Explaining and Defending the Eucharist, 12/3/17

* Question – Do Protestants, esp Fundamentalists, take the Bible literally? (show of hands)

Beliefs
1. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ
  1. From the beginning,
  2. Church has believed Christ is really / substantially present
  3. in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity
2. But most Protestants
  1. nearly all of the > 30,000 denominations
  2. believe it is merely a symbol

Because the Eucharist is so central, important
1. i.e. is this just a piece of bread, or is It God Himself?
2. We must eventually discuss
3. and must be prepared to discuss it well
4. My personal experience

Good news!!
1. Eucharist one of easiest to explain and defend from Scripture!
2. Christians agree that Jesus's sacrifice is the fulfillment of the Passover (St Paul even calls Christ the “paschal lamb who has been sacrificed” - 1 Cor 5:7)
3. What details can you remember from the original Passover? (Ex12) (write on board)
  1. lamb: male w/o blemish
  2. sacrificed
  3. its blood on the lintel and doorposts saves the Israelites from death (Ex 12:22-23)
  4. the flesh of the lamb must be consumed (Ex 12:8, 12:46)
  5. they / descendants were to keep the Passover “for ever” (Ex 12:24)
4. Do you see how the Eucharist is the fulfillment of all these?

Turn to John 6. Discussion based on Beginning Apologetics 1book and study guide (Book, pp 7-9, Discussion Qs (DQ) Study Guide p 4)
1. What is this passage? (The “Bread of Life” discourse. The Synoptics give us the Last Supper. St. John instead gives us the meaning of what Jesus did then.)
2. DQ #1-2 Reaction to Jesus's statement Jn 6:51-52
3. How does Jesus answer? Jn 6:53-58
4. DQ #3-5 – All the witnesses: the Jews (Jn 6:52), the disciples (Jn 6:60), and the Apostles (Jn 6:67-68) thought Jesus was speaking literally
5. What if they were wrong?
6. In Jn 4:31-34 and Mt 16:5-12 – Jesus corrects misunderstandings
  1. If the witnesses and even his disciples wrong, wouldn't Jesus have corrected them?
  2. Esp as this is much more imp issue and disciples are even leaving?
  3. On the contrary, he only repeats himself more forcefully. (Jn 6:53-58, 6:61-62)
7. Ask again: Do Protestants, especially Fundamentalists, take the Bible literally? DQ #6.
8. Interpretation - Pat Madrid: “I never said you stole money.”
  1. Emphasis on different words completely changes meaning
  2. We have no indication of emphasis – original NT texts had no punctuation either
  3. This is why Christ left us not just a book but a Church with a living memory
9. DQ #7 Does Jesus say the Eucharist > miracles
  1. Jn 6:49-51 – Eucharist > manna – why according to Scripture?
  2. Jn 6:23-27 – Eucharist > feeding of 5000
  3. Would it be, if it were only a symbol?
10. DQ #9 – early Christian understanding of the Eucharist
  1. St Ignatius c. 110 AD (Jurgens *64 and 54a)
  2. St Justin Martyr c. 150 AD (Jurgens *128)
  3. St Irenaus c 195 AD (Jurgens 249)
  4. St Cyril of Jerusalem (Jurgens *846)
11. Summarize / recap
  1. witnesses all understood him literally
  2. He didn't correct even though He did on lesser occ.
  3. only recorded instance of disciples leaving for doctrinal reasons
  4. Everyone would have stayed if he said it was all just symbolic
  5. Yet He didn't correct. 12X “bread from heaven” 4x “eat Flesh and drink Blood”
  6. Could Our Lord have been clearer? you & I might say “no” but some object

Specific examples, using the two key apologetic skills that we’ve just learned
1. understand importance of interpretation
2. be able to walk through a Bible passage step by step
Objections –
1. John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.’” Some claim that coming to him is bread, having faith in him is drink. Thus, eating his flesh and blood merely means believing in Christ. (p7)
  1. How would you answer this? (Why don't we see what Jesus meant?)
  2. If we read the rest of the discourse instead of pulling out just this one verse, we see what Jesus meant, esp. v 51
2. Objection: John 6:60-70, esp 6:63 – “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” – means that Jesus was speaking symbolically
  1. Discuss pp7-8 (a)-(b)
  2. (c) Contrast “the flesh” w/ “My flesh” - see bk p 8
    1. So what does Jesus mean by the term “the flesh”?
    2. Mk 14:38, 1 Cor 3:1-3
    3. indicates the natural man rather than the spiritual or faith-filled
    4. supernatural grace needed to believe in the Eucharist – not possible for merely natural mind (“the flesh”)
  3. (d) disciples leave (v 66) after Jesus says this (v 63)
3. Objection: Christ was only speaking metaphorically as He was in Jn 10:9 ("I am the door") and Jn 15:1 ("I am the true vine").
  1. This might work if “I am the bread of life” were all that He said
  2. But it isn't, is it? What does He go on to say? (Jn 6:55) "The Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My Flesh."
  3. "I am the door" and "I am the vine" reasonable metaphors – which is why the Bible doesn't record people disputing: “How can this man be made of wood!?” or “How can this man have branches that bear grapes!?”
  4. But His Flesh ... is not a reasonable metaphor for food, even spiritual food – His Blood is not a reasonable metaphor for drink
  5. Another reason it cannot be figurative:
    1. there is already a figurative meaning to the expressions “eat the flesh” or “drink the blood” in Biblical language and among the Jewish people
    2. Let's find out what it is: Micah 3:3, Ps 27:2 (footnote may read “or slander”), Is 49:26
    3. So what do the expressions mean? (to oppress, to slander, to persecute or destroy)
    4. Then, if Jesus were actually speaking figuratively, he was saying: “whoever slanders and persecutes me will have eternal life” (!!)
    5. This may even be another reason His listeners were so sure He spoke literally.
4. Final objection: Cannibalism (p. 8 )
  1. we consume Christ sacramentally, not in cannibalistic way
  2. If it were immoral, He wouldn't have us do it, even symbolically
  3. historically, the pagans of ancient Rome also accused Christians of cannibalism
5. Interesting point to consider:
  1. In Jn 6:64 connects "those were that did not believe, and who it was that should betray him [Jesus]"
  2. It's not conclusive, but certainly suggests that Judas may have been the only Apostle who did not believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Himself.
6. St Paul confirms Catholic understanding ... he's imp to Fundamentalists
  1. DQ #8 – 1 Cor 10:16 and 1 Cor 11:27-30
    1. Does St Paul sound like he's speaking symbolically?
    2. 10:16 – we participate in the Body of Christ
    3. Let's look more closely @ 1 Cor 11:27 – how can we be “guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord”?
  2. Amazingly, Lorraine Boettner in his anti-Catholic book Roman Catholicism quotes this very same passage to claim that Paul understood the Eucharist to be merely bread and wine ... but he cleverly omits the part about guilt / profaning.
    1. Lesson – always check the context!
Lesson of History
1. The older the church is, the more likely it is to hold the Catholic view of the Eucharist
2. Trace from the beginning
  1. Catholic – early Christians (e.g. Fathers) Eucharist = Christ's Body and Blood
  2. Coptic – split off after Council of Chalcedon (451 AD)
  3. Armenian – severed ties with both Rome and Constantinople 554 AD
  4. Orthodox Churches – schism finalized 1054 AD
  5. Lutheran – earliest of Protestants – consubstantiation
  6. Read Luther quote from student book, p9 - Amazing! (He believed in the Real Presence and recognized that the Fathers did as well.)
  7. Anglican – ranges. Began as a schism under Henry VIII (1530's), later more Protestant under Elizabeth I (1558 on). To this day remains undecided between Real and symbolic Presence
3. Do not be surprised, BTW, if Protestants tell you that the early Christians believed the Eucharist was only a symbol. They are probably saying so in all sincerity, having never actually read any of the writings of the Fathers except perhaps carefully selected quotes. Ask for proof ... and get them the tract with quotes from the Fathers.

Close with prayer.

Lord, strengthen our faith in Your Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. Deepen our love for you as we receive your Most Precious Body and Blood at Mass.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!