Some today argue that the Lord’s Table was fulfilled in Christ and therefore ended with the Old Covenant. Others fear that communion is being ritualised or misunderstood. So we ask: Is communion a New Covenant reality, or merely a shadow from the Old that passed away?

To answer well, we must not isolate Scripture but follow its divine flow: from shadow to substance, ritual to reality, and Old to New—all summed up in Christ. Let us journey slowly and scripturally.

The Inauguration of the New Covenant #

“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is being poured out for many as a substitutionary atonement for the forgiveness of sins.’”
— Matthew 26:27–28, AMP

The Greek word translated “covenant” here is diathēkē (διαθήκη), which means a legally binding will or agreement—especially one established by the death of the testator (see Hebrews 9:16). This meal was not an Old Covenant tradition but a prophetic act inaugurating a New Covenant.

Hebrews 9:16 — For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven.

Though it happened before the Cross, it was not an Old Covenant event. Just as the Passover lamb was slain before Israel departed Egypt, so Christ, our true Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), introduced the covenant meal on the threshold of the new exodus—from death to life.

1 Corinthians 5:7 — Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough – you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The word “blood” in Hebrew is dam (דָּם), related to the root adam (אָדָם), meaning man. Christ shed His own blood (dam) to redeem fallen man (adam) and establish a new humanity.

Paul Received the Lord’s Table by Revelation—Not from the Gospels #

“For I received from the Lord Himself that which I passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread…”
— 1 Corinthians 11:23, AMP

Paul was not present at the Last Supper. Yet Christ personally revealed the meaning and practice of communion after His resurrection. This shows that the Table was not merely a Jewish rite—it was and remains New Covenant doctrine for the Church.

“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are symbolically proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death until He comes [again].”
— 1 Corinthians 11:26, AMP

The Greek word katangellō (καταγγέλλω), used for “proclaim”, means to preach or announce publicly. This reveals that the Table is a living proclamation, not merely a memory.

Fulfilment Means Transformation, Not Cancellation #

Some claim, “Jesus fulfilled the Old, so this meal ended there.” But biblically, fulfilment does not mean removal—it means bringing something to its true spiritual fullness.

“Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfil.”
— Matthew 5:17, AMP

The Greek word for “fulfil” is plēroō (πληρόω), which means to fill, bring to fullness. Jesus fulfilled the Passover by becoming the Lamb, not by removing the pattern but by transforming it into Himself.

Likewise, He fulfilled the communion meal by giving it a new meaning: not just remembering a lamb’s death, but participating in His indwelling life.

Communion Is Participation, Not Performance #

“The cup of blessing [of wine at the Lord’s Supper]… does it not mean that in drinking it we participate in and share a fellowship in the blood of Christ?… The bread… does it not mean that in eating it we participate in and share a fellowship in the body of Christ?”
— 1 Corinthians 10:16, AMP

The word participate here is from the Greek koinōnia (κοινωνία), meaning fellowship, communion, joint sharing. It is not merely a symbol—it is spiritual participation in the life of Christ.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
— Colossians 1:27, AMP

Communion expresses this: not external rituals, but the internal union of Christ and His Church. This is the heartbeat of the New Covenant.

The One Loaf: The Church as His Body #

“Because there is one bread, we [who are many] are united into one body; for we all partake of the one bread [which represents the body of Christ].”
— 1 Corinthians 10:17, AMP

The Greek sōma (σῶμα) refers not only to Christ’s crucified body, but also to His living body—the Church. When we partake of the bread, we are not only remembering His suffering but acknowledging that we are joined to one another as one body.

This is why Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 11:29 that failing to discern the Lord’s body brings judgment. Many think this means discerning the elements only, but in context, it also means recognising and honouring the Church, His body on earth.

1 Corinthians 11:29 — For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself.

From Passover to Person: Christ Our New Feast #

“For Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed.”
— 1 Corinthians 5:7, AMP

Jesus didn’t abolish the Passover—He fulfilled it in Himself. The early Church did not keep Passover feasts but broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46). They understood that the old feast was fulfilled and now became a Person—Christ our Passover.

Jesus Still Feasts With His Church #

“Behold, I stand at the door and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”
— Revelation 3:20, AMP

Even now, Christ fellowships with us. Communion is not just about bread and wine—it’s about living intimacy with the risen Christ. This is what Jesus promised in John 6:56:

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.”
— John 6:56, AMPC

Communion Then and Now #

Final Thoughts #

The Lord’s Table is not a shadow to be discarded, but a substance to be cherished. It was never meant to be ritualistic or legalistic, but a Spirit-led celebration of Christ in us. We proclaim His death, we share in His body, we commune with one another, and we eat of His life. This is the New Covenant reality.

In Christ,
Shaliach.