We are currently struggling with an issue concerning Communion. Is it okay to use individual cups, or do we have to drink out of one cup? Your opinion would be greatly appreciated, because it’s really a problem issue within our church. Thanks. In Christ, Harry S
Sadly, the question you pose is one that has needlessly buffeted many congregations. The problem stems from the laudable desire to appeal to biblical authority coupled with an unfortunate misunderstanding of how to interpret language in general and biblical language in particular. For the most part, the same procedures by which one would understand language used daily, including among family members, is the same basis by which one correctly understands God’s message in the Bible. Whereas even children typically understand the daily language about them, often people bring an artificial ignorance to biblical interpretation. For instance, almost no one of any age beyond toddlers has any difficulty at all understanding the difference between figurative and nonfigurative language as we speak to one another daily. Yet, interject Bible text into a discussion and even otherwise accomplished adults stumble over words and meanings that outside of a religious context every elementary school student understands. The foregoing, generally, is precisely the problem of whether in communion a congregation is authorized to use multiple cups or is restricted to sharing the same, single cup.
The troubling words “the cup” referring to communion appear in several New Testament passages (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:23-25; Luke 22:15-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:23-29). However, even an appeal to the first instance ought to satisfactorily allay any misgivings about this issue.
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:27-29).
The words “the cup” figuratively refer to the contents of the cup, which Jesus identified as “this fruit of the vine.” Likewise, the phrase “this is my blood” figuratively refers to the contents of the cup, which Jesus identified as “this fruit of the vine.” Also stumbling over figurative language respecting the communion, the Catholic Church with its doctrine of transubstantiation and the Lutheran Church with its doctrine of consubstantiation have erroneously construed the phrases “this is my body” (Matthew 26:26) and “this is my blood” to mean the communion elements are actually the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ.
It is no more reasonable to conclude that the words “the cup” are literal and not figurative than it is to conclude with the Catholics and the Lutherans that the phrases “this is my body” and “this is my blood” are literal and not figurative, meaning the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ. One might as well argue that the communion elements are the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ as affirm that the literal “cup” is meant rather than the contents of the cup when our Lord instituted the communion. It is the same erroneous mishandling of Scripture, only differing over whether one stumbles over the words “the cup” or the phrases “this is my body” and “this is my blood.”
Further, the phrase “drink ye all of it” ought to clarify whether the reference to “the cup” is figurative or literal. Try drinking a literal cup just once! It cannot be done; the reference is obviously to the contents, not to the container. The elements of the communion are the bread and the fruit of the vine, not literally “the Lord’s table” (1 Corinthians 10:21) and the ‘container.’
The type of figurative language employed in the verses above is the metaphor. The dictionary definition of a metaphor is: “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them …” (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, (Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated) 1993.) Perhaps, the following Scripture quotation, not pertaining to the communion, can help us better understand the use of this type of figurative language, which should promote a better understanding of how the same type of figurative language is used in passages about communion.
“The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox …” (Luke 13:31-32).
Jesus referred to King Herod as a “fox.” Herod did not suddenly sport pointy ears, a bushy tail and prance around on his hands and feet like a four-footed animal. Our Lord used figurative language, namely the metaphor, when referring to Herod. Similarly, someone might say about another today that “He is a snake in the grass”; who among us would think that such a person literally acquired the form and traits of snake.
We ordinarily know how to use figurative language in daily conversation and desperately need to have the same wits about us when we open the pages of inspiration to discern God’s Word. Once my two-year-old grandson and I were playing with my model railroad and I told him to “Blow the train horn.” He began blowing air. I said, “No, no, the little red button.” He immediately stooped and began blowing air through his lips on to the train horn button. He’s not two any more and he won’t make that mistake again. We need to be careful that we don’t approach God’s Holy Word with the uninformed mindset of a two-year-old child.
