In the “Law of Moses” there were many ordinances of a ritualistic nature. The New Covenant in Christ, however, calls for only two rituals, baptism, and the weekly communion. Involved in these rituals is a wealth of meaning, and it behooves us to understand as much as possible about them. The Lord instituted this memorial service at the last supper. What He said at that time concerning the emblems is recorded in four places, Matthew, Mark, Luke and 1st Corinthians. There is much in the Bible about the wine, which represents the blood of Christ, but considerably less is recorded about the bread. It would be well, then, to consider the meaning involved here. In all four places Christ breaks the bread and says, “This is my body”. Now in Luke and 1st Corinthians we have more words added. In Luke 22:19 we have: ” . . . This is my body which is given for you . . .”. 1st Corinthians 11:24 reads: “. . . This is my body which is broken for you . . .”
A Body Given
Now there has been some discussion about these two words, “given” and “broken”. The Companion Bible says that the word “broken” in 1st Corinthians 11 is not found in the original texts. It is also omitted in the Revised Standard Version which reads: “This is my body which is for you”. So, since the word “broken” occurs only once in the four places, and we find that it is omitted in newer translations, we may conclude that “given” is more correct. Nevertheless, we find “breaking” or “broken” still involved, for Christ broke the bread and said: “This is my body”. So in some way Christ’s body is represented by the breaking of bread. In Psalm 34:20 we read: “He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken.” Also in John 19:32, 33; 36 we find: “Then came the soldiers and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs . . . For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”
From this we understand that Christ’s body was not literally broken. So the breaking of bread must refer to Christ’s body in a figurative way. Let us consider these two words “break” and “body”. “Body” can refer to other things than an actual physical body. Romans 6:6 is an example: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed . . .”. “Body” here refers to that evil inclination within us, as it does in Romans 8:10: “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin . . .”. Our body doesn’t literally die because Christ is in us, but figuratively the evil tendencies native to our mortal bodies do die. This same type of thought is used with the word “flesh”. It can mean muscle and tissue, but more often in Scripture “flesh” means the carnal side of our nature, the will of the flesh as opposed to the spirit.
Broken Literally and Figuratively
The word “break” (or “broken”) is also used in two ways. When it says that they broke the legs of those who were crucified with Christ, it means they were literally, physically broken. An example of the other meaning is found in Proverbs 15:13: “. . . by sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken”. Here is a broken spirit. We use the word today in the same sense. We may say our heart is broken, not literally, but in a figure. When we say we “break a horse”, we understand it to mean that we have broken the horse’s will to fight. Psalm 51:17 says: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart . . .”. Seeing then how the words “broke” and “body” can and often do refer to figurative things, let us look at a point of grammar. Christ broke the bread, and said, “This is my body”. Now He is comparing His body with something. So we must find what the words “this is” have reference to. This WHAT is my body?
In the Greek language there is an absolute law of grammar, which is that any article, pronoun, or adjective must agree in gender with the noun to which it refers.
In this case, the words “this is” are in neuter and cannot, therefore, refer to bread (artos) which is masculine. So “this is my body” noes not refer to the bread. What is neuter and connected with “this is” is the breaking (klasma) of the bread. It is the whole act of breaking which is referred to. So Christ as much as said: “This breaking is my body, and it is done for you.” With our knowledge of the figurative use of “body” and “break”, we can see the meaning. The “body” would refer to His mortality in which dwelt the will of the flesh. This inclination to wrong doing Christ always resisted and defeated. In Himself He broke the will of His flesh. He broke His own body as we would break a horse’s will to fight. One more point could be made. Was there anything that was physically, actually broken at Christ’s death? Yes there was. Matthew 27:50,51 says: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom . ..”.
Jesus rent his will
The veil separated the holy place from the holy of holies. It was that thing which separated man from intimate relationship with God. In Hebrews 10:20 we read: “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh”. So the writer here says the veil was symbolic of Christ’s flesh. It is sinfulness in our mortality. Christ rent the will of His flesh. All through His life He never yielded to sin. So, at His death, it was fitting that the actual veil of the temple was broken. It symbolized the breaking of that tendency to evil in one perfect man. The same thing is indicated when He breaks the hard bread and says, “this breaking is my body”. We see the necessity of both the bread and the wine. The broken bread points to His lifetime of sinlessness, a continual breaking of the will of the flesh as a stubborn wild horse is broken to the reins of its master. The wine, the blood or life, is forfeited in recognition of God’s righteousness.
This was done for us. For by faith in this act and the promises of God, we secure grace. It serves as a reminder and an example. We, therefore, commemorate His dying by partaking of these emblems. We are reminded that we, too, must break the will of our flesh. Let us, then, eat of this broken bread and drink of this wine in discernment of the Lord’s body. “For the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, 0 God, Thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51 :17) .
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One