BroRalph

Responding to aliens is often not easy. It kinda depends what planet they're from. 😏

When He held that bread before them the disciples were already familiar with what it represented. They had been keeping the Passover and Feast of unleavened bread since they were kids. The unleavened bread itself did have the meaning of partaking of that which is clean and undefiled. So what do we part-take of when we take the bread? It represents His body which was broken for us. His unleavened, sinless body. His body which lived to do the will of His father...to fulfill the holy word of His Father. His holy, dedicated body which was broken for us. The breaking of it represented the act of giving Himself FOR us. Then He gives it TO them for them to take into themselves. The bread we partake of as we celebrate our relationship with Him, it does indeed represent what He gave for us, mainly meaning He gave Himself . As we partake of it we feast , we celebrate and worship Him. What have we been given in Christ? What have we received? Romans 5:11 – the reconciliation. Romans 8:15 – the Spirit of Adoption – we call Him Abba (family). 1st Cor 2:12 – the Spirit of God In receiving Him it would seem we've been given a new identity. According to Titus 2:14 – why did He redeem us and purify us? So we could be HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE. During the Jewish keeping of the Passover there was a cup that everyone present would drink from. It was just one cup or chalice that was used, but there were four different times they would drink from it, and each time it meant something during the course of the evening. 1st - cup of sanctification. 2nd – cup of deliverance. 3rd – cup of redemption. 4th – cup of praise. Also in the Jewish observance of Passover a custom had developed where wine be poured into the cup and left on table. It was said to be for Elijah at his reappearing, but our Lord knowing that John the Baptist had already fulfilled that prophecy does something different. Jesus had often used references & illustrations of marriage & weddings. After Jesus spoke abt the cup of redemption He said something that His disciples had probably heard before and it was associated with rejoicing & celebrating...but in a different way. In Galilee, when a man was going to do his betrothal ( which was basically an engagement proposal) it was usually done openly with family there. The bridegroom would be given a cup of wine. He would sip from it and then hand it to her. If she drank from it it would be viewed as the sealing of a covenant. They were legally married. A promise had made and sealed even though no wedding event has occurred. Then the bridegroom would go to his “fathers house” to prepare place. The bride would be getting ready for the grooms return. When he did he would take her back to his Father's house where there would be a marriage supper. It was here that they would again share a cup of wine. Let's go back to the public betrothal for a moment, when he handed her the cup and she drank of it, gave it back, he took it and wouldthen say "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until I drink it with you in my fathers house.”

Howdy, my name is also Ralph. I pastor a small, rural Baptist Church in Texas. Been in ministry about 30 years.

Thanks for writing that. I've read many interpretations about the last two types of servants that Jesus said would receive lashes. So many say that these are actually unbelievers, but their punishment in hell will not be as bad as the careless manager who was cut into pieces. While I do not claim to be wiser than others, I agree with your reading of it. The one cut into pieces (who is the only one who was) is also placed into the category of unbeliever. NONE of the others were treated this way by the Master at His return. They were chastised and disciplined, but not condemned.