3. Hemos puesto la unidad de la iglesia como una prioridad.

Se profana la memoria de Jess cuando practicamos esto sin confiar en l, sin resolver la causa
de su muerte, el pecado, y cuando no queremos perdonar alguien.

La cena del Seor es la mejor oportunidad que tenemos para convertirnos a Jess, arrepentirnos
de nuestros pecados, perdonar a otros, y participar de su mesa. Esta cena se nos dio para
animarnos a participar no para desanimarnos.
 THE MEANING OF THE LORDS SUPPER

I. A dramatic change in the last week in the life of Jesus

The events in the last week of Jesus' life occurred rapidly. He entered Jerusalem on Sunday and was
received with great joy and clapping from the public. But the next day, on Monday, He went to the temple,
the only temple of the Jews in the world, and drove out the moneychangers and sellers. There were many
synagogues in the world, were the Jewish studied the Scriptures, but there was only one temple where they
celebrated sacrifices. What Jesus did then was unexpected and risky. That cost him many enemies. The
next days he continued going to the temple to teach, but his teaching became more aggressive than ever to
the religious in Jerusalem. They were trying to trap Jesus in a mistake, but He constantly left them
embarrassed. One day he exposed the error of the Sadducees. The next day, he condemned the hardness
of all the Jews who tried to kill him. A day later he embarrassed the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.
In less than three days, the city that had hailed him on Sunday was planning to find a way to kill him as
soon as possible. They expected him to be hostile to the Romans but not against their sins. On Thursday
Jesus commanded his disciples to prepare a place to celebrate the Passover together. They would not be
with their own families but with his teacher and Lord.

II. The Passover meal was a reminder of the past

The Passover celebrated the night when God had delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. That
night God had warned all that the angel of death would take all the firstborn, specially the ones of those
families without slaughtering a lamb and painting a mark of blood on the door of their houses. Those who
believed did it, mainly among Israel. But almost all the Egyptians did not believe that night and knew the
consequences of their disbelief. The next morning the Israelites were freed from Egypt. Since then every
year they held a commemorative dinner for his deliverance.

III. The Passover meal Gets New Meaning

Jesus chose that night to teach two lessons. The first lesson was that he, as God's firstborn, would die like a
lamb to save them. The second lesson was a reminder of his return. His sacrifice would bring them as a
new people. This people would be his, and in essence would become his spiritual body. Jesus added a new
meaning to the dinner for his disciples. The cup of wine grape remembered the blood of the Passover lamb,
but also expressed ahead the shedding of his blood to buy a new people. The bread represented his
physical body that would be put to death to forgive them, but also the bread represented his future spiritual
body, the body of believers, his followers to become his church once he left. He spoke of these things
prophetically, because he hasnt died yet. Thats why they did not clearly understand. For Jesus it was like
when the little kids in preschool sing the national anthem and salute the flag without understanding what it
is, but when they grow up and mature, they know that this practice reminds them they belong to one great
nation. Jesus Christ established a practice for them to remember his sacrifice and future return, but also the
unity that they would share as a new people of God, the body of Christ, his church.

IV. What the Lord's Supper means today

The Lord's Supper is called communion. It was named communion because it celebrates the common union
between the repented believer and his Savior, but also it is the common bond between them as members of
his body. Jesus commanded them to celebrate this dinner as a reminder of the past, his death, the present,
his unity as body, but also of his future return. So part of this practice implies that
1. We decided to trust in the Lord's death for the forgiveness of our sins.
2. We have solved with God any sin through repentance
3. We put the unity of the church, the reconciliation with other believer in Him as a priority.

It desecrates the memory of Jesus if we practice the Lords Supper without trusting in Him as Savior, if we
practice it without repenting our sins, or without forgiving others. The Lord's Supper is the best opportunity
we have to convert to Jesus, to repent of our sins, and to forgive others. This dinner was given to us to
encourage participating not to discourage to participate. We only have to respond in the right way,
repenting, converting or forgiving.