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Readings Between the Lines
Father Glenn LeCompte
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed, broke and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take (and) eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup and gave thanks; he gave it to them and said to them, “Drink from it, all (of you); for this is my blood of the covenant, being poured out on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I shall indeed not drink from now on from this cup of the produce of the vine until that day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.” Then they sang hymns and went out to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:26-30, translation by Father Glenn LeCompte).
There is a tension in our lives with regard to preparing for the future. We value living in the present moment, but failing to consider our future can be disastrous. There are lots of temporal ways we prepare for the future, such as being schooled for a career or planning for stability in retirement. It is even more important to anticipate our eternal destiny, and the ultimate state of our life when the fullness of the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed is manifest.
The Eucharist is important to us, in part, because it enables us to anticipate our ultimate life in God’s Kingdom. Matthew’s version of the institution of the Eucharist supports this truth about the sacrament. The evangelist takes the episode of Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist from Mark, but adds his own coloring to it. For example, Matthew follows Mark closely when Jesus says of the contents of the cup, “This is my blood of the covenant which is being poured out on behalf of many,” but then adds a phrase, “for the forgiveness of sins.” The phrase about remission of sin specifies the meaning of the outpouring of Jesus’ blood on behalf of many. In the context of Matthew’s story, the fact that Jesus’ blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins points to his kingly status and authority. In Matthew 1:20-
21, an angel reveals to Joseph that he is to complete the marriage contract with Mary and take her into his home. After explaining to Joseph that the child conceived within her womb by divine power is holy, the angel instructs Joseph that once the child is born he is to name him, “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Although it originally meant, “The Lord helps,” the name Yěšûâ came to mean, “The Lord saves.” Jesus’ identity as savior is implicit in the name given him. In addition, Joseph’s completion of the marriage contract with Mary and naming of her child makes him the legal father of Jesus. The genealogy (1:1-17) which precedes the episode about Joseph’s dream depicts multiple generations of David’s descendants ending with Joseph, who assumes legal paternity of Jesus, who in turn is therefore portrayed as the ultimate descendant of Abraham and David. Thus, Jesus is legally adopted into David’s royal lineage, and as savior will fulfill the expectation of the coming of an anointed king like David (Jeremiah 30:8-9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; Acts 13:22-23) to restore God’s people.
In sum, Jesus fulfills the role of the Messiah-King precisely by offering himself on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, an act of ultimate salvation for people! Thus, the offering of his body and blood are a regal act on his part. The kingly identity associated with Jesus in Matthew’s first chapter is confirmed here in the evangelist’s narration of the Last Supper.
If Jesus fulfills a regal role in his sacrificial death, he also looks beyond his death to life in his Father’s royal realm. After commanding the disciples to drink of the cup whose contents are his blood of the covenant, he tells them he will not drink of it again until he drinks it new in his Father’s kingdom, where his regal status will continue. Jesus images God’s kingdom as a banquet, a festive experience where there is abundance and all present are satisfied. In 22:1-14, Jesus speaks a parable which compares the kingdom to a royal wedding feast given by a king for his son. In the context of Matthew’s story, this parable reflects the regal status of God’s Son in the kingdom. Moreover, Matthew’s Jesus emphasizes that when he drinks of the cup in the kingdom banquet he will drink it “with you,” that is, with a
his disciples. Matthew adds the phrase “with you” to Mark’s text because Matthew emphasizes the concept of “the church,” a fellowship among the disciples with Jesus, their Master. Matthew’s emphasis on the fellowship between Jesus and his disciples here reflects Jesus’ status as “Emmanuel” (“God with us,” 1:23) who, as risen Lord, will be with his church until the end of the age (28:20). One aspect of the coming kingdom, which Matthew’s Jesus proclaims and for which he instructs his disciples to pray (6:10), is that it is an experience of joyous fellowship among those who adhere to Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom and between disciples and their royal Lord.
Jesus’ death will temporarily interrupt the table fellowship between himself and his disciples. But upon his resurrection, the disciples are to share table fellowship, partaking of the Lord’s body and blood, in anticipation of their joining with him in the kingdom banquet.
The Eucharist, then, is important to us because it causes us to focus on our ultimate destiny–fellowship among believers and between them and God’s regal Son in the coming kingdom of God. Our eating and drinking of the sacred elements in the Eucharist here and now anticipates our life in God’s kingdom. We set career goals for our lives. In order to achieve them we know we first need proper education. Then we need to exercise the principles we learned and engage in the best practices of the profession. We also must learn from our mistakes. If the goal for our lives is participation in the kingdom Jesus came to establish, it is important that we are first formed in the ethic of the kingdom Jesus taught. Then we need to live that ethic every day of our lives and learn from our departures (sin) from that ethic. Participation in the sacrament of the holy Eucharist is essential for us. At the Eucharist we hear God’s word which prepares us for life in the kingdom and experience a table fellowship which anticipates that life. Before coming to the Lord’s table we offer a sign of peace, a sign that symbolizes our unity or, if that unity has been damaged, our striving toward healing. The kingdom values we celebrate and experience in the Eucharist are then to be transferred into our everyday lives as we anticipate our life in the kingdom. BC
Reflection Questions
v Do you anticipate life in God’s kingdom? What do you imagine that to be? How are you preparing for that now? v In what ways does your participation in the eucharistic celebration help you anticipate life in the kingdom of God? v In Romans 14:17, Paul says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit ... .” How do we make these attributes of the kingdom present in our daily lives?
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