What is communion in the Bible?

On the night before his death, Jesus took bread and wine and told his disciples, "This is my body... this is my blood." Those words have been repeated billions of times since. They are also among the most contested in Christian history: what did Jesus mean?

This guide examines the biblical accounts of the Last Supper, the early church’s practice, and the major theological interpretations — from transubstantiation to memorial meal.

All four Gospels describe the Last Supper, and Paul provides the earliest written account in 1 Corinthians 11. Jesus took Passover elements — unleavened bread and wine — and gave them new meaning. "This is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." The meal connects Jesus’s death to the Exodus: as the Passover lamb freed Israel from Egypt, so Christ’s sacrifice frees humanity from sin.

The words "this do in remembrance of me" are the foundation for the church’s ongoing practice. But the meaning of "remembrance" in the biblical world was richer than modern memory. To remember was to make the past event present and effective — to participate in it, not merely recall it.

Acts records the early believers "breaking bread" together regularly. Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 show that the Lord’s Supper was a full communal meal, not just a ritual. He warns that those who eat and drink without discerning the body — both Christ’s body and the church as a body — eat and drink judgment on themselves.

The Didache, a first-century Christian document, describes a eucharistic prayer of thanksgiving. By the second century, the meal had become a central act of Christian worship, celebrated weekly. Its importance in the early church is difficult to overstate.

Catholics believe that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation). Lutherans believe Christ is truly present "in, with, and under" the elements. Reformed Christians believe Christ is spiritually present to the faithful receiver. Baptists and most evangelicals see the meal as a memorial — a powerful symbol but not a vehicle of grace.

Each position appeals to Scripture and has deep historical roots. The disagreement centres on how literally to read "This is my body" and on whether grace is conveyed through material things. Despite the disagreement, all Christians obey Jesus’s command: they break bread and remember.