Jesus explains his body and why communion matters

 John 13:7,19,34-35,14:15-17;14:29;Luke 24:13-24;24:25-35;1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 10:1-22;11:23-32;12:12-13:3;John 2:13-25;

Jesus' explanation is LOVE one another. If you don't understand what love is, neither did his disciples. Jesus demonstrated his love for them and the command is love one another as I have loved you (John 13:7,19,34-35). 

• Jesus turns water into wine, says his resurrection is the authority (John 2)
• Crowds don't understand Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:22-40)
• Jesus the Bread from Heaven, offered to all offensive to most (John 6:41-71)

Jesus doesn't leave his followers in ignorance (Luke 24:13-24,25-35). The lives of people in the Torah and Prophets shed light on Jesus' new commandment to agape love one another.

• Abram demonstrates living by faith, Lot and Sodom a lifestyle of disaster (Gen 13-14)
• Calling on the name of the Lord is central to our faith (Gen 4:26, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21)
• Wisdom is understanding the will of the Lord and sacrifice (altar) are linked (Eph 5:15-17, Romans 12:1-2) leading us to honest humility (Romans 12:3)
• Wisdom and grace from calling on the name of the Lord (James 1:5, 3:17; Proverbs 3:13-18)
• Principle: God’s grace in us blesses others. God’s grace equips us for spiritual victory in our lives and in the lives of others. 
• Jesus our eternal high priest, order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 4:14-5:10) - I believe Hebrews was written by one of the men on road to Emmaus.

Love, Belief and Works are hallmarks of disciples of Jesus (John 13:31-14:14)

Jesus teaches love precedes obedience and the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-31)

• “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth..." - John 14:15-17
•  "I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe." - John 14:29

Paul brings clarity that we should all apply to our lives today. God's purpose in Jesus Christ is salvation from sin. Corrective, redemptive, restoring, healing, empowering, life-changing, life-giving, honoring, holistic, pure, worthy, righteous, strong, firm, imperishable, everlasting salvation from sin. 

• Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with ... malice and wickedness, but with ...sincerity and truth. - 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
• The old yeast was handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter. What family tradition do I hold onto that needs to go away? What new family tradition do I need to start, that enables us to leave malice and wickedness behind and walk-in sincerity and truth? 

1 Corinthians 10:1-22 (Paul warns about going through the motions of faith without sincerity and truth)

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry (lively and noisy festivities, especially when these involve drinking a large amount of alcohol.).” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

1 Corinthians 11:23-32 (Paul received insight in the way those on Road to Emmaus did: Scripture, fellowship, personal experience)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13:3 (God's plan for unity in diversity)

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

... parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. .... If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

I heard an illustration that was helpful. If we are playing a basketball game and invite Lebron James onto our team. It's no longer our team, we are actually on his team. The same applies when we invite Jesus into our lives. It becomes his life.