Eucharistic Meditation, May 2

Peter J. Leithart, May 02, 2004

Luke 22:24-30
As I mentioned last week in connection with priesthood, there is a sense in which we can talk about a priestly stage of Israel�s history and a priestly stage of life. But the more fundamental reality of the NT is that all members of Christ are priests. And the same is true of kingship. Some have fuller rule and authority than others, but all the people of God have been made kings and priests to God through the blood of Jesus. And part of the meaning of the Lord�s Supper is that it is a meal for the royal people of God.

This royal theme is particularly prominent in Luke�s account of the Lord�s Supper. We can observe two things here. First, in the same context where Jesus is giving bread and wine to His disciples, He says that He is granting them a kingdom. In ancient covenants, a king would bring a vassal into a covenant and give him a grant of land or property that would be his to rule. That is what Jesus is doing, and one of the signs that Jesus has granted us the kingdom is that He gives us bread and wine. Bread and wine, which come from the earth, are signs of the earth; in giving us bread and wine, Jesus is turning over the whole creation to His people.

Second, at the same time that Jesus is giving a kingdom to His disciples, He is instructing them in the duties of godly kingship. The disciples are kings, but they are not to be kings like the Gentiles, who lord it over others. They are instead of imitate Jesus�Eown kingship, by taking the lowest place and becoming servants of all.