Proclaim - Word Foundations

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, the apostle Paul gave the Corinthian Christians a beautiful and concise description of the Last Supper: “On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, ‘This is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” It is clear that with these words, the Lord was establishing what we now know as the Lord’s Supper, a regular observance that prompts us to remember and to appreciate Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Accordingly, Paul added, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (v. 26).

Thus we see the Lord’s Supper involves more than internal reflection on the part of those who participate in it. It also involves an external element, that of proclaiming Jesus’ death. The word translated proclaim is an interesting word. It means “to declare, publish, make known, announce, promulgate.” It is made up of two words, the first of which in this context means “toward, along,” and the latter of which is the Greek word for messenger, or angel. Here are some of the other passages in which the term translated proclaim in 1 Corinthians 11:26 appears. In each instance, the English word representing the Greek is underlined.

In Acts 17, Luke recorded that Paul and His companions “came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.’ Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women” (Acts 17:1-4).
When he spoke at the Areopagus in Athens, Paul declared, “For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).
Early in His Letter to the Roman Christians, Paul wrote, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world” ( 1:8).
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, “When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:1-3).
Paul stated to the Colossian believers, “God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, warning and teaching with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (1:27-28).

While the Lord’s Supper may represent an inaudible proclamation of the Lord’s death, it is nevertheless a declaration that is powerful and effective. It is made by believers for believers, but unbelievers also may gain significant insight from being exposed to it.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.