WHAT DID JESUS MEAN BY HIS DEMONSTRATION OF THE BREAD AND WINE AT THE LAST SUPPER?
Someone in the Bible quiz group in Facebook, "Bible Explorers" - asked, "What is holy communion? Should everyone partake of it?"
My reply: Christians differ on the subject - I mean their understanding of the subject in the Bible, and also as to how they choose to observe it. Personally, in light of the scriptures on this subject, I believe that Jesus was not referring to that habit of passing around pieces of bread and little drinks of wine or juice. He was instead saying, I believe, that whenever Christians met together to worship together, that they were to take care to be living well in obedience to God in daily life. To be sincerely living according to the gospel, is the same as figuratively - symbolically, "eating the body of Jesus, and drinking His blood." Which symbolically means - to be living according to God's Word, and letting God take full control in one's life - letting Him be fully lord of his life. And remember how the priests of Old Testament times, were allowed to eat the shewbread, and how usually no one but them were allowed to eat it? Christians, under the New Covenant, are regarded as priests - Revelation 5:10. While Jesus is said to be our new and better kind of high priest - Hebrews 7:27-28.
John 6:32-35
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
KJV
And if any Christians fell away from Christ and were recognized by the church as having become willfully disobedient to God, churches were to not eat with them (New Testament churches had the habit of commonly eating together whenever worshipping God together, it sounds like).
1 Cor 5:11
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
KJV
And since not all willlful sin is obvious to the church, since Christians can choose to hide their sins from others - Christians are told to examine themselves before meeting (and possibly eating with) with other Christians for worship.
1 Cor 11:27-30
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
KJV
John 6:54-58
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
KJV
Someone in the Bible quiz group in Facebook, "Bible Explorers" - asked, "What is holy communion? Should everyone partake of it?"
My reply: Christians differ on the subject - I mean their understanding of the subject in the Bible, and also as to how they choose to observe it. Personally, in light of the scriptures on this subject, I believe that Jesus was not referring to that habit of passing around pieces of bread and little drinks of wine or juice. He was instead saying, I believe, that whenever Christians met together to worship together, that they were to take care to be living well in obedience to God in daily life. To be sincerely living according to the gospel, is the same as figuratively - symbolically, "eating the body of Jesus, and drinking His blood." Which symbolically means - to be living according to God's Word, and letting God take full control in one's life - letting Him be fully lord of his life. And remember how the priests of Old Testament times, were allowed to eat the shewbread, and how usually no one but them were allowed to eat it? Christians, under the New Covenant, are regarded as priests - Revelation 5:10. While Jesus is said to be our new and better kind of high priest - Hebrews 7:27-28.
John 6:32-35
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
KJV
And if any Christians fell away from Christ and were recognized by the church as having become willfully disobedient to God, churches were to not eat with them (New Testament churches had the habit of commonly eating together whenever worshipping God together, it sounds like).
1 Cor 5:11
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
KJV
And since not all willlful sin is obvious to the church, since Christians can choose to hide their sins from others - Christians are told to examine themselves before meeting (and possibly eating with) with other Christians for worship.
1 Cor 11:27-30
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
KJV
John 6:54-58
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
KJV