The Parables And Teaching Of JesusSample

Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood

This strange language could not have been taken seriously by Jesus’ audience if understood literally. The Torah and the book of Acts directly forbid the consumption of blood (see Ge 9:4–6). But even if one reads Jesus’ words as mystical and symbolic, it’s difficult to be certain what his original audience would have understood Jesus to be saying.

The allusions to the Eucharist, or communion, would have only been decipherable to a later Christian, a post-resurrection reader. Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, which are nearly identical to those here, do not appear to have been understood even by his own disciples. The radical nature of Jesus’ teachings, which were provocative and often misunderstood, is powerfully evident in this scene.

Why is the Lord’s Supper important?