1 Cor. 2:14, 15:44: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ... There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
As I once again examine the beautiful significance of the Eucharist, I realize that each time I spiritually look, new truths are divinely revealed.
As we read Jesus' words at the Last Supper, we are reminded of the distinction between the natural characteristic and the spiritual characteristic of the Eucharist: "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'" (Matt. 26:26-28).
Here we are faced with an enigma! At no time did Jesus ever say, "This bread represents (or is like) my body, and this cup represents (or is like) my blood." No, Jesus used the copular verb (or linking verb) "is" to state that the bread was his body and the cup of wine was his blood, instead of merely being symbolically similar. This is the job of a copular verb — to link two things and make them equal.
But are bread and wine always the Lord's body and blood, or must an unseen change occur?
Let's look further.
Paul established the same unique "linkage" in his somber admonition for properly receiving the Eucharist: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).
To begin with, the initial "substance" of the elements was composed of bread and wine until the apostle continued, "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body" (1 Cor. 11:29).
Suddenly, we realize the deadly implication of carelessly eating the bread and drinking the wine when the communicants fail to discern the Lord’s body in the elements whose deep inner essence has been transformed. But where is the invisible boundary between natural and divine, between ordinary and holy, between mundane and miraculous?
Obviously, during a regular meal, the crackers we eat with our soup do not represent Jesus' body, nor does a glass of wine we drink with a slice of cheese represent the Lord's blood. So, when does the transition happen between merely eating common food and immediately needing to reverence the Lord’s body and blood?
To find out, let us return to the first Lord's Supper before Christ was crucified: "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'" (Matt. 26:26-28).
And there it is!
While the disciples enjoyed ordinary food at their Passover supper, Jesus took an unleavened loaf, prayed, broke the bread, handed the pieces to his disciples, saying, "Eat. ... This 'is' my body." Then, praying again over a cup of wine, he did the same: "Drink. ... This 'is' my blood!" Instantly, a change occurred! What had been a Jewish Seder meal became Christian Communion! What had been bread and wine became body and blood! And the miraculous transformation happened because of sanctification by prayer!
Only when the bread and wine are sanctified for sacred service do the dual natures of "essence" and "substance" exist. Or, in other words ... during the act of consecration, the substance of the bread and wine changes into Christ, while the physical properties of the elements (their taste and appearance) remain the same.
There are many sublime truths we can learn about Jesus Christ and also ourselves through the miracle of the consecrated Eucharist! Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we are all part of that one shared loaf (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
Symbolized by sacrament, this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun (2 Cor. 5:17). Just as the bread and wine transform into Jesus' body and blood through divine sanctification, we have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. The life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us (Gal. 2:20). Amen!
