Why did Jesus, after first passing the loaf and then the cup to his disciples, repeat the words: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me”?​—1 Cor. 11:20, 23-26.

That Jesus himself knew what all of this meant is shown by what he said a few days earlier, when he gave this simple, yet forceful, illustration, likening himself to a grain of wheat: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains just one grain; but if it dies, it then bears much fruit.” (John 12:24) His next words show that he fully anticipated not only the agonizing suffering and shame connected with his death on the torture stake but also the wonderful and far-reaching effects of that supreme example on his part of self-sacrificing love.

The 11 faithful apostles with Jesus that night, Nisan 14, were the first to be invited to eat of that loaf of unleavened bread and drink of that cup of wine, which, as Jesus said, represented his sinless flesh and his lifeblood. (1 Cor. 11:23-26) Others would follow who, as Jesus said, would be “putting faith in me through their word.” (John 17:20) In connection with these believers, notice the frequent repetition of the words “in union with” that are used only with reference to Jehovah and Christ Jesus and those of the anointed Christian congregation, as shown at John 6:56; 10:38; 14:10, 11, 20; 15:4-7; 17:21-23, 26. An American Translation uses both the phrase “in union with” and the phrase “united to (with) me.”

The members of this congregation are dealt with in a special way, though not because of any merit on their part. (Eph. 2:5; 1 John 2:2) They are begotten by God’s spirit to a heavenly hope, the hope of sharing with Christ in his heavenly resurrection, provided that they first prove faithful, as Paul said, in “sharing in his sufferings, submitting . . . to a death like his,” a sacrificial death, giving up all hope of life on a paradise earth. (Phil. 3:10) This sacrificial course commences from the time when one is chosen by God as a member of that Christian congregation, making up “Christ’s body,” as explained at Matthew 16:24 and; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. These members are brought into the “new covenant,” validated by Christ’s shed blood, and share in its ministry.​—1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; 4:1-7.

There are still some on earth who are “in union with Christ Jesus” and have the witness of God’s spirit of being ‘God’s spirit-begotten children’ and “joint heirs with Christ.” (Rom. 8:1, 14-17) They will have these precious truths very much in mind when they come together for the “Lord’s evening meal.” However, the great majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses who will meet that night do not have that heavenly hope. They know they are not of the “little flock,” but identify themselves with the “great crowd” of “other sheep” that Jesus spoke about. (Luke 12:32; John 10:16; Rev. 7:9) They, too, exercise faith in the shed blood of Jesus. (Rev. 7:14) They have the hope of ‘inheriting the Kingdom,’ in that they will enjoy its blessings of everlasting life on earth, as Jesus promised at Matthew 25:31-40. They also enjoy the close association with Christ’s “brothers,” mentioned in that illustration. Compared with the spiritual Israelites, as “foreigners” they greatly appreciate the privilege and responsibility of sharing with them in producing Kingdom fruits. (Isa. 56:6, 7; 61:5; Matt. 21:43) Some have even died because of their faithful stand for the truth and their fearless proclamation of the Kingdom message. However, though they may die a martyr’s death, they do not die a sacrificial death like Jesus and those who are “joint heirs with Christ” in the heavenly kingdom. Realizing this distinction, they do not partake of the emblems of unleavened bread and the cup of wine that signify not only receiving the benefits of Christ’s death but a sharing with him in the same sacrificial course.