YEAR 2023 SYNOD THEME: AN EXTRACT FROM THE BISHOP'S CHARGE
Significance of the Acts and the Words of Jesus at the Last Supper
Many of Jesus’ actions and words at the Last Supper, such as the breaking and distributing of the bread, were part of the prescribed Passover ritual. But when Jesus said, ‘This is My body’ and ‘This is My blood’ while distributing the bread and the cup, He did something totally new. These words, which were intended for our blessing, have been the focus of sharp disagreement among Christians for centuries. In what sense are the bread and wine Christ's body and blood? What should the Lord's Supper mean to us? The answers to these questions are often grouped into four categories, although there are variations within these four broad views.
The Transubstantiation View
The first view is that of the Catholic Church (especially before the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965). This view holds that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ when the words of institution are spoken by the priest. This doctrine, known as transubstantiation, holds that while the physical properties (taste, appearance, etc.) of the bread and wine do not change, the inner reality of these elements undergoes a spiritual change.
While this view may help to foster a serious attitude toward the Eucharist, it fails to grasp the figurative nature of Jesus’ language. Jesus could not have been holding His actual body and blood in His hands. He probably meant, ‘This bread represents My body’ and ‘This wine represents My blood.’ Jesus often used figurative language (Luke 8:11,21), just as a person does today when showing someone a photograph and saying, ‘This is my father.’
The Consubstantiation View
The second viewpoint, developed by Martin Luther, is that Christ's body and blood are truly present ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and wine. The elements do not actually change into Christ's body and blood. But in the same way that heat is present in a piece of hot iron, so Christ is present in the elements. The Lutheran position is often called consubstantiation.
This position can encourage the recipient of the Eucharist with the realization that Christ is actually present at the Supper. But it also misses the figurative use of Jesus’ words. It also may tend to draw more attention to the bread and wine than to Christ Himself.
The Symbolic View
The third position, known as the symbolic or memorial view, is derived from the teachings of the Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli. He held that the bread and wine were only symbols of the sacrificed body and blood of Christ. He taught that the Lord's Supper is primarily a memorial ceremony of Christ's finished work, but that it is also to be an occasion when God's people pledge their unity with one another and their loyalty to Christ. This is the viewpoint held by most Baptist and independent churches. While Zwingli's ideas are basically sound, this position tends to place more emphasis on what the Christian does and promises in the Supper than on what God does.
The Dynamic View
Finally, there is the view of John Calvin and the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which follow his teachings. Known as the dynamic or spiritual presence view, it stands somewhere between the positions of Luther and Zwingli, that is, Consubstantiation and Symbolic views.
Calvin agreed with Zwingli that the bread and wine are to be understood symbolically. Christ is not physically present in the elements, because His risen, glorified body is in heaven (Heb 10:12-13). Still, He is dynamically and spiritually present in the Lord's Supper through the Holy Spirit.
In the worship service (but not at any one precise moment), when the Word of God is proclaimed and the Lord’s Supper is received, the glorified Christ actually gives spiritual nourishment from His own glorified body to those who receive it. As bread nourishes the physical body, so Christ's glorified body enlivens the soul. Because of the organic union between Christ, the risen Head and the members of His body, the church (Eph 1:18-23; 4:15-16; 5:23), this nourishment is conveyed to Christians by the Spirit who dwells in them (Rom 8:9-11). Calvin admits that the way the Spirit does this is a genuine mystery.
This position helps to explain why the Eucharist is so important for the Christian to observe, and why it is such a serious offense to misuse it. His view also corresponds well with those Scriptures that speak of God's nourishing and empowering work in His people (Eph 3:14-21; Col 2:6-10,19).