![]() ![]() He was telling his disciples that he would give his own life as the spotless lamb in order to make a way for them (and us) to have a relationship with God. Jesus took these two symbols and changed them to apply to himself, foreshadowing what he was about to do. ![]() A special prayer was usually said as well-but not in the way Jesus said it that night. ![]() The bread being broken was part of the tradition, and the wine was a symbol of shed blood, part of covenant-making. Picture this group of Jews sitting together expecting a traditional meal. Remember that the Passover meal Paul references in 1 Corinthians 11 took place just before Jesus was betrayed, taken as a prisoner, and crucified. Since Jesus and his followers were all Jews (the word Christian doesn’t get used until later), they still followed the Jewish traditions.īut Jesus was about to change things. It became a regular, yearly feast to remember what God had done for the Jewish people. This is what’s remembered in the Passover feast that Jesus and his disciples were celebrating when Communion was first instituted. Because they obeyed the Lord, he led them out of slavery and eventually into the Promised Land. The Israelites were also given specific instructions on how to prepare and eat their meal of lamb and bread that night (see Exodus 12). If they did this, the plague would pass over them. Acting on God’s orders, Moses instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and put the lamb’s blood on the top and sides of the door to their houses. Part of the confrontation involved ten plagues on the Egyptians, the last of which was the death of their firstborn children. God used Moses to confront the Egyptian Pharaoh and persuade him to release the Israelite slaves. Its roots lie in the Old Testament, and specifically in the book of Exodus, which tells the story of God freeing the Israelites (Jewish ancestors) from slavery in Egypt. When Jesus instituted Communion, he was actually celebrating the Jewish feast of Passover-one of the most important Jewish holidays. Like with most things in the Bible, unless we understand the cultural background, we won’t be able to see the full symbolism and richness of what’s there. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. The sacrament of Communion seems a bit odd from our modern eyes. Many of us are given a cardboard-flavored wafer and barely enough grape juice to get our mouths wet, and then someone reads these words: “‘This is my body which is for you. ![]()
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