Is the Memorial an Invitation for Everyone?
06-19-2020
What happened on Nisan 14. 33 A.D., changed the world:
Jesus Christ along with His Apostles celebrated a communion.
Understanding what occurred on Nisan 14 can change our world and our perspective of this world.
Let us take a look at what occurred on that night and what it means for you and me….
The account of Matthew about this special evening reads:
"Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; this is My blood of the covenant that will be poured out for ALL THE PEOPLE for the forgiveness of their sins. God now secures this covenant for the PEOPLE." (Matthew 26:27, 28)
The Watchtower, too, confirms on this topic:
"The Apostle John wrote of the significance of the ransom of Christ: "[Jesus Christ] is an atonement for our sins, but not only for our own, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2). It is therefore FOR ALL HUMANITY."
(Watchtower March 1, 2008 Pages 4-7; highlights are ours)
If Christ's body and blood serves as a ransom for ALL HUMANITY, should not ALL HUMAN BEINGS take from these symbols
representing His body and blood as a ransom?
This would only be logical!
Jehovah's Witnesses, however, learn that the covenant of the ransom sacrifice is supposedly ONLY for the 144,000 spirit-anointed ones. Only the ones with the heavenly hope are allowed to take from the symbols at the memorial. All the other people are only observers, secondary beneficiaries.
This is why almost nobody eats the bread and drinks the wine at the memorial.
Deshalb isst und trinkt bei der Gedächtnismahlfeier fast keiner von Brot und Wein, die Christi kostbares Opfer für uns symbolisieren. Und Zeugen Jehovahs sind nicht die einzigen, die das Abendmahl auf diese Weise begehen ... dazu später mehr.
Was ist der Zweck des Abendmahls?
Und was noch wichtiger ist:
Was möchte Jesus selbst, unser geliebter Retter, von uns sehen?
The purpose of the Lord's Supper
Why do we celebrate the memorial feast at all? As an answer we would like to quote the apostle Paul:
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:26)
This implies that it is a portion of our preaching work to "eat this bread and drink this cup...", as our Lord Yahusha commanded us to do. There was no mention of "passing up these emblems" or "respectfully observing" (this idea would probably have seemed absurd to the first Christians ...).
"To eat this bread and drink this cup" is thus a symbolic act, according to the words of Paul, through which we publicly confess to our Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ, who died for us.
Of course, we proclaim "the death of the Lord" and his resurrection also through our preaching work as Jehovah´s Witnesses.
In 1934, however, the active participation of the Lord's Supper for all Christians was abolished and they taught that it was now only reserved for Christians who have a heavenly hope. Since then, the faithful ones having the earthly hope, are only allowed to "observe" and no longer participate actively, and thereby no longer proclaim the death of the Lord.
Does this not ignore Jesus' explicit instruction to "eat and drink"?
What do Jehovah God and Jesus our King expect from us?
Jesus always acts in harmony with JHWH God. And Jesus' explicit expectation to each of us is: stay in fellowship with me by heeding my words and keeping my commandments. (John 6:56; 14:23)
His words and commandment concerning the Lord's Supper were simple and unambiguous:
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, ALL of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for MANY for forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)
God is "the Savior of ALL men, especially of believers." (1 Timothy 4:10)
Is it bad if you don't eat and drink at communion yourself? Let the Bible answer for itself:
"So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, UNLESS you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have NO life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [...] He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.’ " (John 6:53-57, NASB)
Eating and drinking from the symbols of Jesus' flesh and blood at the Lord's Supper is therefore a question of life and death! Even of eternal life and eternal death!
By the way, Satanists celebrate their "Lord's Supper" by also passing around the symbols of bread and wine and demonstratively NOT taking of them to express their rejection of Christ.
Do you want to be like them?
And what is to be thought of a "Christian" organization which, through its teaching, separates the sheep of Christ from their shepherd and life saviour?
Will YOU faithfully declare the death of the Lord until He returns?
Jesus rejoices when we confess to Him.
And he said, "Keep doing this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) As we understand it, we can celebrate Holy Communion even on other days prayerfully, confess our faith in God's Son and proclaim His death until He returns.
