My body, My blood.
‘What we have garnered through extensive Bible study is that we should use the fruit of the vine, which is the grape juice, to represent the blood of Jesus.’
“WHILE THEY were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’. Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26: 26-30)
The Lord’s Supper, or the last supper, as it is referred to in the Bible, came at a time when there was some level of disunity among the disciples, and Jesus saw it fit to reunite them through a symbolic act of the washing of feet, breaking of bread and serving of wine.
The washing of feet symbolises a humility that is required when you come into God’s presence. The bread is a representation of Jesus’ broken body, and the wine is a symbol of His spilt blood from being crucified for our sins.
But do these symbolic acts hold the same power today? Is the act of communion as sacred as it once was and should be? Pastor of the Central Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Christopher Mighty, says that it absolutely is.
With regard to how some churches choose to order the service and the particular products, Pastor Mighty said these should always follow or be guided by the stipulations of the Bible.
“We are encouraged to search scripture and participate in healthy living. What we have garnered through extensive Bible study is that we should use the fruit of the vine, which is the grape juice, to represent the blood of Jesus. The blood cleanses us, and the symbolism is very deep. Alcohol destroys the body, and that is not a good representation of Jesus,” he said.
BREAD
He said with regard to the bread, it, too, should be free of certain ingredients.
“No leavening agent is used because leaven, in scripture, represents sin, and Christ’s body is sinless. Hence, no leavening agent is used in the baking of the bread.”
While communions commemorates the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity with respect to our salvation, there are individuals who opt not to participate because they feel sinful and unworthy. However, Mighty said that that is the perfect time to participate.
“There is a passage of scripture that talks about feasting unworthily, and people have taken it out of context. If you know that you have faltered, you would need it more than anybody else, and I encourage members not to stay away for it,” he said.
He said, however, that if it is a case where someone shows no willingness to change, they should not participate.
“There is a sequence to the communion; First, you remember the sacrifice that Jesus made and do a self-examination, repentance and confession. Then, you have the ordinance of humility, which involves the washing of feet. And thirdly, you have unity – we are doing this together at the foot of the cross. All of this must happen before partaking of the emblems, the blood and body of Jesus,” he said.