Grace Notes 2026-06-11
In 1 Corinthians 11:28-29 the Apostle Paul writes, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
We believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Confessions that the Sacrament of the Altar is “the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and drink.” When Jesus says of the bread, “this is my body,” and of the cup with wine, “this is my blood,” we believe ‘is’ means ‘is’!
This miracle is too much for some to swallow. How can this be! Rather than taking the words and the sentence at its simplest and straightforward meaning, skeptics surmise that our Lord was utilizing a metaphor. For example, one could say that Tim eats like a pig. Now that’s a metaphor. The word ‘like’ gives it away. But one could also say Tim is a pig. And although Tim eats about everything set before him, he does not have hooves, a tail, nor eats off the ground on all fours – usually. But there is obvious correspondence in the comparison with the amount of food consumed.
But if you said Tim’s hand is a pig, you would be right in asking how so.? You would strain to find a likeness. When Jesus said in John 6 that He was the Living Bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world, that certainly can be metaphorical. But what are we to make of his holding bread in His hand and saying it is His body? How is bread like Christ’s body? His body is living, mobile, and pulsing with blood. How is bread like this? It is not much of a likeness.
People of faith from the beginning have simply taken our Lord at His word. And then we concentrate on the promise that Christ’s body and blood have been given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Since You Asked
What is the significance of the Day of Pentecost?
A principal Festival, The Day of Pentecost (Jewish harvest festival) was the occasion when the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was sent and poured out on the expectant church. It accordingly marks the culmination of the Easter Season. It occurs 50 days after Easter Sunday. Jesus had promised his followers that when he departed from them (the ascension, not the crucifixion) that he would not leave them as orphans. In fact, until his return at the end of the age, it would be to their advantage that he was departing, for then he would send the Holy Spirit as one called alongside them to comfort them, teach them, guide them, and empower them, even as the Holy Spirit continued to sanctify them (to make holy).