What You May Not Know About Communion

Recently I’ve felt led to read the book of Revelations, in the Passion Translation. I’m a nut for symbolism, especially in the Bible, so this is a slow process as I want to read every notation and comment for better understanding of a book that can be quite challenging to comprehend.

About a couple weeks in, the Holy Spirit stopped me at this verse and showed me an aspect of communion I never knew.  

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. — Revelation 3:20 (TPT)

This verse led me to this notation in the Passion Translation commentary:

Jesus knocking on the door points us to the process of an ancient Jewish wedding invitation. In the days of Jesus, a bridegroom and his father would come to the door of the bride-to-be carrying the betrothal cup of wine and the bride-price. Standing outside, they would knock. If she fully opened the door, she was saying, “Yes, I will be your bride.” Jesus and his Father, in the same way, are knocking on the doors of our hearts, inviting us to be the bride of Christ.

As I read this, the Holy Spirit began to connect some pretty big dots, right to communion. Yes, communion reminds us of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. But it’s also a reminder of the marriage proposal and the promised marriage to come.

The revelation of this truth wrecked me. Communion wasn’t just a reminder about Jesus’s death. It’s also a reminder of life—life with Him as His bride. No longer did I see the simple wafer and cup of grape juice. I now saw Jesus standing there as the bride price and betrothal cup (promise and covenant). 

The betrothal cup of wine is the blood of Christ and the bride price is the bread, His body. He paid the price fully for the bride (us) and knocks, waiting for each of us to open the door fully and say yes.

Communion is not just about the past, what Christ did and what He finished. It’s also about the present and future—what God is doing now in preparing His bride for the marriage to come. 

The Church.

Now as I hold the communion cup and bread in my hands, I see the reminder not only of what Jesus declared finished, I see His promise of what’s coming. What He intended all along.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is our faithful groom, always knocking and waiting for our answer, waiting to see if we’ll open the door and say yes. Because He said yes before this world was even created (Ephesians 1:4).

And if this revelation rocks you like it did me, share it. Tell your friends at church, share this blog post, or post your own testimony about it on your preferred social media site. I believe this is a revelation of God’s love and heart that He wants told.

We are in a time of the revelation of God’s heart and revolution in the church. Spread the Word.