Question: .

We read that Christ said at the last supper, "take this (referring to bread) and eat it, this is my body......and drink this wine - it is my blood which is being shed for you. I have heard it asked, "Isn't taking communion a form of cannibalism? How would you answer such a question?

-Peter

Answer:

Dear Peter,

Actually, the far better dilemma to pose is recorded in John 6:52-60 (and the context both before and after this passage).

To Jews, Christ foreshadowed the institution of communion, and the symbols of the bread and the wine - and he told Jews, who certainly were not cannibals - in fact, they were restricted to certain kinds of animal meat, and no blood whatsoever - unless they ate his body and drank his blood they had no part of him.

Christians should always attempt the literal meaning of the Bible, before looking for simile, metaphor, symbol. However, good sense often helps us quickly look for symbol. In the same gospel of John, Jesus says that he is the door, that he is a vine, etc.

How does one know that Jesus was not counseling cannibalism?

1) The context: John 6:63 says that the words that Jesus spoke are spirit - i.e. this text is highly symbolic.

2) The context of the entire chapter: As we all know from studying grammar, literature, etc. - we should not lift a passage out of its context - to do so is to arrive at a pretext. The context is talking of the manna Moses gave Israel, and the temporary physical life manna gave, comparing it to the eternal life that Jesus as Lord and Savior brought. Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:48) - directly compared to the physical manna Moses gave (actually God gave Moses to give to Israel).

3) Other commands of scripture teach against cannibalism (Acts 15:20).

To be fair, there is another issue here that Christians debate - that being whether the actual body of Jesus is present in the host - the bread of communion - or whether the bread is symbolic. Catholics, Orthodox, and some Lutherans favor the actual body (transubstantiation) while most Protestants believe the bread and wine/juice (another issue) to be symbolic.

The practice of communion - however it is taken, how often, what the views are of the reality/symbol, etc. remains a central practice for Christians, and is certainly not cannibalism.

Hope this helps.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht