If Jesus wants a relationship, why did he leave us a ceremony?
You have probably heard the phrase “Jesus wants a relationship, not a religion.” It is a common way of saying that following Jesus is not about checking religious boxes. For the most part that is true, but there is more to the story when we look at what Jesus taught. Jesus also left behind some very specific practices for his followers, ceremonies he asked us to take seriously if we are going to follow him. Communion is one of them.
If you are new to church, you might wonder why a community built on relationship with Jesus still gathers around bread, a cup, foot washing, and a shared meal. These are not empty traditions. Jesus gave each one to help us remember what he did for us and to draw us closer to him and to each other.
The Passover meal Jesus transformed
To understand Communion, we should probably start with the Passover. This was a meal the Jewish people celebrated every year to remember how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Days before that first Passover happened, God told his people to eat a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood. That night, the angel of death passed over every house marked with blood, and the people were spared. The next day, they were set free.
On the night before Jesus died, he gathered with his disciples to celebrate this same Passover meal. Luke describes it this way:
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:14-20, ESV)
Something remarkable happens here. Jesus takes a meal that pointed backward to deliverance from Egypt, and he redirects it toward himself. The bread is now his body. The cup is now his blood, poured out to establish a new covenant. Remember, at this point Jesus had not yet died. He is fully alive, sitting at the table, telling his closest friends to remember his broken body and poured out blood before either had actually happened. He was that certain about what was coming, and that he would not stay dead.
This is why Communion is often called the Lord's Supper. It belongs to him. He set the table, and he set the terms.
A meal we internalize, not just observe
One detail is worth pausing on. Jesus does not simply ask us to remember him with our brains. He asks us to eat and drink. There is something purposeful in that instruction.
Think about the phrase “you are what you eat.” What we take in becomes part of us. In the same way, when we take the bread and the cup, we are not just remembering a historical event from a distance. We are internalizing the truth that Jesus died for us personally. Faith in Jesus is not just something we agree with in our heads. It is something meant to become part of who we are.
This is also why Communion carries real weight. It is not just a ritual we go through. Coming to the table should shape us, not leave us unchanged. A “faith” that never changes anything about how we live is worth examining honestly to see if it is genuine.
Because of this, there are a few dangers worth naming honestly. One is insincerity, letting the ceremony become so familiar that we go through the motions without thinking about what it means. Another is ignorance, participating in communion without ever understanding what the bread and the cup represent. And a third is coming to the table while still holding onto sin we have not confessed, treating forgiveness as a reason to keep living the same way rather than a reason to change.
The ceremony is designed to expose the heart. It is worth pausing to consider whether there is some heart-business we need to do with Jesus before we participate. If we ignore the heart and go through the motions, we are way off track of what Jesus had in mind for us.
Foot washing: an example of humble service
Right after this, Luke tells us the disciples got into an argument about which of them was the greatest. Jesus had just told them his body would be broken for them, and their response was to jockey for status. Jesus answered by pointing to himself as the one who serves rather than the one who is served.
John's biography of Jesus shows us exactly what that looked like. In the middle of supper, Jesus got up, wrapped a towel around his waist, and began washing his disciples' feet, a task usually reserved for the lowest household servant. After he finished, he said:
Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17, ESV)
Peter initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet. It can be uncomfortable to let someone else serve us, especially in a way that feels lowly or exposing. But Jesus was not just teaching a lesson about humility. He was showing his disciples, and us, that following him means both serving others and allowing ourselves to be served. Neither one is optional.
This is one of the ways our church continues to practice and remember that lesson together. It is a physical reminder that none of us have it all together, and that we need each other to grow.
A love feast that points forward
Finally, we gather for a shared meal, something the early church called a love feast. This might be the most “ordinary” part of the celebration. It is not fancy food or an elaborate ceremony. It looks like a normal meal because it is.
But this meal points to something much bigger than the food on the table. The prophet Isaiah, writing hundreds of years before Jesus, described a day when God would prepare a lavish feast for all peoples:
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:6-9, ESV)
When we share a meal together, we are practicing for that future feast, a day when death, tears, and shame are gone for good. Every time we sit down to eat with one another, we are declaring that Jesus is worth waiting for, even when the world says hope is foolish.
Why this matters for all of us
These practices, the bread and the cup, foot washing, and the shared meal, are not just formalities. They are physical, tangible ways of remembering what Jesus has done, staying humble with one another, and living in hope for what is still to come. None of them earn us anything with God. Jesus has already paid that price in full. But they help us hold onto that truth together, in a way that words alone often cannot.
If you have never taken part in something like this, we would love to have you experience it with us. If you are local to Ocala and want to learn more or find a place to belong, reach out to us at ocala@weareneighborhood.church or text us at 352-236-2211. If you live outside our area, we would encourage you to find a local church nearby where you can experience these practices and grow in community with others who are following Jesus.
Editor note: This blog summary was generated from a sermon transcript processed by AI and reviewed by a human editor. It is provided for convenience and engagement but may not fully reflect all of the original sermon emphases or explanation. The original writing and delivery of the sermon were done without the input of AI. Please refer to the full message and more importantly the Scripture for complete context and teaching.
