THE TRUTH THAT CAUSED ME TO FIRST
QUESTION THE PHYSICAL SUPPER
from COMMUNION VERSUS COMMEMORATION:
The Physical Supper, Is it for today?
Maurice M. Johnson
Los Angeles, California
December 10, 1961I'm going to develop that carefully maybe in my revision of my study on the supper that I've been working on for 30 years, 25 years, maybe I'll have it in here.
Now, I’ll stop with this. Boys and girls, young people, the first ... and older ... this was the truth that caused me to first question whether the physical supper was for the church which is Christ's body. I was studying and meditating one time when I thought, "Wait a minute. How does it happen that Paul never mentions the physical supper except in the one epistle, First Corinthians 11? And I have already come to see that that's an epistle written to a bunch of overgrown babies." Then I thought, "Wait a minute. Why during that time Paul was practicing Judaism, when he was among the Jews, 1 Corinthians 9, "to those that are Jews, I became as a Jew, to those under the Law, as under the Law", and had speaking in tongues and the gifts of miraculous gifts, the Bible wasn't complete." Then I thought, "Wait a minute, in the 12th chapter he gives us a wonderful chapter about the body, the body of Christ." And then it flashed in my mind, the Holy Spirit I'm sure, helped me, "Wait a minute, can members of the body of Christ show forth His death till He come? That doesn't fit." And after the truth about the church being the body was revealed, and the walk of the believer was revealed, good-bye physical supper. Good-bye day keeping, good-bye physical temple, good-bye physical ordinances.And I thought along this line, remembering that Christ referred to the church as a body and Christ the head, not that we're to think of Christ as the head in the sense as from the shoulders up, but the head like the head of a corporation, and of course in this case the life of the body of Christ. So back again now, can these members ... now here's some Christians, look here now, here's some Christians illustrated by my fingers, members of this body. Here's some Christians and, reverently, let me ... let my head represent Christ [an apologetic]. These are Christians and this is Christ. Now suppose these Christians get together to show forth the death of the head till he come. "Say, that doesn't make sense." That's right, it's nonsense. It's mystery of iniquity stuff. Can members of this body get together and show forth the death of the head till he comes? That's why, after the truth of the one body was revealed, good-bye any such thing as showing forth Christ's death till He comes.
But I’ll close with this... I started awhile ago, the last ... the next supper, Passover supper, after Christ went back in the glory, let's visualize Peter, James, and John sitting down here (now we'll just kind of wake you up for a minute), Here are Peter, James, and John sitting down around here at the Passover supper (I thought that would a bit), at the Passover supper. And they say, "We're doing this now not in remembrance of passing over Egypt on the basis of the blood of a woolly lamb, which Passover saved the firstborn physically from physical death, but we're doing this because He told in memory of Him, showing forth His death until He comes. Maybe He'll come before the next Passover." Acts 1:11, the risen Christ going up the Mount of Olives where He's going to come back again. What book in the Bible tells us He's going to come back and put His feet on the Mount of Olives again?
(answers from audience) Zechariah 94 ...
... Zechariah 94:4. And He was caught up from the Mount of Olives, and while they were gazing up into heaven, He disappeared in the cloud, two men in white apparel stood and said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which you've seen going into heaven, shall even so come in like manner." Zechariah 94:4, stand on the same mount. So Peter, James, and John the next Passover, imagine, "We’re doing it in remembrance of His death till He comes. Maybe He'll be with us next year. Maybe He'll be with us next year!" It's show forth His death because He's absent, in that sense. They realized, yes… but they were thinking of Him as their absent Messiah, and He wanted them to think of it that way.
Let's stand shall we and bow our heads. You’ve been very ...
(gap on tape)Let’s sing thoughtfully in connection with our relationship with Jesus Christ. As members of His body we physically have His life in us while we're on earth, but spiritually we're in Him in the glory, and He's in us down here. Both truths are given us you remember. Let’s close by singing as a prayer, if you want to… (MMJ leads in singing) "My Faith Looks Up To Thee".