Broadcast
A reflection on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
What a difference a word makes! The word that drew my attention this week when reading the Common English Bible’s translation of this scripture was “broadcast” in verse 26: “Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you broadcast the death of the Lord until he comes.” I don’t recall ever hearing or reading this word used in this context about the Lord’s Supper. Other translations use “proclaim,” “announce,” or “declare,” words I have heard before. The word “broadcast” just hit me differently this week.
Perhaps because of the current issue in “broadcasting” with the debate between free speech and censorship. One commentator defined broadcasting’s purpose to “cast broadly” to prove that there shouldn’t be limitations to certain areas or affiliates. Another argued that broadcasting companies can decide what message is cast, particularly if it fits their worldview.
In the broadcasting industry, the term “broadcast” refers to the transmission of information to a wide audience through various communication channels like TV shows, radio, podcasts, and social media. The word has agricultural roots and comes from the early practice of scattering seeds “broadly” over a field, which became a fitting metaphor for sending messages out widely and simultaneously. Broadcasting in this sense is about making content accessible beyond a single point and extending its reach so that countless individuals can receive it at the same time.
When used within this context, the word “broadcast” seems fitting for what is actually happening when we participate in the Lord’s Supper. Just as a broadcast sends a message across the airwaves for many to hear, our sharing of communion broadcasts Christ’s love and sacrifice beyond ourselves. Communion is more than a quiet, private remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. Each time we come to the table, we participate in a holy act of witness — broadcasting to the world that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring life and hope. Communion becomes both a meal of nourishment and a message that resounds until Christ returns.
Communion is a communication channel to broadcast the message of Christ’s healing love. When we take the bread and the cup as Jesus did, we re-enact and re-tell the gospel as Jesus did. We scatter seeds of faith that casts the message broadly especially on special Sundays like World Communion Sunday when Christians around the world take communion together as one body of Christ. The message is cast to the ends of the earth, stretching across borders and grasping hands and hearts as One.
The Greek word used in this verse, katangellō, doesn’t use the word “broadcast” in its long list of similar words to define its meaning. Some of the words used are “preach, proclaim, advocate, and report,”[1] yet there’s just something about “broadcast” that speaks to our time. How does “broadcast” sit with you?
May we never forget that communion is a holy channel to receive Christ and also to broadcast Christ to the world.
Reflection Questions:
What message are you broadcasting to the world? Are you taking advantage of every channel to scatter seeds of Christ’s love?
Is there a channel you could begin utilizing? In what way?
In what ways might the Lord’s Table empower you to carry Christ’s love into your family, friendships, and community with greater intention?
Pray: Lord Jesus, may our sharing at your table broadcast your love until You come again.
Action: Invite a neighbor, friend, or someone who feels disconnected from church to share a meal with you this week as a way of embodying Christ’s welcome and witness.
[1] NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Zondervan, 2019.