The meaning, purpose, and affect of the bread and wine ritual. Is it grotesque, pagan, or does it illustrate all of Christianity? To understand this John 6:35-61 is a must read. You will see that Christ’s apostles even had problems with this. To Judaism this is hands down sacrilegious and or Pagan. This even caused controversies, bad rumors about Christians. Christ knew the risk He as taking, He could have turned His own Apostles against Him. Why would He insist on the imagery of something so grotesque, so offensive? Do you think He knew? But Christ knew this was important and it had to happen, because if they did not do this, eternal life was not an option. Verses 53 and 54. He is talking about bread and wine, verse 55.
During the Last Supper Christ described what it was about. Still the specifics of why it is important and the divine elements of it has been debated ever since. The question is; could we understand it? The early Christians seemed to agree that it was important. Even before the Last Supper, Christ used the vineyards and wine in stories and parables. After Christ ministry, Christianity used the vines, the wine, and vineyards as symbologies of Christianity. The vine represented His resurrection, the wine, the blood of Christ, and the vineyard usually followed the churches.
As far as I am concerned, the next part of the ritual is the feet washing…(John 13:3-20) Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel He girded himself about…someone mentioned naked…. “I know who” He was right, physically and by intent. Girded is like the old somo wrestler wrap-gird. It is what they used for riding horses, walking distances, and going to battle….kept things in place and avoided chafing. But why did he do this? Who knows, the Apostle’s feet may have been clean. But He insisted. A God kneels down before the Apostles, nearly naked, and washes their feet. Not everyone catches on to what this means. The affect is one thing, but the meaning is that these two rituals illustrate Christianity as a whole. When he is done washing their feet He does not say, I have done good for you, He says, Do you know what I have done to you. And then he goes on and explains why. A symbology that encompasses so much of Christianity and its application.
What does it mean of a God that would lay His life down for us? What kind of God calls us friends? Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. I still think that John the Baptist was doing a spoiler alert.
Of course different denominations put different meanings and significances on it. And no matter what you do there are some gruesome aspects to the Bible, the Passion itself is not pleasant. The image of a bloody naked man nailed to a cross has startled a few. So what people take of all this is up to them. I am not offended either way.