Why Consider Celebrating the Lord's Supper only Once a Year?

3) The SCRIPTURAL Argument

Let’s start with the passage showing the first institution of this ordinance.  Notice, in Luke 22: 14When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:14-20 NIV).  Notice, Jesus commanded His disciples to observe it (“Do this…”).  And why?  (“…in remembrance of me”).  Jesus said it was a memorial in memory of His death.  He instituted the Lord’s Supper on this tragic night--the very eve of His death on the cross.  In Matthew’s account we read: 26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” (Matthew 26:26 NKJV).  It was “as they were eating” that He took bread and introduced this solemn ordinance which we call the Lord’s Supper, but what were they eating? The Passover!  1Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 17Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (Matthew 26:1-2, 17 NKJV).  

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, the Apostle Paul says, 6Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.  Paul says that Christ was our "Passover lamb", so there was a connection between what was happening in the New Testament and what had taken place in the Old Testament, so let us examine that concept further in our next post.