or without discernment and so does not incur divine judgment against himself.

35. When he drinks the Memorial wine, what does he confess regarding the new covenant?

³⁵ When such a self-scrutinized Christian drinks out of the Memorial wine-cup he confesses that Jesus’ blood was the means to put God’s new covenant in force. Also, that by means of this new covenant the divine forgiveness of sins is gained and a people is taken out of all nations to be a people for God’s name, to act as witnesses of Jehovah.—Acts 15:14; Ex. 19:5, 6; 1 Pet. 2:9, 10.

36, 37. What else does the Memorial wine signify to the person drinking, and what is he therefore determined to do?

³⁶ Another thing: the poured-out blood of Christ signifies death, not merely for a new covenant to be made over a dead victim, but primarily for vindicating Jehovah’s sovereignty, name and word. And in this death for Jehovah’s vindication the “body of the Lord”, Christ’s body-members, share. They are planted with him in the likeness of his death, buried together with him by a common baptism into his death, that they may be raised to heavenly spirit life in the likeness of his resurrection. “Know you not that all we who are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in his death? For we are buried together with him by baptism into death: . . . For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”—Rom. 6:3-5, Dy.

³⁷ So to the wine-drinker the cup pictures the sufferings which the heavenly Father has poured like a potion for all the Christ company, the Head and the body. As Jesus said to Peter in Gethsemane: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” He did, and he also assured those followers who would prove faithful to death and share in the Lord’s blood: “Of the cup that I drink, you shall drink; and with the baptism with which I am to be baptized, you shall be baptized.” (John 18:11 and Mark 10:39, Cath. Confrat.) By drinking of the Memorial cup one confesses that he is determined to suffer with Jesus till death.

What About Those Not Partaking?

1. When did Jehovah’s witnesses celebrate Memorial last year, how many attended it and how many partook?

THE Memorial or Lord’s evening meal is celebrated by Jehovah’s witnesses each year on its anniversary date with the understanding given above. Last year at the Memorial celebration 623,760 of Jehovah’s witnesses and kindly disposed persons attended, but only 21,619 partook of the emblems. Why did so many not partake of them?

2. How many attenders did not partake, and why not?

² The Memorial emblems were passed around for everyone to partake of and each one was at liberty to do so if he wished. Why did 602,141 not do so? Because, by self-scrutiny and after their hearing the Memorial discourse, they honestly acknowledged to themselves and to others that they were not members of Christ’s body, which the Scriptures show is made up of only 144,000 members under Jesus the one Head. Those not partaking may all have been dedicated to Jehovah God through Jesus Christ. But they had no proof within themselves that they had been begotten by God’s spirit to a spiritual resurrection and to spirit life in heaven. They had no proof that they had been