This begs the question of why Jesus would refer to the “blood” he just gave to his apostles as the fruit of the vine.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine****], until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Mark 14:24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will
drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Thanks stevekehl. JESUS didn’t need to consume the covenant meal nor HIS blood.
His words were to the apostles and us … not a self actualization, though He did eat the prescribed Passover Meal before this in fulfilling the Old Law as the Son of Man , prior to this establishing of a New Covenant in His Blood (versus symbolic wine - HIS choice of words).
Wine was consumed as part of the passover meal. Still is. Jesus refused even the vinegar offered him on the cross (a bitter “fruit of the vine”). Though Jesus said this is my blood of the new and eternal covenant and told His apostles to “Drink This …” HE did not need to drink his own consecrated blood as part of a covenant as they did.
Some teachers look for loopholes (to recall a half jest of W.C. Fields when he was caught reading a Bible - contrary to his public rascal image) in Catholic Church teaching about the Eucharist. The trouble is - Christ Himself. It was HE who was at His most repetitive and insistent during His declarations captured in John Chapter 6. “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you …” is a corker. It is ONLY explained later in the
Last Supper narratives of the other three Gospels. It is a covenant - take it or leave it!
“Take this eat … Take this DRINK …Do THIS in memory of me … (from the lips of He who also said) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven … What you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven”
Jesus’ words must be kept and not made inferior to what He said and meant; ditto the teachings of His deputized Church. Not EVEN self appointed latter day teachers without Church authority changing Christ’s profound teachings into something more - modern, liberal, understandable, easily doable, or more comfortably obscure and ignorable.
**Has the Catholic Church really imagined a God who comes closer to His Children than the “REAL God”? ** Have self-styled later reformers (who scripture incidentally warns the faithful against) so enticed the “itching ears” of many that they cast aside “sound teaching” that already exists for worldly novelties?
Sound teaching of the Christ-founded Church (and its holy tradition - whether by word or in writing, scripture etc.)?
I have heard a “Protestant teaching” from a “non-denominational” Church that proposed that Jesus
MEANT for us to “feed on Him in His word the Bible” when He figuratively declared His " … or else you will have no life in you …" mandate.
YET He gives His disciples a series of commands after the Last Supper telling them to DO THIS … and though scripture was read at the Passover (from a scroll as “The Bible” of that night would not have been printed, mass produced nor had a New Testament in it!) The “Do this …” involved the "breaking of the bread’.
The imagined self correction of Jesus from “Take this and Drink it, this is my blood the blood of the new and ETERNAL covenant which will be shed for you unto the forgiveness of sins …” to being merely “the fruit of the vine …” (and nothin’ much special) again … makes me imagine the*** relieved*** apostles breaking up, slappin’ one another on the back, and goin’ …
“THAAAAT JESUS! … What a kidder! THIS is not a “hard teaching” at ALL!”
uch: phew!
For all the scolding the Catholic Church gets on the subject of “FAITH!” from its self-starter Christian “allies” or “denominations;” it’s belief in
- the most repeated and emphasized words of Jesus,
- reiterated by HIM at the most critical time in all of Human History,
- to His most trusted disciples and future Church leaders,
- some of whom wrote it down in what became New Testament scripture
– is still held firm to in the Church Jesus founded … and to which He gave His “gates of Hell shall not prevail against IT” promise to.
The Good News is - EVERYONE is invited to experience such intimacy with God!
This distant, obscure
“warn-you-with-an-unless and then never-tell-you-how-to fulfill
His mandatory covenant directives” kind of a God … isn’t Jesus.
Jesus comes even CLOSER to us than EVEN His Church knows how to teach about it.
St. Paul admits that now we see as through a glass darkly, THEN we shall see Him face to face (and understand much more).
He is a God of order, not a God of confusion. He DOES want us to SEEK Him, but He also comes knocking at our door. ALSO seeks us out when we are lost. Is ready to forgive us 70 X 70 for our trespasses if we are truly sorry, confess our wrongs, make a good firm purpose of amendment, and work with the graces He’ll give us TO repent and never sin again!
He is OUR Father. He wants US to forgive others their trespasses against US so that
even as the God of Justice He can Justly pardon us in the measure we have measured out (completely)! He is of course merciful too and boundlessly so. But wants us to ASK.
He speaks of dwelling within us too. NOT just symbolically (let alone symbolically in a never-ever-true but always obscure and distant way); but really, truly all-in-all.
Hey. I like wine as much as the next guy. But just as YOU presumably accept Jesus as your real (not just symbolic) savior, with real power to give you real salvation in a real eternal dwelling - I believe in His real presence (This is My Blood) come to us in OUR keeping of His “Do THIS” covenant.
He is everywhere most Christians agree. Yet somehow more so “in the praises of His people.” Or when we “seek Him” by learning of Him in the scriptures, or participating in true worship of Him. Or obey the authorities He has placed over us (HIS Church, not just Caesar for goodness sakes).
It CAN be hard to DEAL with the Lord. We have free will and are not so unlike the Israelites who cowered when they heard His voice and wanted Him to be more distant and have Moses act as a buffer. Or encountering His Holiness that struck Abraham with fear, and Isaiah, and St. John.
But whether He comes to us on the clouds of Heaven (as prophesied for later), a little babe in a manger (smaller than expected! and more poor); or in the most Holy Eucharist
(the breaking of the bread witnessed to at the Last Supper and miraculously at Emmaus);
we have a Lord to love.
One might argue with the faithful when given the Good News, but Jesus doesn’t always appear to people like He did with St. Thomas nor knock them from their horse and blind them (as with St. Paul) to make His point.
“Blessed are they who have not seen, yet believe!”
