“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
The Basket Case Chronicles #135
“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11: 24).
This is Paul’s recounting of how the Lord instituted the Supper, an account that he had received from the Lord Himself (v. 23). The first thing to note is that Jesus gave thanks, and then broke the bread. He knew what the import of this breaking was, because He mentions that in the next breath. He said that the broken bread was His broken body, and when He broke the bread as an enactment of this, He prefaced it by giving thanks over the breaking of His own body.
Second, He said, “take” and “eat.” He didn’t say “take and dispute” or “take and worship.” The actions involved are taking, eating, and remembering.
Third, there is some discussion over the meaning of word translated remembrance here, some taking it as memorial, and others as remembrance. Memorial would be more expansive, meaning that God will remember in our observance, just as He remembers with the appearance of the rainbow. But in either case, we are to remember, we are to recall.
I often read these entries aloud to my family. We love the intelligent humor and can’t figure how you have time to write all this.
I have for a long time believed more to be in the Lord’s Supper than the reformed folks around me, and I see more in what you say about it, How do you differ from the Lutheran view?
I love to contrast this 1 Cor. passage with Heb. 10:3, where the Greek word “anamnēsis” (remembrance, or reminder) is connected with Old Covenant sacrifices and sin. Now, however, the “anamnēsis” is in reference to Christ. Both deal with the removal of sin, but only this New Covenant memorial accomplishes it perfectly and permanantly, and praise God for that!