Matthew 26:26-29 - Exposition

The institution of the Lord ' s Supper. ( Mark 14:22-25 ; Luke 22:15-20 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 .) The endless controversies which have gathered round the Holy Eucharist, for opposite views of the meaning and purpose of which men have fearlessly met death, render it a difficult matter to expound the text succinctly and yet with due regard to clearness and precision. If I do not expatiate upon the diverse opinions which have been held on this momentous subject, it is not because I have neglected to weigh and examine them, but because it is more conducive to edification to have a plain statement of what appears to the writer to be the truth, than to confuse a reader with a multitude of interpretations which in the end have virtually to be surrendered. The points to be specially remembered before trying to expound the section are these:

1 . He who institutes the ordinance is Almighty God made man, who is able to set aside one observance and to substitute another in its place.

2 . The new ordinance had an analogy with that which it superseded.

3 . It was intended to be the one great service and means of grace for all Christians.

4 . The interpretation is to he connected with the great discourse of Jesus in the sixth chapter of St. John, where Christ speaks of himself as the Bread of life that came down from heaven, and his flesh and blood as the nourishment of his people.