“THIS IS MY BODY . . . THIS IS MY BLOOD”
A COMMUNION MEDITATION
By Jack Cottrell

In the upper room, when establishing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus passed the bread to His apostles with these words: “Take, eat, this is My body” (Matthew 26:26). Then He passed the cup to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood” (Matthew 26:27-28).

Here is a quote from recent history: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” What does this make you think of? Bill Clinton, of course. At his impeachment hearing, Clinton’s lawyer said, “Ms. Lewinsky has sworn that there is absolutely no [romantic activity] of any kind … with Mr. Clinton.” Then he asks Clinton whether this is true or false. Clinton’s famous reply: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

This was not the first time people have argued over the meaning of the little word “is.” The verses from Matthew above specifically say, “This is my body” (touto estin to sōma mou) and “This is my blood” (touto estin to haima mou). These seem like simple, straightforward statements, but Christians have argued over what Jesus meant by “is” for centuries.

This issue is a main cause of division between Roman Catholics and most Protestants. On the one hand, Catholics believe that the word “is” in these texts must be taken literally. The bread literally is the body of Christ; the fruit of the vine is literally the blood of Christ. They believe that the bread and juice actually change into the body and blood of Jesus at a specific point during the sacrifice of the Mass. The bread and juice still look, feel, and taste like bread and juice (wine, actually), but—believe it or not—they are truly the body and blood of Jesus! The little word “is” tells us so.

On the other hand, most Protestants believe that the word “is” in these verses is being used in a kind of figurative sense. “Is” would thus mean “signifies, represents, stands for.” The bread stands for the body of Christ; the juice stands for the blood of Christ. This is why we call them “emblems.”

Protestants themselves have divided over this issue. Even two of the main Protestant Reformers argued about it. On the one hand, Martin Luther actually agreed with the Catholics, that we should take the word “is” in a literal sense; he did not agree with them on how this was the case, though. But on the other hand, his Swiss counterpart, Huldreich Zwingli, argued for the figurative use.

In a sense I regret having to say this, but—Zwingli was right on this point! Jesus could not have meant the word “is” to be taken in a literal sense: His body was sitting right there when He said this! The Roman Catholics and the Lutherans are wrong. “Is” is figurative: “This signifies My body.”

We often use the word “is” in this figurative sense, as does the Bible itself. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). “You are the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). “This Hagar is Mount Sinai” (Galatians 4:25). (“Am,” “is,” and “are” are all forms of the same verb, “to be.”)

So you see, we are not wrong when we say that the bread represents Christ’s body and the juice stands for Christ’s blood, in the same way that seed stands for the word of God. These emblems, these symbols, are meant to remind us of that event where Christ gave up his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. They help us to remember it, or call it to our minds.

So what are we doing when we chew and swallow these emblems? See John 6:53-56: “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. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.’”

Do not misunderstand this, as Roman Catholics and Lutherans do. Here is what it means: “Just as surely as I am now eating and drinking these emblems with my teeth and tongue, my throat and stomach, so am I at this very moment, and always, embracing and enveloping my blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with my whole heart and mind and soul. I am absorbing from Him the spiritual nourishment of His self-giving love, and the life-giving power of His death upon the cross for me.”

Think of these things are you are eating and drinking these emblems today.