A COMMUNION MEAL

In ancient Israel a man could provide a communion meal. He would bring an animal to the sanctuary, where it was slaughtered. A portion of the animal offered went on the altar for “a smell of appeasement to Jehovah.” A portion went to the officiating priest, another portion to the priestly sons of Aaron, and the offerer and his household shared in the meal. (Lev. 3:1-16; 7:28-36; NW, 1953 ed.) One who was ‘unclean’ as defined by the Law was forbidden to eat a communion sacrifice on pain of being “cut off from his people.”—Lev. 7:20, 21.

The Lord’s Evening Meal is likewise a communion meal, because there is a sharing together. Jehovah God is involved as the Author of the arrangement, Jesus Christ is the ransom sacrifice, and his spiritual brothers eat the emblems as joint participants. Their eating at “the table of Jehovah” would signify that they are at peace with Jehovah. (1 Cor. 10:21) In fact, communion offerings were sometimes called “peace offerings.”—Lev. 3:1, ftn., NW, 1953 ed.

Partakers of the meal, in eating the bread and drinking the wine, acknowledge that they are sharers together in Christ, in complete unity. The apostle Paul says: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ? The loaf which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, although many, are one body, for we are all partaking of that one loaf.”—1 Cor. 10:16, 17.

In thus partaking, these indicate that they are in the new covenant and are receiving the benefits of it, that is, God’s forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood. They properly esteem the value of “the blood of the covenant” by which they are sanctified. (Heb. 10:29) The Scriptures call them “ministers of a new covenant,” serving its ends. (2 Cor. 3:5, 6) And they fittingly partake of the emblematic loaf because they can say: “By the said ‘will’ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” (Heb. 10:10) They share in Christ’s sufferings and in a death like his, a death of integrity. They hope to share in his resurrection.—Rom. 6:3-5.

Of each participant in the meal, the apostle Paul writes: “Whoever eats the loaf and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty respecting the body and the blood of the Lord. First let a man approve himself after scrutiny, and thus let him eat of the loaf and drink of the cup. For he that eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment against himself if he does not discern the body.” (1 Cor. 11:27-29) Unclean, unscriptural or hypocritical practices would disqualify one from eating. If he should eat in that condition he would be eating and drinking judgment against himself. He would be failing to appreciate Christ’s sacrifice, its purpose and meaning. He would be showing disrespect and contempt for it. (Compare Hebrews 10:28-31.) Such a person would be in danger of being ‘cut off from God’s people,’ as was the one in Israel who partook of a communion meal in an unclean state.—Lev. 7:20.

In fact, Paul compares the Lord’s Evening Meal to an Israelite communion meal when he speaks first of the partakers sharing together in Christ and then says: “Look at that which is Israel in a fleshly way: Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers with the altar? . . . You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; you cannot be partaking of ‘the table of Jehovah’ and the table of demons.”—1 Cor. 10:18-21.

PARTAKERS AND OTHER ATTENDERS AT THE MEAL

Jesus had gathered his twelve apostles, saying to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) But John’s eyewitness account indicates that Jesus dismissed the traitorous Judas before instituting the Memorial meal. During the Passover, Jesus, knowing that Judas was his betrayer, dipped a morsel of the Passover meal and handed it to Judas, instructing him to leave. (John 13:21-30) Mark’s account also intimates this order of events. (Mark 14:12-25) During the Lord’s Evening Meal that followed, Jesus passed the bread and the wine to the eleven remaining apostles, telling them to eat and drink. (Luke 22:19, 20) Afterward he spoke to them as “the ones that have stuck with me in my trials,” a further indication that Judas had been dismissed.—Luke 22:28.

There is no evidence that Jesus himself ate the bread thus offered or drank out of the cup during this Memorial meal. The body and blood he gave was in their behalf and for validating the new covenant, through which their sins were removed. (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10-12; 12:24) Jesus had no sins. (Heb. 7:26) He mediates the new covenant between Jehovah God and those chosen as Christ’s associates. (Heb. 9:15; see COVENANT.) Besides the apostles present at that meal, there were to be others making up the spiritual “Israel of God,” a “little flock,” who would eventually be kings and priests with Christ. (Gal. 6:16; Luke 12:32; Rev. 1:5, 6; 5:9, 10) All of Christ’s spiritual brothers on earth, therefore, would be partakers in this meal each time it is celebrated. They are shown to be “certain first fruits of his creatures” (Jas. 1:18), bought from mankind as “first fruits to God and to the Lamb,” and are revealed in John’s vision to number 144,000.—Rev. 14:1-5.

Observers not partaking

The Lord Jesus Christ revealed that, at his second presence, there would be persons who would do good to his spiritual brothers, visiting them in time of need, and giving them assistance. (Matt. 25:31-46) Would these, who might attend the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal, qualify as partakers of the emblems? The Scriptures say that God will provide through his holy spirit evidence and assurance to those qualified to partake of the emblems as “heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ,” that they are God’s sons. The apostle Paul writes: “The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.” He goes on to explain that there are others who benefit from God’s arrangement for these sons: “For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14-21) Since the joint heirs with Christ are to ‘rule as kings and priests over the earth,’ the Kingdom will benefit those living under it. (Rev. 5:10; 20:4, 6; 21:3, 4) Those benefiting would naturally be interested in the Kingdom and its development. Such persons therefore would attend and observe the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal, but not being joint heirs with Christ and spiritual sons of God, they would not partake of the emblems as joint participants in the death of Christ, with hope of resurrection to a heavenly life with him.—Rom. 6:3-5.

NO TRANSUBSTANTIATION OR CONSUBSTANTIATION

Jesus still had his fleshly body when offering the bread. This body, whole and entire, was to be offered as a perfect, unblemished sacrifice for sins the next afternoon (of the same day of the Hebrew calendar, Nisan 14). He also retained all his blood for that perfect sacrifice. “He poured out his soul [which is in the blood] to the very death.” (Isa. 53:12; Lev. 17:11) Consequently, during the evening meal he did not perform a miracle of transubstantiation, changing the bread into his literal flesh and the wine into his literal blood. For the same reasons, it cannot be truly said that he miraculously caused his flesh and his blood to be present or combined with the bread and wine, as is claimed by those who adhere to the doctrine of consubstantiation.

Moreover, eating actual human flesh and blood would be cannibalism. Jesus’ words, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves,” had figurative meaning, but were taken literally by some of his Jewish disciples, and they said: “This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?” This indicated the Jewish view on eating human flesh and blood, as inculcated by the Law.—John 6:53, 60.

Additionally, drinking blood was a violation of God’s law, not only as stated in the Law covenant, but also as declared by Jehovah God himself to Noah, prior to the Law. (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:10) The Lord Jesus Christ would never instruct others to violate God’s law. He himself said: “Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these least commandments and teaches mankind to that effect, he will be called ‘least’ in relation to the kingdom of the heavens.” (Matt. 5:19) Furthermore, Jesus commanded: “Keep doing this . . . in remembrance of me,” not in sacrifice of me.—1 Cor. 11:23-25.

The bread and the wine are, therefore, emblems, representing Christ’s flesh and blood in a symbolic way, just as were his words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Jesus had said to those offended by his words: “For a fact, the bread that I shall give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” (John 6:51) This was given at his death as a sacrifice on the torture stake. His body was buried and was disposed of by his Father before it could corrupt. (Acts 2:31) No one ever ate any of his flesh or blood, literally.

PROPER, ORDERLY OBSERVANCE

The Christian congregation at Corinth had gotten into a bad spiritual state, in some respects, so that, as the apostle Paul said: “Many among you are weak and sickly, and quite a few are sleeping in death.” This was to a great extent due to their misunderstanding of the Lord’s Evening Meal and its significance. They were failing to respect the sacredness of the occasion. Those of the congregation who had considerable means ate and drank fully at home before attending the celebration, some being drowsy, and some actually intoxicated. Those of little means came hungry, looking forward to the observance of the Memorial to satisfy their appetites. Evidently the hungry ones were going ahead and eating before the others arrived. Both groups did not appreciate that the meal was one picturing unity. They did not have full realization of the seriousness of the matter, that the emblems represented the body and blood of the Lord, and that the meal was a remembrance of his death. Paul emphasized the grave danger to those who partook not discerning these facts.—1 Cor. 11:20-34.

LO-RUHAMAH

(Lo-ru·haʹmah) [she was not shown mercy].

A girl borne by Gomer, the wife of Hosea. Jehovah told the prophet to give the child this name because He would “no more show mercy again to the house of Israel.” God thus indicated his rejection of Israel as a whole. (Hos. 1:6-8) Earlier, when Jezreel was born, it was said that Gomer “bore to him [Hosea] a son,” but regarding Lo-ruhamah it is only stated that Gomer “proceeded to become pregnant another time and to give birth to a daughter,” without direct personal reference to Hosea. Though the account does not specifically say, it has been suggested that this child was the fruit of Gomer’s adultery and was not the prophet’s own offspring. (Hos. 1:2, 3) There is allusion to her symbolic name in Hosea 2:1, 23.

LOT, I

[Heb., goh·ralʹ, pebble, lot, portion].

The casting of lots is an ancient custom for deciding a question at issue. The method used was to cast pebbles or small bits or tablets of wood or stone into the gathered folds of a garment, “the lap,” or in a vase, and then shake them. The one whose lot fell out was the one chosen, or sometimes the lot was drawn out of the lap or some receptacle. The lot, like the oath, implied a prayer with it. Prayer was either expressed or implied, and Jehovah’s intervention was sought and anticipated. Lot is used in Isaiah 57:6 and Jeremiah 13:25 with the thought of “share” or “portion.”

USES

Proverbs 16:33 says: “Into the lap the lot is cast down, but every decision by it is from Jehovah.” In Israel the proper use of a lot was to end a controversy: “The lot puts even contentions to rest, and it separates even the mighty from one another.” (Prov. 18:18) It was not used for sport, play or gambling. There were no bets, wagers or stakes, no losses or winnings. It was not done to enrich the temple or the priests or for charity. Contrariwise, the Roman soldiers did have selfish gain in mind when they cast lots for Jesus’ garments, as foretold at Psalm 22:18.—Matt. 27:35.

On Atonement Day

The first mention in the Bible of drawing lots is in connection with selecting the goats for Jehovah and for Azazel on Atonement Day. (Lev. 16:7-10) In Jesus’ time this was performed at Herod’s temple by the high priest’s drawing from a receptacle two lots made, it is said, of boxwood or gold. The lots, respectively marked “For Jehovah” and “For Azazel,” were then placed on the heads of the goats.

Division of Promised Land

Jehovah commanded that the division of the Promised Land among the twelve tribes be performed by casting lots. (Num. 26:55, 56) The book of Joshua gives a detailed discussion of this, the word “lot(s)” occurring more than twenty times in chapters 14-21. Lots were drawn before Jehovah at the tent of meeting in Shiloh and under the supervision of Joshua and High Priest Eleazar. (Josh. 17:4; 18:6, 8) The Levite cities were also selected by lot. (Josh. 21:8) Jehovah obviously caused the lot to fall in harmony with his previous prophecy regarding the general location of the tribes.—Gen. chap. 49.

Temple service

Lots were drawn to determine the order of service at the temple for the twenty-four divisions of the priesthood. (1 Chron. 24:5-18) Here the secretary of the Levites wrote the names of the heads of the paternal houses, and they were evidently picked out in succession. Also, in this manner the Levites were allotted to temple service as singers, gatekeepers, treasurers, etc. (1 Chron. 24:31; chaps. 25, 26; Luke 1:8, 9) The lot was used in selecting men for military duty against Gibeah. (Judg. 20:9) After the return from exile lots were used to arrange for the supplying of wood for temple service and to designate who should move into Jerusalem.—Neh. 10:34; 11:1.

Other uses

Lots were used to point out offenders. In Jonah’s case the mariners cast lots to find out on whose account the storm had come upon them. (Jonah 1:7, 8) By the use of lots Jonathan was pointed out as the one breaking Saul’s foolish oath.—1 Sam. 14:41, 42.

Lots were used by the enemies of Israel in dividing war booty and captives. (Joel 3:3; Obad. 11) Haman had “Pur, that is, the Lot” cast as a form of divination to determine the auspicious day for the extermination of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire. (Esther 3:7) The plural is pu·rimʹ, from which the Festival of Purim, also called the Festival of Lots, gets its name.—Esther 9:24-26.

Urim and Thummim

Although lots are not mentioned directly in connection with the Urim and Thummim placed by Moses in the breastpiece worn by the high priest (Lev. 8:7-9), and it is not known just what the Urim and Thummim were, nevertheless, they were used to settle a problem in a manner similar to two lots. The Urim and Thummim seem to be connected with the casting of lots at 1 Samuel 14:41, 42. They are sometimes spoken of as sacred lots. When a question