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Encounter Messages  /  The Lord’s Supper: What Unifies Us?  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Ignatius called the bread of communion "the medicine of immortality" and an antidote that prevents us from dying. What does that language show about how early Christians understood the meal, and how does it compare with how you were taught to see it?
Another way to ask: Ignatius called the communion bread "the medicine of immortality." What does that tell us about how early Christians saw the meal, and how is it different from what you were taught?

Direct Answer

It shows that early Christians saw communion as a way of God's grace being poured into us. They expected the meal to heal and change them. Kyle does not address what each of us was taught, so the comparison is for the group.

Support from the Message

- Ignatius describes the bread as a cleansing remedy that drives away evil and results in us living in God. - Clement of Alexandria says that to drink the blood of Jesus is to become a partaker in the Lord's immortality. - Kyle concludes from both that communion is transforming us and shaping us to be like God. - He says Jesus binds up the wounds of sin, and that communion is his medicine as we keep removing the disease of sin from our lives.

Discussion Follow-up

If you thought of communion as medicine, how would you approach it when you are struggling with sin? Would you come more often, or with a different attitude?

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