'This is my blood' or 'this is the New Covenant in my blood' - what did Jesus say?
The topic that is worth considering first when discussing Lk. 22:19-20 is what was actually said at the Memorial Supper. We find several accounts of this event in the Bible and they are not uniform in their message, at least in the literal layer. As for the meaning of bread, there is a general agreement: "This is my body". However, when it comes to wine, the New Testament gives two variants. The one we read about in Mt. 26:26-28 and Mk. 14:22-24 is a parallel to the meaning of bread; "this is my blood". On the other hand, in Lk. 22:19-20, which is especially the subject of this commentary, Jesus says otherwise: "This cup is the New Covenant in my blood." Moreover, the apostle Paul underlines that Jesus directly recounted to him the course of the supper, and here too the version known from Lk. 22:19,20 is given – "This cup is the New Covenant in my blood" (1 Cor. 11:25). In view of Paul's words, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you" (1 Cor. 11:23), I am inclined to accept that this is actually what our Lord said.
However, it is not a problem that different texts give this passage differently; at least it is not a problem as long as we recognize that the meaning of these words - regardless of the version of the text - is uniform. In the following commentary, I would like to show that this thought is indeed consistent. Certainly, however, the version of Lk. 22:19-20 and 1 Cor. 11:25 excludes the literal interpretation taught by the doctrine of transubstantiation — that the bread actually becomes the Lord's 'mystical' body, and that the wine actually becomes His blood. For while it can be assumed by faith that one substance is transformed into another (e.g. wine into blood), the transformation of wine into a covenant goes beyond all known canons of logic. A covenant is not a substance, but a contract. The physical consumption of the contract means consent to the complete divorce of faith from reason, which, however, cannot take place because the same faith has been transmitted to us through human text and language. The rules of interpretation therefore apply.
The meaning of body and bread
What, then, is meant by our partaking of the bread and wine - for the reasons given above, it does not mean the partaking of the body and blood of the Lord in a substantial sense. By partaking of the emblems, we show that we are receiving something — something that becomes a part of ourselves, and which was also an experience of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. First of all, in the Lord's Supper we find two sets of symbols: body-bread and blood-wine. There is no doubt that just as we do not physically eat the body and blood of Jesus, it is not simply a matter of eating bread with wine just to have another meal. Each of these four symbols in total has a clearly marked Biblical meaning. Moreover, in the pairs in which our Lord put them together, these meanings complement each other, and clearly indicate the real sense of our participation in the observance of the antitypical Passover.
The first pair of meanings that Jesus Christ speaks of during the supper is the body-bread. In the Bible, bread symbolizes maturity in understanding of the truth (Mt. 4:4; Heb. 5:14-17). The body has a double meaning, for it means not only the material body but also the character (see the lecture Spirit, soul and body in the Bible). These meanings clearly resonate with the teaching of the New Testament. Jesus prophetically declares: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me" (Heb. 10:5). The earthly body, then, is the instrument that enables the Lord Jesus to offer the proper sacrifice of doing God's will (Heb. 10:7). But God's will for the Lord was that He should bear witness to the truth (Jn. 18:37). In this way, his body is sacrificed throughout his 3.5 years of ministry, and not only on Calvary, although his sacrifice reached its climax there. The broken bread, then, shows the Lord's body consecrated in the service of the truth. On the other hand, we eat this bread today, accepting his testimony. As we learn more and more of the Gospel of Christ, we symbolically break our own bodies (i.e. cast off the former character) to be unleavened in Christ's manner, i.e. free from sin in spirit and in the body – in all our personality (Eph. 4:20-24; 1 Cor. 5:7,8; 2 Cor. 7:1).
The meaning of blood and wine
Bread, then, is a symbol of truth and the way in which it transforms human character. In this process, however, it is important not only to understand God's Word and to conform one's whole personality to it, but also to maintain this state of 'unleavenedness' in the face of trials. The latter element is symbolized by wine. The cup is a symbol of experience in the Bible (Mt. 20:22, 26:39; Jn. 18:11). Blood represents life (Gen. 9:5,6). The sacrifice of blood is therefore the sacrifice of life – the most difficult trial that man can experience; the question of whether one would remain faithful to the principles even if they had to pay for it by passing into eternal oblivion. Adam failed this test: since he saw Eve with the fruit, the only problem around which his further actions were focused was how to save his life (see the article on The original sin). Jesus was also put to the same test: when he hung on a tree, the observers of his agony cried out "come down from the cross," and he himself experienced the Father's abandonment at that critical moment, not knowing the reason (Mt. 27:46, 41-44).
It was an experience that could have led the Lord to look for a way to save the remnants of this life, since he could not be sure of the life to come. However, Jesus does nothing of the sort, and in the end he commends his spirit to God, thus showing full trust in his Father (Lk. 23:46). The apostle Paul speaks of Jesus as our justification (1 Cor. 1:30). This twofold experience of the Lord with the bread and wine shows two aspects of justice that are necessary from God's point of view. The aspect of knowledge pictured in the bread shows the necessity of knowledge in order for man's conduct to be called righteous. Ultimately, however, trust in God is essential - the conviction that what I am doing is right and I can commend myself to God as my Supreme Judge. Since such confidence may ultimately be tested by the loss of life, the appropriate symbol is wine resembling our Lord's blood.
The blood of the New Covenant
Jesus speaks of this blood in Lk. 22:19-20 that it is the blood of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant – the Law Covenant – was based on law, on knowledge. With this knowledge, the Jew was to act accordingly and thus be able to "prolong" his days in the promised land (Deut. 4:39,40). In Heb. 7:19, however, Paul writes that the Law "made nothing perfect", so the mere knowledge of the commandments could not be enough. Therefore, in describing the New Covenant, Jeremiah emphasizes not only the element of knowledge - "I will put My Law in their inward parts" - but also the inner motivation - "and write it in their hearts" (Jer. 31:31-34). This intrinsic motivation must be trust in God; a trust that is ready to sacrifice one's life – the sacrifice of blood. This confidence God counted to Abraham "unto justification," as an attitude of heart necessary for a real reform of character (Rom. 4:1-8). Since, therefore, knowledge is not sufficient to present oneself as just before God, our Lord sheds the blood of the New Covenant, showing the necessity of trust that can sacrifice everything, including life itself.
As I pointed out at the beginning of the commentary, a covenant is not something that can be substantially taken in - drunk in the form of wine. A covenant is an agreement in which God offers something, but also sets certain conditions. The New Covenant is an agreement by which we can receive eternal life. But there are also conditions, shown under the appearance of bread and wine. Jesus, however, emphasizes blood in a special way as a condition for participation in the New Covenant. Not because there is no room for bread – for understanding the truth – but because no understanding will help unless it is accompanied by trust backed by obedience. That is why Abraham and other Old Testament believers received a good testimony. They did not understand many things that came only with the ministry of Jesus Christ. But within the framework of what they were shown, they were willing to sacrifice their lives as well, so they "obtained a good report through faith" (Heb. 11:7-40). Our Lord's testimony as an adequate price for Adam's sin comes through his blood sacrifice in truth and full obedience (Rom. 5:18,19).