Are the bread and the wine actually changed into Christ’s body and blood (Matthew 26:26-29)?
In a “Solemn Profession of Faith” on June 30, 1968, Pope Paul VI declared: “We believe that as the bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His Body and His Blood which were to be offered for us on the cross, so the bread and wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven, and We believe that the mysterious presence of the Lord, under the appearance of those elements which seem to our senses the same after as before the Consecration, is a true, real and substantial presence. . . . This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church transubstantiation.” (Official Catholic Teachings—Christ Our Lord, Wilmington, N.C.; 1978, Amanda G. Watlington, p. 411) Do the Holy Scriptures agree with that belief?
It is written in Matthew (26:16-29 Jerusalem Bible) :
"“Now as they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. ‘Take it and eat;’ he said ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. ‘Drink all of you from this,’ he said ‘for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.’”
What did Jesus mean when he said, “This is my body,” “This is my blood”?
Amaytoi : why ?
Kman : consubstantiation is connected with the teaching of Trinity which is not a Biblical teaching. “Scholars have been puzzled by the apparent mildness of expression on the part of this creed; its failure, for example, to use the word homoousios of the Holy Spirit as consubstantial with the Father and Son.”
IMACATHOLIC2:
It is not hard to see why the Eucharist is viewed as miraculous. The key moment of the ceremony comes during the Eucharistic prayer. At that point, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1353), “the power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit” make Jesus’ body and blood “sacramentally present.” The priest, after partaking of the bread and wine, invites the faithful to receive Communion, usually by eating only the bread, or the Host.
The Catholic Church teaches that the bread and the wine are miraculously transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ—a doctrine called transubstantiation. This teaching arose gradually, with the word first being defined and used officially in the 13th century. In the days of the Protestant Reformation, certain aspects of the Catholic Eucharist were called into question. Luther rejected the doctrine of transubstantiation in favor of consubstantiation. The distinction is subtle. Luther taught that the bread and the wine coexist with, rather than transform into, the flesh and blood of Jesus.
So it is logical to say that the teaching of Eucharist and Transubstantiation are more catholic, orthodox and Lutheran teaching than a Biblical teaching because, first, these two words don’t appear in Bible, as the same of Trinity. And second, the teaching of Eucharist and Transubstantiation were created in 13th centery.
You said also:”By the way, the Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Lutheran and many Anglican Churches also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This is more than half of all Christians in the world”.
You must know that Biblical truth doesn’t depend of the number of the supporters… Jesus said truth would have a little number of supporters as he said:
“Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it” (Matthew 7:13,14).
Truth doesn’t depend on time (2000 years). Some truth knowledge scientists were discovered very recently, while some scientific untruths were supported during millenniums. So, I repeat that the truth does not depend on time.
Regarding the expressions “this is my body” and “this is my blood,” the following is noteworthy: Mo reads, “it means my body,” “this means my blood.” (Italics added.) NW reads similarly. LEF renders the expressions, “this represents my body,” “this represents my blood.” (Italics added.) These renderings agree with what is stated in the context, in verse 29, in various Catholic editions. Kx reads: “I shall not drink of this fruit of the vine again, until I drink it with you, new wine, in the kingdom of my Father.” (Italics added.) CC, NAB, Dy also show Jesus referring to what was in the cup as being “this fruit of the vine,” and that was after Jesus had said, “This is my blood.”
Consider the expressions “this is my body” and “this is my blood” in the light of other vivid language used in the Scriptures. Jesus also said, “I am the light of the world,” “I am the gate of the sheepfold,” “I am the true vine.” (John 8:12; 10:7; 15:1, JB) None of these expressions implied a miraculous transformation, did they?
At 1 Corinthians 11:25 (JB), the apostle Paul wrote concerning the Last Supper and expressed the same ideas in slightly different words. Instead of quoting Jesus as saying regarding the cup, “Drink all of you from this . . . for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant,” he worded it in this way: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Surely that did not mean that the cup was somehow miraculously transformed into the new covenant. Is it not more reasonable to conclude that what was in the cup represented Jesus’ blood by means of which the new covenant was validated?
Bible : http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/index.htm ; http://www.watchtower.org
Tagged with: amanda g watlington • blood of the covenant • body and blood • body and blood of christ • bread and wine • catholic teachings • christ enthroned • consubstantiation • eucharistic prayer • forgiveness of sins • holy scriptures • homoousios • jerusalem bible • mildness • mysterious presence • new wine • pope paul vi • presence of the lord • profession of faith • substantial presence
Filed under: All Things Wine
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Used as a metaphor. It would be silly to believe otherwise.
As 1 Corinthians 11 makes it clear, it is a rememberance of the Lord’s giving His body and shedding His blood.
It is not literal.
A rememberance is a rememberance.
And by the way, if you think it is literal, why won’t the "priest" allow you to drink the wine? Wouldn’t you need it too?
That’s a sidebar. But anyway, it is a rememberance. Not literal. It says so in black and white.
Worst problem is, catholicism teaches a false gospel of works that cannot save (Galatians 1:6-9).
Catholicism cannot get you into heaven. Only faith alone in Jesus is what saves. Jesus loves you so very much!
Salvation is a FREE GIFT that happens in a split second when you believe in Jesus alone to save you! It is impossible to lose or "leave" salvation (John 6:39-40, 1 John 5:13).
The truth about Jesus is that the only way to be saved and to get into heaven and avoid being sent to eternal hell, is by believing in faith alone that Jesus, who is God, died for our sins on the cross as FULL PAYMENT for all our sins, and then Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Believe this and you will be in heaven, no matter what!
Please pray now: "Jesus, please forgive me of my sins. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and You rose from the dead. Thank You for eternal life!" You will be in heaven with Him forever when you die.
Its a symbol
Good evening
Let us analyze the expressions " this is my body " and " this is my blood " in the light of several other striking faces of rhetoric which are contained in Writings. For example, Jesus asserted: " I am the light of the world ", " I am the door of ewes ", " I am the real vineyard. " (Jean 8:12; 10:7; 15:1, Jé). Nevertheless, none of these expressions implies a supernatural transformation.
Bye
he meant it as symbolism not as an actual transformation. when you do communion you do it as a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. It doesnt ACTUALLY change molecules into blood and flesh.
It was taken from Mithra ism, where Mithra told the exact same thing to his 12 disciples 600 years earlier. Coincidence?
Myth. Does it taste or look like body and blood to you?
A priest asked this same question when he was experiencing a crisis in faith, and one of the most famous miracles of the Eucharist occured, and can still be viewed
Jesus did not say, "This turns into my body", He said "This IS my body."
To think your eating Jesus’ actual body and blood is just disgusting and heretical. Not to mention the fact that the Roman Catholic Church sacrifices Jesus daily, as if his one sacrifice wasn’t enough.
It’s symbolic. The impact is what it means to you, in your own mind, and what you choose to do about it, in action, in the outer world.
Thanks for asking.
Peace!
It is what Jesus says it is: His Body and Blood.
There is no symbolism stated or implied. Jesus is God, and God says what He means…
drinking jesus blood and eating his flesh…is not talking about it physical….its the spiritual talk that he was making us to really see….eat my flesh and drink his blood….read his words and follow what he says….thats what he meant. jesus was talking in parables
He meant the bread he was passing around was symbolic of his body, and the wine they were drinking was symbolic of his blood. This was hours before his Crucifixion and it is today the "Lord’s Supper" and we are to do that (the last supper, communion) as a way of commemorating the cross.
He was not saying to take a bite of Himself. That is Catholic doctrine that is very wrong and blasphemous.
This is the biggest difference between Catholics and other Christians. Catholics believe that during the rite before eucharist, the bread and wine is actually transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. The rest of Christendom believes it is only a symbol.
Jesus said when speaking of eating His body and drinking His blood.
"The words I speak are spiritual." John 6:63
It is meant to be taken spiritually, because the Bible speaks against eating blood. People that do that are cannibals.
No, they could not have been because Jesus was still alive when He said "This is my body" and "This is my blood". He was not crucified until the next day. They were symbols to Him and He intends them to be symbols to us also.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches many things that are not in the bible and the members of the R.C.C. believe all they are told because they are not encouraged to read the bible for themselves.
It is a representation of salvation…
The Bread of Life is the Word of God.
Forgiveness from God comes when you repent in Jesus Christ name, that is the blood of Christ: Which means, Christ shed blood so that you can repent in your heart and ask for forgiveness unto God and it will be forgiven.
Before Christ you had to sacrifice an animal and shed its blood, etc…
Think about it.
If you have any question please feel free to email me.
Yes, He is clearly speaking literally. When Jesus spoke symbolically about food, as He did in Jn 4:31-34 and Mt. 16:5-12, the disciples interpreted Him literally. Jesus show them the He is only speaking figuratively. In Jn 6, when Jesus is speaking of the Eucharist and the disciples interpreted Him literally and could not believe He did not correct them. As a matter of fact He repeats Himself stating in clearest possilbe language the we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have eternal life,
Also, in the Aramaic language that Our Lord spoke, to symbolically "eat the flesh" or "drink the blood" of someone meant to persecute and assault them, as in Ps 27:2; Isaiah 9:18-20; Isaiah 49:26; Micah 3:3; 2 Sam 23:15-17; and Rev 17:6,16. So if Jesus is speaking symbolically then He would be telling us "whoever persecutes and assaults me will have eternal life." That makes no sense.
God bless,
Stanbo
Symbolic, just like the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.
"Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
"Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." ~ Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed., p. 174.
Just a warning, Jesus said no one has the right to change the Law of God by any means….
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 5:17-29
no…
that whole transubstantiation idea and the re crucifying of christ every time they do mass is false doctrine and against Biblical teaching..
we are to break break and wine in remembrance of him Not in place of …
Martin Luther (Lutheran Church) and Hulderich Zwingli (Swiss Reformed) met to try and create a Protestant Union Church. The one point on which they could not agree was meaning of the Lord’s Supper, with Luther taking the transubstantiation side and Zwingli saying it was plainly a symbolic remembrance ceremony. the link below takes you to a fascinating 7 part discussion on this meeting and this issues.
If you believe in the miracle of the Incarnation, believing and understanding the miracle of the Eucharist should be easy.
God became man. He was wholly God under the appearances of a man. He looked like a man, anyone who saw him saw a man, not God…and yet he was God. It was only through faith that those who understood his divine nature could accept it.
The same goes for the Eucharist. No one here would deny God’s ability to perform such a miracle as transubstantiation, and yet they deny that he does it. Why? Jesus did not say "this bread represents my body" or "this wine represents my blood" he said "this is" —
Matt. 26:26-28; Mark. 14:22,24; Luke 22;19-20; 1 Cor. 11:24-25 - Jesus says, this IS my body and blood. Jesus does not say, this is a symbol of my body and blood.
Matt. 26:26; Mark. 14:22; Luke 22:19-20 - the Greek phrase is "Touto estin to soma mou." This phraseology means "this is actually" or "this is really" my body and blood.
1 Cor. 11:24 - the same translation is used by Paul - "touto mou estin to soma." The statement is "this is really" my body and blood. Nowhere in Scripture does God ever declare something without making it so.
Matt. 26:26; Mark. 14:22; Luke 22:19 - to deny the 2,000 year-old Catholic understanding of the Eucharist, Protestants must argue that Jesus was really saying "this represents (not is) my body and blood." However, Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, had over 30 words for "represent," but Jesus did not use any of them. He used the Aramaic word for "estin" which means "is."
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html#eucharist-IIa
It is symbolic.
I am a christian. Christians are not cannibals. We do not eat the literal flesh and blood of Jesus.
Le 17:12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. <<< Blood is forbidden.
Mt 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. <<< christians are the body of Christ, the church of Christ.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. <<< the blood is representative of a new covenant which when taken, signifies the taker as a being a part of the covenant.
So what covenant is this ? A covenant to accept Jesus Christ as Messiah and to live by His Laws.
i think it is like a way for them to understand what jesus was doing so he used examples like that to get it across to them he wanted to understand that he loved them and he was giving his life for us so he used food, wine . he gives us a choice to accept him or not to live in him or live n the world i myself i chose to live in JESUS .
No, these are Passover symbols of his body and his blood. Note the last part of this verse… I shall not drink wine again. This was wine which represented Christ’s blood. Christ initiated the new passover service and symbols just before he was crucified. (John 13:12-17)
wow i have tried to asnswere you question but i can’t because there are so many things that i want to share with you about this question that everytime i try to type i get a better way to answere it, and i have a thousand examples on how to prove or testify that it is really the body and of jesus. so i will just have to answere with a simple
yes it is real.
Simply speaking:
Roman Catholic Theology believes in Transubstantiation- the bread and wine actually changes to the body and blood of Christ - even though it still looks like/tastes like/ feel like/etc. bread and wine.
Protestants believe in Consubstantiation - the body and blood of Christ and the bread and wine coexist with each other.
It is His Body and His Blood. His soul and His divinity.
No they are symbolic. If they did, then we would practicing cannibalism and drinking blood. Both are detestable to Jehovah. We are to eat the flesh of animals not humans, and we abstain from blood in all forms.
I am always surprised the Christians, who claim to take to Bible literally, don’t in areas of Catholic doctrine that does and has for almost 2,000 years.
At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Take this bread. It is my body.” Then he said, “Take this and drink. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me.”
Catholics believe this was the First Eucharist, that through a miracle the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Catholics reenact the Last Supper during every Mass, where God, acting through the priest, changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
This is a great sacrament of thanksgiving and unity of Catholics.
By the way, the Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Lutheran and many Anglican Churches also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This is more than half of all Christians in the world.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1322 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art3.shtml
With love in Christ.
the bread is the strength of the body of Christ in us, wine is the blood that God has given us,