Eating Flesh and Drinking Blood... Are We Cannibals?!

 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29, NRSVCE) 

As Christians, Jesus' sacrifice plays a major role in our religious life. In fact, one of the main reasons why we go to church is to have the sacrament. Wait, hold on a moment...what is a sacrament? Sacrament is an English word that comes from the Latin "sacramentum" which means "solemn oath". The oath that is talked about here is the promise given by Jesus at the last supper. He promised his disciples (and thereby he promised it to us, too) that whoever partakes from this sacrament, will receive forgiveness of their sins. 

So, are we eating Christ? Well, it depends on who you ask. Catholic Christians would say yes. BUT, before anyone thinks that Catholics must indeed be cannibals then, let me explain: They call the mystical transformation of the bread and the wine into flesh and blood of Christ "transubstantiation". It means those things will be transformed into Christ in a mystical way that cannot be explained with our limited understanding. But no, they are not sitting around with blood dripping on their suits and dresses; it is a purely mystical procedure. On the other hand, Latter-day Saint Christians believe that bread and water (yes, no wine) are to be eaten and drunken in remembrance of Christ. There still is a mystical procedure happening because bread and water have to be blessed by priesthood holders. But the change happens in us as we partake of the sacrament. If we partake worthily, and if we have the desire to repent and do better, our sins will be forgiven and we can start again. 

But why was it necessary to have a symbol for flesh and one for blood? To answer this, we need to dive into the Old Testament times. Back then, to cleanse and prepare holy objects, a priest had to sprinkle the blood of an unblemished animal on the object. For example, Moses had to do this when he installed the altar in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle (a pre-temple, tent-like sanctuary). Also, blood was used to ritually purify people. Aaron and his sons had to put blood on symbolic parts of their bodies as an initiation ritual. Further, blood was used while Israel still dwelled in Egypt and when the tenth plague came over the country. The blood on the doorposts saved the Israelites from the angel of death. This sounds an awful lot like blood magic? Well, only because other cultures and religions misused the live-giving and -containing features of blood.

And the flesh? Let's think about it: When someone sacrifices an animal, what do they sacrifice? Just the wool or fur? No, usually they sacrifice the body. Jesus' death on the cross was a sacrifice. He himself freely gave his life. He that has created the earth and the universe at the beginning of times, he who did not live in sin. And those are the key ingredients of the success of this sacrifice; a sinless deity died for the sins of mortals. A sacrifice, so significant that it reaches into the past as well as the future. 

To honor his sacrifice, we are invited to partake of the sacrament every week. As with his disciples, Jesus wants us to come together to remember his great atonement and grow together as a family in Christ. So, no, we are not cannibals for eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood. It is a symbolic act that works outside the boundaries of time and space. Through his sacrifice and through the sacrament, we can become clean, which is a key requirement to enter the Celestial Kingdom and be with our Heavenly Father one day. 

Media Sources:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D87q5p-XkAUAeMY.jpg

https://thirdhour.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/passover2.jpg