. . . and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Cor. 11:24-26)
To proclaim means to announce, declare, make known, broadcast, or state publicly. In the verse shown above, Jesus tells us to remember Him through the Communion ceremony. He also says that as often as we take Communion, we proclaim His death till He comes. Why is it important to proclaim His death?
As often as we announce Jesus’ death, we are making known the New Covenant He established by His blood. (1 Cor. 11:25) We are declaring the Good News that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus.
We are broadcasting Jesus’:
- Resurrection (Acts 4:33);
- Triumph over sin and evil (2 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 4:8-10);
- Soon return. (1 Cor. 11:26; John 14:3)
We are stating that we:
- Are united together in the likeness of His death and in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:5);
- Abide in Christ and He abides in us (John 6:56);
- Are under the covenant of grace (2 Cor. 13:14);
- Live in covenant with the One who has destroyed the works of the devil. (1 John 3:1)
The Bible teaches us the importance of declaring the Truth in Christ:
He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. (Pro 12:17)
A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. (Pro 18:20)
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” (Isa 43:9)
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach) . . . (Rom 10:8)
Partaking of Communion is a prophetic act—a declaration. Did you know that actions can speak? They announce our faith, obedience, and allegiance to Jesus Christ. It’s good to remember when we take communion that in doing so, we proclaim His death in obedience to the Word of God.
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