The Most Important Words

The Words of Institution are the most important words ever spoken.  They are about the most important thing that ever occurred.  They are spoken by the most important person who ever lived. The Words of Institution are about the meaning of the death of Jesus, and they are delivered by Jesus Himself within hours of that event.

They are not the only explanation of Jesus’ death.  The Jewish leaders believed that the death of Jesus was first of all because he was a false prophet and a blasphemer, and the judgment of God on a false prophet and blasphemer was death.  The leadership also believed that Jesus, perhaps unwittingly, was upsetting the delicate political balance between the Jews and the Romans.  Whether He meant to or not, Jesus was risking a bloodbath if He was not stopped.  As a result, and sadly perhaps, it had become profitable “for one man to die so that the whole nation might not perish.”  Those are two explanations of the meaning of Jesus’ death.

The Romans, or at least Pontius Pilate, thought differently.  Pilate did not believe that Jesus actually deserved to die.  He had to die, though, because of the nature of the times and of the place in which He lived. Sometimes the cost of keeping the peace for all falls heavily on some, or in this case, on One.  It’s rough justice, to be sure, but sometimes that is the best that can be done.  That was the Roman view of Jesus’ death.

Modern thought sometimes focuses on Jesus as an obedient servant of God, a hero of faith and faithfulness, who demonstrates his unwavering commitment to the Father by submitting quietly to injustice and even to death.  Jesus’ death is meant as an example to us all as to the radical commitment faith demands.

Or sometimes modern thought sees Jesus’ death as little more than an accident.  Jesus did not intend to die, but things got out of hand. In this view, Jesus’ death really had no special meaning, other than perhaps that bad things sometimes happen to good people.

The Words of Institution are Jesus’ own explanation of what His death was about.  They are the definitive explanation:  “My Body and My Blood are being given and shed for you. They are being given and shed for the forgiveness of sins.  The forgiveness of sins is the New Testament in my blood. That is, my death will seal, will ratify forever, my intention to forgive your sins.”

There is another level of understanding to the Words of Institution. That level concerns not the meaning of Jesus’ death, but the establishment of a sacred meal to commemorate it.  In instituting the sacred meal, Jesus said, “Take; eat.”  He said, “Drink of it, all of you.” He said, “Do this, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me.”  The things we are to eat and drink are His “body” and His “blood”, which are about to be given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. The words “My Body” and “My Blood” are where the institution of the meal and the meaning of the cross intersect.  In other words, it is the very same body and blood which was given and shed at the cross, which is also being offered in this meal for us Christians to eat and drink.  “Given and shed” refers to the cross and death; “eat and drink” refer to the meal; both pairs of words refer to the same Body and Blood of Christ.

“In remembrance of me” specifically refers to the meaning of Jesus’ death as He Himself explained it.  To eat and drink with any other understanding of the meaning of His death is not to do so “in remembrance” of Him.

The Words of Institution are the most important words ever spoken.  They are about the most important thing that ever occurred.  They are spoken by the most important person who ever lived. The Words of Institution are about the meaning of the death of Jesus, and they are delivered by Jesus Himself.  The Church is built on these words.  It strands or falls on these words. Everything done or spoken by God to us before leads to them; everything done or spoken by God to us after flows from them. And by faith in these words everything we do now is done in remembrance of Him.