What does Matthew 26:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

There have been various interpretations of what Jesus meant when He said, "This is my body." There are four main views. Roman Catholics take it as a literal statement meaning the bread really becomes the body of Christ and the contents of the cup become the blood of Christ. This is true when duly authorized representatives of the church conduct the service properly. This is the transubstantiation view. Adherents believe God transfers the body and blood of Christ into the substance of the elements. The bread and wine really become the physical body and blood of Christ. [source][source]

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A second view is not quite so literal. It is the consubstantiation view and, as the word implies, its advocates see the body and blood of Christ as present "in, with, and under" the elements. Christ is really present, though not physically present, according to this Lutheran view. ^[1] [source]

The third major view is the spiritual presence view that Presbyterians and other followers of Calvin"s view of the Lord"s Supper hold. For them the spiritual presence of Christ is in the elements and, as in the former views, God ministers grace to the communicant in a concrete way through participation. ^[2] [source]

The fourth view is the memorial view. Advocates believe that when Jesus said, "This is my body," he meant, "This represents my body." In other words they understand His statement as completely metaphorical (cf. Matthew 13:19-23; Matthew 13:36-39; John 15:1). A metaphor is a comparison in which one thing is likened to a different thing by being spoken of as if it were that other thing (e.g, "All the world is a stage."). Advocates view the elements as pictures or emblems of the body and blood of Christ. In contrast to the preceding views this one does not see Christ present in any special sense in the elements. Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, promoted this view. Today most of the churches from the Anabaptist branch of Protestantism (i.e, Baptists, Methodists, Mennonites, independent Bible churches, Evangelical Free churches, et al.) hold this interpretation. ^[3] I believe this view best represents the total revelation concerning the Lord"s Supper in Scripture. [source][source]

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Some Christian groups refer to the Lord"s Supper as one of the "sacraments." They mean the elements minister grace to the participant in a more direct and physical way than those who speak of it as an "ordinance," assuming they are using these terms properly. An ordinance or sacrament is a rite the Lord commanded His followers to observe. [source][source]

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Context Summary

The Passover looked back to the dread hour of the Exodus; the Supper links Calvary with the Second Advent. In partaking of it we should not confine ourselves to either retrospect or anticipation, but should endeavor to feed our souls with the very spirit and heart of our dear Lord, so as to absorb His divine strength, sweetness and love. We need to feed on His flesh and drink of His blood after a mystical fashion, so that He may become the Life of our life. The word new is not the same as in Matthew 9:17, but contrasts, with the present order of things, something entirely different. The former things will have passed away-such was our Lord's anticipation!

The new covenant is further explained in Hebrews 8:1-13. It is good to recite its provisions when we sit at the Table. It is as though God and the believer drink of the cup in pledge of that blessed understanding between them. See how our Shepherd eagerly warns one of the sheep that was dear to Him and for which He had pleaded often, Luke 22:31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 26

¹  Jesus foretells his own death
³  The rulers conspire against him
⁶  The woman anoints his feet
¹⁴  Judas bargains to betray him
¹⁷  Jesus eats the Passover;
²⁶  institutes his holy supper;
³⁰  foretells the desertion of his disciples, and Peter's denial;
³⁶  prays in the garden;
⁴⁷  and being betrayed by a kiss,
⁵⁷  is carried to Caiaphas,
⁶⁹  and denied by Peter