The Old Testament Background to the Lord's Supper

Anyone who is familiar with the goings on at the Last Supper could probably recite the following lines from heart:

"The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'” – 1Corinthians 11:23-25

What most folks don’t realize is just how pregnant with meaning those few sentences are. So today I wanted to look at some of the streams of Old Testament themes which converge together in Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.

Understanding the Eucharist - What is it?

Every now and then the discussion in my Bible Study will veer into the realm of Mormonism.  And when discussing Mormonism, it is easy to poke fun at its more eccentric beliefs.  However, I try to remind the kids that we – as Catholics – have a few doozies of our own.  Probably the hardest one of all is our doctrine on the Eucharist. 

We believe that during the Catholic worship service (the “Mass”), when the priest holds up the bread and wine (the “elements”) and says, “This is my body / this is my blood” … those elements become the body our Savior.  Yet despite this change, the Eucharist retains the same size, shape, weight, taste, and nutritional value it had before.  You could put it under a microscope and you’ll only ever see bread. 

What has changed is the so-called “substance” of those elements.  You might also call it the metaphysical core, the underlying reality, the true nature.  Regardless of how you phrase it, what you now see is only bread and wine by appearance.  But the answer to the question, “What is that?” has radically changed.  That is what the Catholic Church refers to as "transubstantiation".

This has been universally believed since the earliest days of Christianity, and folks have been struggling with it just as long.  How do we understand this bizarre teaching?

Today I want to look at one way of breaking it down and understanding it better.

The Swiss Army Verses: The Rending of the Temple Veil

Today I wanted to begin a two-part series on a couple of New Testament passages which frequently appear in discussions between Catholics and non-Catholics.

These are verses which appear significant, but their implications are not explained in Scripture.  They are seized upon by preachers who say they know the real meaning of the text.  And frequently those interpretations are given in the context of protests against distinctive Catholic beliefs.

I call them .... the "Swiss Army Verses".

The Analogy of John 6

One of the doctrines which separates Christians from one another is the nature of the Lord's Supper.  What exactly did Jesus mean when He said:

"This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." - Luke 22: 19-20

Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some others take Jesus quite literally.  We confess that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ's body.  That is to say, Jesus Christ literally makes Himself available as food during the celebration of the Mass (aka the Lord's Supper).

In contrast, Evangelicals, Baptists, and most independent congregations hold that Jesus was speaking figuratively at the Last Supper.  They believe the Eucharist is only a token, a symbol, an emblem of Christ's body.

For simplicity I will call these two camps Group L and Group F.  (Literal and Figurative)

Today I want to discuss why this disagreement between Groups L and F is important.  Then I want to share an insight I had which I think definitively rebuts an argument against the literal bodily reality of the Eucharist.

A Dangerous Slogan: "The Eucharist is not a reward for the perfect..."

Slogans can be powerful things.  Think of the phrases, "No taxation without representation", "Remember the Alamo", and "Remember the Maine".  Bloody wars were fought over those words.

There has been another slogan I have heard bandied about in Catholic circles for the past couple years.  It has recently been repeated by such notable figures as Pope Francis and Lady Gaga.  That phrase is:

"The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but medicine for sinners."

Today I wanted to discuss why people should be very wary when hearing that slogan.

How Was Jesus a Melchizedek Priest?

The major theme of the letter to the Hebrews is the interaction between the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  One of the key assertions in that letter is that Jesus is not a Levitical priest - that is, a priest according to the Law of Moses - but a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

The letter says:

"We have this as a steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Hebrews 6:19-20

What does that mean?  That's what we'll examine today.

The Mass - A Sacrifice... but not a Re-Sacrifice? Huh?

Today I wanted to address one of the most incomprehensible aspects of Catholic worship when looking in from the outside.

The Catholic Church’s worship service is called “the Mass”.  As you may be aware, the Church regards the Mass as a sacrifice in which the offered victim is Jesus Christ.  In addition, most Catholic parishes celebrate the Mass multiple times per day.

With this in mind, many non-Catholics will be concerned that Catholics are attempting to sacrifice Jesus again and again.  In  fact, some will confront Catholics with the words from the letter to the Hebrews, which emphatically says that Christ was sacrificed ONCE for all.  However, when faced with those quotations, knowledgeable Catholics will look you in the eye and assert that the Mass does not “re-sacrifice” Jesus.

The mind reels.

What is going on there?  How can the Mass be a sacrifice, be something which is repeated, and yet not be a “re-sacrifice”?

That’s what we’ll explore today.

The Shock of the Nativity... and Kangaroos.

One of my students asked me recently, “I was working with a girl who said she thought the Eucharist was totally stupid. Like, she couldn’t possibly believe that it really is the flesh and blood of Christ.  How do I respond to that?”

“Is she a Christian?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

I couldn’t help but laugh. 

How did the Early Christians Worship? - Part 2

In the previous note [LINK] I asked two questions:  When did the earliest Christians worship?  What did they do when they gathered together?

I started with some Biblical evidence, but conceded that my conclusions could simply be the result of bias on my part.  So today we’ll look at three written works from the early Church in an attempt to flesh out the picture…

How did the Early Christians Worship? - Part 1

Today I wanted to ask some questions about Christian worship:  How did the early Christians worship?  Specifically, on what day did they gather?  What did they do when they gathered?  Those are the questions I want to explore today.