Command 42 : Take, Eat, and Drink | Day 293

Use the Right Elements!

It seemed innocent enough and non-consequential, but it changed the entire outcome of Moses's life and kept him from entering the Promised Land. He simply hit a rock twice in the wilderness. God even worked through Moses's actions and water flowed out of the rock for a thirsty multitude. (See Numbers 20:7-12.)

This severe penalty came because Moses disobeyed the specific instructions God had given him, thereby violating the symbolism that the rock represented. The rock was a picture of Christ (see I Corinthians 10:4). Christ was to die only once, therefore, Moses was instructed to strike the rock only one time, which he did (see Exodus 17:6). Water flowed from the rock and the children of Israel were sustained by it. On another occasion, God told Moses to speak to the rock. However, Moses instead struck the rock twice. This would incorrectly symbolize that Christ would have to die numerous times, as is believed by those who practice the continual death of Jesus. (See Romans 6:9-10.)

The bread and the cup used for communion should be consistent with the truth which they symbolize.

When I first began taking communion, the bread that my church used was regular yeast bread. However, they now use unleavened bread. The reason for this is that the bread represents Christ's body as Jesus stated, “... This is my body, which is broken for you ..." (I Corinthians 11:24). His body was sinless; therefore, the bread used for communion should represent His purity.

Based on this, there should be no leaven in the bread, since leaven symbolizes influence, normally worldly influence. This was one of the reasons that the Passover feast included unleavened bread. When the Israelites fled from Egypt they were to take none of the worldly influences of Egypt with them to the Promised Land. (See Exodus 12:15.)

The cup represents the blood of Christ, which was pure and without sin. This symbolism would rule out the use of modern wine in communion, because it is made from a fermentation process which is a process of death and decay. The blood of Jesus is life and in it there is no death at all. It is significant that none of the accounts of communion in Scripture use the word wine. The word cup is mentioned eleven times and the phrase fruit of the vine is used three times, which usually referred to a fresh squeezing of grapes.

Even believing that the cup Jesus used during the Last Supper contained wine fails to take into account the differences between the wine in Jesus's day and the wine of our day. At the time, it was a common practice to dilute wine with water causing it to have an alcohol content of less than 3%. Modern wines normally contain 11-15% alcohol. Proverbs 20:1 clearly states the dangers associated with alcohol consumption: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Over the years, I have observed a correlation between the care exhibited in making sure the elements of communion are symbolically accurate and the thoroughness and accuracy of self-examination in the lives of those partaking of the elements.

The next time we take unleavened bread during communion, let's focus on the fact that we are responsible for breaking the body of the Lord. As we partake of the cup, let's be grateful that His pure blood has washed us from all of our sin.