Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 317, Matthew 26:26-29 — Communion Matthew 26:26-29 (NASB1995) “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’” Context Matthew 26 details the last hours of Jesus’ life before His arrest and crucifixion. Review Yesterday, we read about the last supper. The image is of Jesus reclining around a table with the twelve enjoying a last meal together. During the supper, John’s account adds that Jesus got up to prepare foot washing, which was a tangible way of showing His love and service to them. It also symbolized the washing away of sins. While foot washing does not provide salvation or literally wash away sins, it spiritually represents submission to Christ. Jesus says that all whose feet He washes are ‘clean.’ However, not everyone present was ‘clean’, as there was one who was not wholly submitted to Him. Jesus then openly declared His awareness of a betrayal. The disciples question who the traitor might be. However, Jesus reveals it was Judas, as He hands a morsel to him. Notably, dipping bitter herbs into the bread bowl was a common Passover tradition, symbolizing a most intimate covenant relationship with one other. Thus, that one of the twelve would have dipped their hand into the bowl with Jesus, symbolizing an intimate fellowship with Him, while betraying Him, was horrifyingly blasphemous. John 13:27 adds that the moment Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him, as his hypocritical dip into the bowl symbolized his blasphemous betrayal of the Messiah. Discussion Today, we read about the institution of communion. Amid the foot washing and revealing of Judas as a traitor, Jesus takes a moment during the last supper to institute a most intimate Christian sacrament. Matthew writes, “26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’” The head of the household traditionally led the Passover party in blessings and giving thanks in the breaking of bread and drinking of wine.[1] Hence why Jesus leads the disciples here. As part of the Passover tradition, Jews had their own words of explanation for the breaking of bread and drinking of wine. These words related to the events of their deliverance from Egypt in Exodus. The traditionally recited blessing during the bread portion says, “This is the bread of affliction our ancestors ate when they came from Egypt.”[2] Others interpret the blessing as “Praised be thou, O Lord, our God, king of the world, who causes bread to come forth from the earth.”[3] In our passage, Jesus likely recited this traditional prayer before telling the twelve to eat the bread. However, He adds a newer interpretation to the eating of bread that provides an even greater deliverance.[4] This statement about eating His body probably confused the disciples without further context—and was something they would not fully understand until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Notably, it is important to understand that Jesus is not commanding the disciples to eat His flesh in a literal sense.[5] It is symbolic. Similarly, the traditional prayer of thanks did not mean to literally eat bread from thousands of years ago.[6] Rather, it was a symbolic reenactment of the first Passover to take part in the experience and give glory and pray blessings to God.[7] Paul writes about the partaking of communion in his letter to Corinth and explains the symbolism of the sacrament. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 says, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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.’” In this passage, Paul explains that the eating of bread during communion represents the broken body of Christ that endured inconceivable suffering and the tangible wrath of God. We will detail the physical suffering of Jesus in the coming days. Thus, in a most holy and reverent act, Christians are to remember this suffering when they take the bread. Luke’s account adds Jesus saying to take the bread in remembrance of Him (Lk. 22:19). Following the breaking of bread to represent His body, Jesus took a cup of wine and gave thanks, saying, “27 Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Notably, there were four intervals of wine drinking during the Passover feast. Traditionally, the drinking of wine represented various blessings to God for His deliverance, restoration, mercy, and covenant faithfulness to His people. One interpretation of a blessing says, “Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, king of the universe, who feeds the whole world with goodness, with grace and with mercy.”[8] In the Old Testament, blood sacrifice ratified covenants between parties.[9] In this period, the Passover wine remembered the blood of the lamb on doorposts. Remember, God redeemed His people from Egypt by the blood of lambs on doorposts. After their deliverance from Egypt, God ratified His covenant with His people in Exodus 24:8 when Moses sprinkled the people with sacrificial blood at Mount Sinai.[10] This act instituted the old covenant. In the same way, Jesus says to drink the wine to represent His new covenant created through the spilling of His blood. However, His blood poured out on the cross signifies not only the beginning of this new covenant but also the forgiveness of sins. Thus, the Passover feast served as a representation of God’s redemption of His people from Egypt, leading to the old covenant with them—and now, through the eating of bread and drinking of wine with Christ, it represents the new covenant between God and born-again Christians.[11] In short, Jesus’ death marks the beginning of the new relationship between God and His people, and Christians remember this covenant by eating bread and drinking wine—the holy sacrament of communion. Furthermore, Jeremiah 31:31-33 prophesies this new covenant. It says, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. 33 ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” Jesus concludes, saying, “29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’” In this conclusive declaration, Jesus reveals how He will not eat or drink again until after He returns and establishes His eternal kingdom. This is the joyous Marriage Supper of the Lamb that all those saved in Christ will take part in after He returns (Rev. 19:6-9). At this time, all things will be made new, and He will eternally reign as King. There will be no more death, no more sin, no more sadness. We will enjoy eternal fellowship with our LORD and millions of brothers and sisters in Christ. This is when Jesus will eat and drink with His friends and family again. We will read about Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial tomorrow. Application When I first came to faith, I did not fully understand the significance of communion. I also did not realize there were right and wrong ways to take it, as one must reflect before doing so (1 Cor. 11:26-29). Sadly, I have seen many American churches abuse communion and twist its meaning. Personally, I believe this is a grievous sin of a holy act instituted by Christ Himself. We should not use communion to push political agendas or use it to replace remembrance of Christ with personal prayers. Yes, I have seen communion practiced in both ways. The taking of communion is a massively holy, intimate moment between a born-again believer and God. It is a time of joy and utmost reverence to remember what Christ has done for us in atoning for our sins and providing a way of salvation. It is difficult for me to fathom twisting such a holy act into something else. Something that really struck me recently was the reality that communion is not for everybody—even believers, at times. Obviously, unbelievers should not partake. However, Paul warns believers should take communion in a manner of reflection and reverence. This does not mean one should deliberately avoid taking it. However, the way one does matters. Somebody who is knowingly unrepentant and takes communion without self-reflection or a heart seeking change will face responsibility. Claiming such an identification with Christ through communion while ignoring what it represents is a negligent sin. How can one take it without regard for what it proclaims? The reality is that communion is an intimate moment between an individual believer and the LORD. It is a time we must take seriously, as we reflect on our lives and remember what Christ has done for us. We should not change or twist its meaning but humbly and joyously approach the LORD with surrendered hearts. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 26:30-35. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [4] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [5] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [9] Ibid. [10] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [11] France, “Tyndale Commentaries.”
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