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The
body is for doing,
the blood is for
living |
Step back for a moment
and just think about a body and blood; any body and any blood. What
comes to mind when you think about blood? We know that the Bible
teaches in the Old Testament that the life of the flesh is in the
blood. Blood is all about life.
23Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is
the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. Deuteronomy 12:23
When a member of one’s
body, say a thumb or a toe, does not get blood flow, that member
will die. The blood supplies each member of one’s body with
sustenance, support, nourishment, or just plain life. The blood
supplies every member with everything it needs to survive and do
what it needs to do. We must understand that the meaning of the
blood in this context is not lifestyle, but life in the sense of a
source of nourishment and support.
Now let’s think about
the body, anybody’s body. What comes to mind when we think of a
body? Consider Hebrews 10:5-7.
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7Then I said, "Behold, I have come--
In the volume of the book it is written of Me--
To do Your will, O God."'
Hebrews 10:5-7
Jesus was given a body.
In Hebrews 10:7 Jesus declares the purpose for His body; "...To do
Your will, O God." A body is for doing. Each member of one’s body
"does" something. Now, a body can sin or a body can do the will of
God.
Thus, from the above
paragraphs, we can begin to see why Jesus separated His body and His
blood in the Lord’s Supper. The body has to do with the issues of
doing, doing sin or doing God’s will. The blood has to do with the
issues of life (meeting the needs of the body); experiencing death
or experiencing life. The Lord’s Supper also directly shows us that
He delivered us from our sin through His body given for us, so that
we can do His will. He delivered us from death through His blood
shed for us, so that we can experience His life (support,
nourishment).
In other words, eating
the bread also means that we want to do His will like He did with
His own body. Drinking the cup also means that we want to draw life
from Him like He drew life from His own blood. When we eat the
bread, we might be also thinking about certain things we should be
doing. When we drink the cup, we might also be thinking about areas
where we need to believe Him to be our source and provider.
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