He Blessed, and the Miracle Was On

 

“This IS my body,” or “this REPRESENTS My body.” Which is it? Are we to take the words of Jesus “literally,” or “figuratively?” This blog is not intended to settle the matter. Sadly, this divisive and often “hot” debate has raged for years in the church, and my little five minute devotion is not going to put an end to it today.

I will tell you that I am now of the “literal” crew, and I wanted to share with you some Scripture that helped me change my view.

First of all, I am a literalist when it comes to reading the Bible. Unless a passage is clearly intended by the writer as allegory, poetry, or some other form of writing, I take it literally. For some Lutherans, that’s enough to settle the debate. It never was for me. I could always see the possibility of Jesus speaking figuratively here, and so I wrestled.

 

But then one day when I was reading the account of the two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus, I was struck by the miracle that occurred when Jesus blessed the bread: Lu 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

I read that and thought, wow, something very special seems to happen when Jesus sits at table and blesses food.

That made me think of other times when He blessed food and a miracle followed. Specifically at the feeding of the 4000 and the feeding of the 5000.

 

When He fed the 5000, “He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” (Mt 14:19)

 

5000 men were fed and who knows how many total were fed including women and children. A couple of questions came to my mind as I read this account. #1 What were the people eating? Was it actual fish or some sort of mock chemical concoction that tasted like bread and fish?

The answer to that question is obvious.

Secondly, how many more people could Jesus have fed that day? Again the answer is obvious…..”As many as would come.”

 

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, we read in Mt 26:26, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

He blessed the bread….the miracle was on! This bread literally became His Body, not some chemical representation of it, but the real deal, and it would be so as this meal is celebrated in His church until HE comes again.

 

How many will feed on the true body and blood of Jesus? The answer is the same as the feeding of the 5000, “as many as will come.”

 

Again, I am not saying these things to settle the debate, I’m only sharing with you that which was helpful to me. And every time I come to the Lord’s table, I think of that night that Jesus was betrayed, and the miracle unfolds before my very eyes as I partake of the Body and Blood of my Lord, who in this meal, promises me that my sins are remitted.

 Mt 26:28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

“Shed for many,” as many as will come, including this sinner, who is eternally grateful for this grace filled gift.