Thursday, May 2, 2024

The Doctrine (Matt. 26:26b, 28)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/2/2024 7:03 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                       Focus:  “The Doctrine”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                          Reference: (Matthew 26:26b, 28)

 

            Message of the verses:  “this is My body….for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins”

 

            As I go through this evening with Jesus and His disciples I am learning things about what was done on the Passover as that is what they were first celebrating, and then the Lord turned it into His Last Supper from where we received “The Lord’s Supper” or communion.  The breaking of the unleavened bread was a normal part of the traditional Passover ceremony.  However Jesus now gave it an entirely new meaning as He said “This is My body.”  The original unleavened bread symbolized severance from the old life in Egypt, carrying nothing of its pagan and oppressive “leaven” into the Promised Land.  It represented a separation from worldliness and sin and the beginning of a new life of holiness and godliness.

 

            Not Here is the change and it comes by our Lord’s divine authority:  Jesus transformed that symbolism into another as we have stated.  From henceforth the bread would represent Christ’s own body, sacrificed for the salvation of men.  Luke reports that Jesus added, “given for you: do this in remembrance of Me” (22:19, indicating He was instituting a memorial of His sacrificial death for His followers to observe.

 

            MacArthur writes: “In saying the bread is His body, Jesus obviously was not speaking literally.  A similarly foolish misunderstanding already had caused the Pharisees to ridicule Him and many superficial disciples to desert Him (See John 6:48-66).  It is the same misunderstanding reflected in the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.  That literalistic notion is an absurd misinterpretation of Scripture. 

 

            “Jesus’ statement about eating His body was no more literal than His saying He is the Vine and His followers are the branches (John 15:5) or than John the Baptist’s calling Him the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

 

            “As the disciples drank of the cup Jesus said, “This is My blood of the covenant.”  From Luke we learn that the Lord specified ‘new covenant.’ (22:20), clearly distinguishing it from all previous covenants, including the Mosaic.”

 

            I think that I will try and finish this section in the next SD.  I know this one is short, but there are some very important facts in it that one needs to think about so that when believers participate in the Lord’s Supper they will have a better understanding.

 

5/2/2024 7:29 AM

 

             

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