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Lord's Supper: Simplicity Made Complicated
Lord's Supper: Simplicity Made Complicated
Jesus gathered with his apostles and ate the Passover meal. AFTER SUPPER (1Cor. 11:25) the Lord took TWO elements and instituted this memorial observance. The disciples regularly gathered and all of them ate of the bread and drank of the fruit of the vine together in remembrance of the Lord.
This developed later into the idea of the bread turning into the body of Jesus and the fruit of the vine turning into the blood of Jesus. Thus it was thought that disciple literally ate the body and blood of Jesus. It is understood by some that thus the very SUBSTANCE of the elements have changed.
Others, realizing that the physical element of bread and wine were still present concluded that 'along with the bread and wine' the literal body ALSO became materially present in the emblems. Thus the literal body and blood of Jesus are said to co-exist along with the actual bread and wine.
Such was the understanding of the phrase 'this is my body' and 'this is my blood'. The phrases "this is my body' and 'this is my blood' are a figure of speech known as metaphor. This is defined as " a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance" (Dictionary.com).
Wayne Jackson stated: "In a metaphor we see a dramatic image by which one this is compared to another, but being represented figuratively as that very thing."* John said of Jesus: "behold, the lamb of God" (John 1:29). Jesus was not a literal lamb. Jesus said "I am the vine and you are the branches" (John 15:1). Neither of the statements speaks of literal vines or branches. Again, Jesus said: "I am the door of the sheep" (John 10:7); "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12); "Ye are the salt of the earth:… Ye are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13-14); etc. All of these are examples of such metaphorical speech in the bible. What disciples eat is bread and what they drink is fruit of the vine (1Cor. 11: 26, 27, 28). In eating and drinking such they do it in remembrance of Jesus.
Others have taken the word 'cup' and made the literal physical cup a third element of this memorial. Then it is decreed that as there is one covenant there must be one literal cup. Yet in each congregation there is 'one cup' but there are thus thousands of such cups. It is easier to realize that all people have forever drank the one cup which is not the container but by metonymy the contents, the fruit of the vine. Whether there is one congregation or 10,000 they all drink the SAME cup for they all drink the same element. Thus, the one cup DOES represent the one covenant.
While there is simplicity in such eating of this memorial, the meaning of it is profound. It declares the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus to provide for the forgiveness of our sins. It speaks of the great gift of God in giving His son to die for us. It brings to remembrance that love that Jesus has for us: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). It proclaims the disciples faith and hope in both the resurrection of Jesus and His coming to gather us unto God. Hugh DeLong
*Wayne Jackson: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/477-what-are-transubstantiation-and-consubstantiation
