|
|
 |
THE PARABLE OF THE CUP OF WINE
(cf.
Matthew 26:26-30; Luke 22:14-20) Mark
14:22-25 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”[1] 23 Then he took the cup[2], gave thanks and
offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This
is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he
said to them. 25 “I
tell you the truth; I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the
kingdom of God.” 1
Corinthians 11:23-25 23 The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when
he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which
is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This
cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink
it, in remembrance of me. 26 For whenever you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER To
explain the meaning of his sacrificial death Jesus took the familiar
symbols of the family Passover meal and gave them a special meaning.
First he took the bread, broke it, and asked the disciples to
see it not only as bread but as a symbol or picture of “his
body” violently broken on the cross.
He then asked them to eat it. “For
you” included the Church, represented by the disciples.
After that he took a cup of red wine and asked his disciples to
understand it not only as wine, but as the symbol of his “blood”,
or death, for the forgiveness of sins. They were then invited to drink it as his “blood
of the covenant”.
Finally, in a forward look of faith, Jesus promised them, and the entire community of believers, perfected fellowship with him in an end-time banquet in the Father’s kingdom on a transformed earth (Matthew 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:24). Until that time, Paul commanded that believers should celebrate the Lord’s Supper which anticipates the Messiah’s return and his marriage banquet (Revelation 19:9). The Lord’s Supper speaks of triumph and victory as well as suffering. Since
Jesus was physically present, the disciples did not literally eat his
body or drink his blood, contrary to the Roman Catholic view of the
mass and transubstantiation. Communion
is a mystery but it is not magic.
The bread remained ordinary bread; similarly the wine.
“This is my body” means “signifies” or “represents” my body.
The
Last Supper was a symbolic acting out of Christ’s eternal,
all-sufficient sacrifice on the Cross.
He “gave” himself for us and the words “poured out for many” echo Isaiah 53:11-12. “For many” means on behalf of everybody. Wine
that “gladdens the heart of
man” (Psalm 104:15) was a fitting symbol of the new and better
covenant available by the blood of Christ.
For this he “trod the
winepress alone” (Isaiah 63:3) on a lonely cross.
WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT FORESHADOWED, JESUS FULFILLED His
sacrificial death was a gift, chosen voluntarily, in accordance with a
divine plan of salvation. In
the exodus of Israel from Egypt it was the shed blood of a sacrificial
lamb sprinkled on the doorway that protected a family from God’s
judgment (Exodus 12:13). The
body of the Passover lamb was eaten as the family celebrated their
freedom from slavery and the beginning of a new life. At this meal the bread spoke of a new freedom from the slavery
of sin won by the sacrifice of himself (John 1:29). Paul called Christ “our
Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
A
covenant is a relationship between two parties.
As the old covenant established Israel as God’s people, so
the new covenant established a new people of God, the Church.
His “blood of the
covenant” (cf. Hebrews 10:29; 13:20) was also linked with the
blood sprinkled by Moses on God’s altar and on the nation of Israel
(Exodus 24:8). This
sacrificial blood distinguished Israel from other nations as being
God’s people (cf. Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19;
Revelation 5:9). The book
of Hebrews explains the permanence of the new covenant and the
temporary nature of the old covenant (9:15; cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34). THE GIFT OF CHRIST IS TO BE RECEIVED HUMBLY AND THANKFULLY Jesus knew how easily we forget. The communion service reminds us of the reality of our sin and the cost of God’s forgiveness. The repeated command, “Do this in remembrance of me”, places our focus on the person and work of Christ. We who participate in this ceremonial meal “take” by faith what is freely given and join ourselves with Christ, and with one another, in the body and blood of Christ: “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16; cf. John 6:53-57). We share communion with the Risen Lord. It is the Lord’s Table but we must “take”. We symbolically receive his death, accept it, affirm it, and identify ourselves with it, believing that it was for us that Christ died. We publicly declare our sense of guilt, our need of a Saviour, and our desire to live for him. His death was a gift that we appropriate as intimately we assimilate food and drink. As our bodily life depends on bread or food, so our spiritual life must be nourished by complete dependence on him in faith. In this attitude we draw near to Christ with renewed repentance, prayer and praise. We come to Christ in total dependence upon his grace and humble our pride before the Cross. Together,
as the family of God, we celebrate so great a Redeemer and so
wonderful a salvation with its hope of eternal life.
Communion is a reminder of Christ’s presence with believers
through his Holy Spirit and a preview of what we are to become as
God’s children. The
Church should be careful not to lose the simplicity of this memorial
meal in unnecessary complex ritual.
The focus of Communion is Christ, not the elements of bread and
wine, nor any pageantry. We
should focus on our giving thanks to God for his “indescribable
gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). THE WINE OF CHRISTIANITY Jesus used the symbol of new wine for his new teaching in the parable of the new wineskin (Luke 5:37-39; Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:21). This symbolism was paralleled at the wedding in Cana where his first miracle, the transformation of water into wine, represented Judaism transformed into Christianity (John 2:1-11). The lack of wine at the wedding was symbolic of the inadequacy of Israel’s religion. The six empty water pots that provided water for external use in ceremonial washing signified an empty religion. The water was a symbol of Jewish ritual purification. In an acted parable, Jesus made the new wine of the Gospel to fulfil the old covenant. The master of the banquet affirmed that this wine, served last, was the best. So Christ is God’s best gift who meets an internal need. A new age and a new covenant were announced by the new wine and the excellence of the wine indicated the superiority of the new order over the old. This “miraculous sign” revealed Jesus’ glory as the promised Messiah. In
Jewish symbolism both the marriage feast at Cana and the new wine
pointed to the Messiah’s kingdom (Isaiah 54:4–8; 62:4–5).
These were symbols that Jesus often used (Matthew 22:1–14;
Mark 2:19–20). Paul
also used the image of a wedding as figurative of God’s kingdom
where the Church is the bride and Christ is the bridegroom (Ephesians
5:31-32). The Old
Testament described the age of the Messiah with the image of an
abundance of wine, as
a metaphor of spiritual blessings (Isaiah
25:6-9; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 14:7; Amos 9:13–14).
THE CHRISTIAN AND ALCOHOL The Bible condemns the abuse, not the use, of wine. In OT and NT times wine (usually diluted with water) was the common drink.[3] Negative statements about wine indicate that it was not grape juice. Today wine is recognized as having medicinal value (cf. 1 Timothy 5:23). The Bible condemns excessive use of wine (Proverbs 31:4-5; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Isaiah 28:7), nevertheless it does not command total abstinence. While not rejecting the good gifts God has provided (Psalm 24:1; Mark 7:19; Acts 10:9-16; 1 Timothy 4:4), the believer should take note of warnings against drunkenness (Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3). Christians should not live like non-Christians. Scripture encourages self-control, moderation and discretion in the use of alcohol (1 Timothy 3:3. 8; Titus 2:3). Believers should refrain from any behaviour that would cause someone with a weak conscience and scrupulous beliefs to stumble (Romans 14:13-21; 1 Corinthians 8: 8-13; 10:32-33). Individual conscience depends upon knowledge, but personal freedom should be balanced with responsibility (Galatians 5:13). Love justifies abstinence. However, Christian freedom allows a believer, according to his own conscience, to either abstain or drink in moderation (Colossians 2:16). John the Baptist abstained from drinking wine while Jesus did not abstain (Matthew 11:18-19; Luke 7:33-34). Both respected each other. The total abstainer is not justified in saying his practice is the more spiritual or biblical. We are answerable first and foremost, not to one another, but to Christ. FOR REFLECTION
PRAYER Jim Peacock MA
(Hons), Diploma of Education. [1]
These words are
well translated by Moffatt: “Take this, it means my body…This
means my covenant blood.” [2] Four cups of red wine were used in the annual Passover celebrations. [3]
The NLT refers to wine 218 times, the NIV 234 times, and the NASU
262 times. Most of
these references give wine a positive or neutral mention.
The vine was a symbol of the religious life of Israel
itself. Jesus likened
himself to a grape-vine (John 15). |
