The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 517

confuse e. ree.der with R multitude of inter- ne.ile and his side with the sp<lllr.. Gave it pretations which in the c-nd have virtue.Uy (/B/8ou, troe giving) to the disciples. H& to be surrend(lrod. The points to be specially gave to c-ach of them tL portion of the co.kc remc-mbered before tryiag to expound the in their hand. If they had risen from their couches at the solemn benediction, as we section e.re these: 1. He who institutes the may well suppose they did, they wore still ordinance is Almighty God me.de me.n, who standing when the Lord distributed the is e.ble to set e.side one observance and to oonseoratod broad. Tho.t they received it substitute another in its place. 2. The new reclining in an easy posture seems unlikely. ordinance had an analogy with that which Take (ye), eat(ye). The two words are given,. only in our Gospel j St. Mark has" take ye''. it superaeued. 3. It was intended to be the (4>cl:y,-r• being there an intorpolntion). St one great service and means of gre.ce for all Luke and St. Paul omit them altogether. Christians. 4. The interpretation is to be We should infer that Christ did not himself con,iecled with the great discourse of Jesus partake of the bread or wino (which would in the su:th chapter of St.John, where Christ have confused the deep significance of the ordinance), but gave it to his apostles,. speaks of himself as the Bread of life that that by such pe.rlicipalion they might be en.me down from heaven, and his flesh e.nd identified with the sacrifice represented blood as the nourishment of his people. by the broken bread, thus transforming the Levitical rite into a new sacrament Ter. 26.-As they were eating. Before which did not merdy com.memo1·ate hie, the supper was quite ended, and before the death, but conveyed its benefits to faithful third cup of wine (see on ver. 21) was drunk. receivers. This is my body. "This" in.the J'esns took bread (-rbv 5-p-rov, tke bread, ac- Greek is neuter (Tov-ro ), and therefore is n.ot Mruing to the Reaeived Text). The specie.I in agreement with "bread" (lipTOs), which unleavened cake prepared for the Paschal is masculine. It is tu be explained aa meal. The four accounts agree in this "Thi.:! which I give you, this which ye rea detail, and seem to indicate a formal action ceive." The copula "is" would not be ex• or elevation, like the wave offering in the pressed in the Aramaio, which Christ spoke; old Law. We see here the "High Priest and yet what a world of controversy hae, after the order of Melchizedek " bringing hung .on this l11nl Some take it as abse- forth bread and wine like his great proto- lu tely identifying .subject. and predicate; type (Ps. CL 4), and by anticipation offering others regard it as equivalent to "repre~ himself ns victim. And blessed it. The sents;" others, age.in, would modify. it in Received Text here and in St. Mark has some manner, so that it .should not logico.lly d,>..oyf,11a.s, which in some manuscripts has express the agreement of the two. terms of been altered to ,;t,xa.11,11rl,tra.s, in conformity the proposition. It was .doubtless a start,. with the wording in St. Luke's and St. Paul's ling statement to thvse who then heard ii accounts. We find asimilar interchange of for tLe first time, butit came upon them not the words in the miracles of the loa.ves (see wholly unprepared. In his momentous dis- eh. xiv. 19; xv. 36; 111e.rk ,·iii. 6, etc.). course on the Bread of life, after. the fe.cding Virtually, the two expressions are identical; of the five thousand, Jesus had spoken ,of tLe thanksgiving is a blessing, tlie blessing himself as the Food of his people. and. the11, is a t.itanksgiving. The usual blessing p1oceeded to make the awe.zing assertioii. uti~red by the mast.er over the unlea-rened " Except ye eat the ll.esh of the Son of Qian, cake is said .to have Ileen, "Blessed be he and drink his bloou,.yehave no life.in you" wLo giveth the bread of earth." From this (John vi. 53). The meaning of this mys,. brnediction on the elements, and tbe thank- terious warning we.s not further explained. ful remembrance of Christ's death and the Now as the Lord distributed to the apostles benefits thereof herein connoted, the Holy the blessed morsels with those solemn words, Comma.nion hllS from the earliest times been they lee.rued what he meant by ealing liis ea.lied tue Holy Eucliariat. And brake it. flesh and drinking his blood, how he put it Tlit fraction of tlie bread was so important in his servants' power to fulfil the, iujuno- e.IJd ea;ent.i.e.l a part of the institution, that tion. In what seuse could "this " be his it gave its name to the whole rite, and body? He was there before their eyes in "breaking of bread " rcpresenkd tile cele- human form, perfect Ma.n ; and yet h!l gj.ve11 br"tion of the Holy Eucharist, the sacrifice something else, not tb.at which was etilmHng of praise and thanksgiving (see Acts ii. before them, es his body. Stupendou11; mys-, 42, 46; 1 Cor. x.16, etc.). Uudcr the old L!iw tery, past finding outJ TI.tare is no room tLt fraction represented tLe suiferings en- here for metaphor or figure. He is not dured by the chosen people; in Christ's new figuratively dct1Cribing hi.meelf o~ his office mstitution it symuolized his death, when or his work. 011 when he calls hunself the lili foet e.nd haJ1dd were pierced witli the good Shepherd, the Door, the Vine, .the orr. xxvL 1-75.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDI~G TO ST. MATTIIEW. 5n