What does the protestant say about the lords supper?

Answer 1

"The Lord's Supper" can refer either to the story of the Passover or the tradition of taking Communion.

The story of the Passover is fairly simple: Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem as was Jewish custom to celebrate the Passover. The celebration lasted multiple days, I believe it was a week. On the night of Passover dinner, Jesus sat at the table with his disciples and ate with them.

"26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, 'Take, eat, this is my body.' 27 And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Matt. 26:26-28 NET)

It is from this that we take the tradition of communion. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 13:17-34, this being the main part:

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Cor. 13:23-26)

Catholics, from my understanding, have the tradition that the bread and juice actually becomes the flesh and blood of Jesus. Protestants, on the other hand, hold it as just a tradition for us to remember Jesus' sacrifice. The bread is bread and the juice is juice, and are only symbolic for the flesh and blood of Jesus.

However, it is clear that one should not eat and drink for the purpose of eating and drinking.

"For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world." (1 Cor. 11:27-32)

The Christian who "eats the bread or drinks of the cup" has to be careful to do so in a reverent manner, in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice (with "careful regard for the body") otherwise they will be judged for disrespecting the sacrifice that Jesus made for them on the cross.