The Communion of the Lord's Supper, also known as the Eucharist, is a central rite in Christian worship, commemorating the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This sacred ordinance is deeply rooted in biblical typology and foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament, revealing God's redemptive plan for humanity.

Passover Lamb

The most direct prefiguration of the Lord's Supper is found in the Passover meal, as instituted in Exodus 12. The Passover lamb, without blemish, was sacrificed, and its blood was applied to the doorposts of the Israelites' homes to protect them from the angel of death. This act of deliverance prefigures Christ, the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for the salvation of mankind. As the Apostle Paul writes, "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Passover meal, therefore, serves as a type of the Lord's Supper, where believers partake in the body and blood of Christ, symbolized by the bread and wine.

Manna in the Wilderness

Another significant prefiguration is the manna provided by God to the Israelites during their wilderness journey. In John 6:31-35, Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life," contrasting the manna that temporarily sustained the Israelites with His own eternal sustenance. "I am the bread of life," Jesus declares, "Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35). The manna, therefore, serves as a precursor to the spiritual nourishment offered through the Lord's Supper.

Melchizedek's Offering

The mysterious figure of Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, also prefigures the Communion of the Lord's Supper. In Genesis 14:18, Melchizedek brings out bread and wine to bless Abram, a gesture that foreshadows the elements of the Eucharist. The Epistle to the Hebrews further elaborates on Melchizedek as a type of Christ, emphasizing His eternal priesthood (Hebrews 7:1-3).

The Covenant Meal

The covenant meal shared between God and the elders of Israel on Mount Sinai is another prefiguration. In Exodus 24:9-11, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders ascend the mountain and behold God, eating and drinking in His presence. This meal signifies the establishment of a covenant relationship, prefiguring the New Covenant instituted by Christ at the Last Supper. "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20).

Prophetic Anticipation

The prophets also anticipated the Messianic banquet, a theme that resonates with the Lord's Supper. Isaiah 25:6 speaks of a feast prepared by the Lord for all peoples, a rich banquet symbolizing the blessings of salvation. This imagery is echoed in the parables of Jesus, who often depicted the kingdom of heaven as a wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14).

Through these prefigurations, the Old Testament lays the groundwork for the Communion of the Lord's Supper, revealing the continuity of God's salvific plan and the fulfillment of His promises in Jesus Christ. The Lord's Supper, therefore, is not an isolated event but a culmination of divine foreshadowing, inviting believers to partake in the mystery of faith and the grace of redemption.Exodus 12:21-28
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 5:7,8
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Concerning the Lord's Supper
... different from, nor more efficient than, the simple reception of the communion by
any ... himself with them, as the traitor Judas did in the supper of the Lord. ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning the lords supper.htm

Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath ...
... a fulfilling of that which was prefigured and fore ... the week, in praying, preaching,
and receiving the Lord's Supper. ... be partakers of the holy communion, at what ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the true manner.htm

The Gospel Feast
... that so great a gift as Holy Communion would not ... His kingdom, are again and again
prefigured: it is ... speak) to the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as being ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon xii the gospel feast.htm

Articuli visitatorii.
... On the Lord's Supper. ... That bare signs only are in the Supper; but the body of Christ
is ... That human nature hath communion with the divine, not in fact and truth ...
/.../the creeds of the evangelical protestant churches/articuli visitatorii.htm

Epistle Lxii. C??cilius, on the Sacrament of the Cup of the Lord.
... so by continual repetition of the Lord's supper [2699] we ... and, on the warning of
the Lord, to correct ... retained in the liturgy of the Reformed Dutch communion.]. ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxii caecilius on the.htm

"Lo, I Come": Exposition
... end of all types by which he was formerly prefigured. ... Christ, such as baptism and
the Lord's Supper, have been ... or what they call Holy Communion, the sacrifice ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/lo i come exposition.htm

Of the Discipline of the Church, and Its Principal Use in Censures ...
... he can exclude them from partaking of the Supper, he does ... from office, and exclusion,
for a time, from communion. ... clergy and the people; as if the Lord had not ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 of the discipline.htm

John.
... full of the mystical union and communion which is ... The serpent in the wilderness
prefigured the cross. ... authority for the celebration of the Lord's Supper on the ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 83 john.htm

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
... relation, men chargeable with sin can hold communion with God ... but studied, that the
good things prefigured by them ... In the Lord's Supper, the bread is a symbol of ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter vi covenanting provided for.htm

Matt. I. 22, 23
... case, when you retire from the Communion, you must ... are now determined upon; they
were prefigured of old ... was prominent, making no allusion to the Lord's Supper. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily v matt i 22.htm

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