We’ve been engaged in quite a lengthy discussion concerning God’s universal law on blood which states that one is not to ingest blood under any circumstances.
We also learned it is because of this instruction in Torah that a Jew would never even consider symbolically drinking wine as blood.
Yet in what seemed to be quite a contradiction to Torah, Yeshua instructed his disciples to do that very thing, in other words he ordered the symbolic drinking of his blood as a memorial for the sacrifice for sins he was going to make.
And the Apostle Paul later added this was the only one time exception that doing such a thing was okay.
Today, I want to dive in a little deeper and make some connections all the way back to the time when God forbid Adam and Eve from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life that was planted in the Garden of Eden.
If we recall what we studied way back in Genesis, the reason why God prohibited Adam and Eve from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life is because He didn’t want them to obtain eternal life.
But why?
Doesn’t God want us to have eternal life with Him?
The answer is of course He does BUT…
…it has to be on His terms.
The truth is HASHEM has gone to the greatest lengths and spared no expense by sacrificing His only begotten son to ensure that eternal life with Him is a surefire possibility.
Here’s the problem Adam and Eve were facing.
Because they had disobeyed God’s instructions to not eat the fruit from the tree, their status was that of being unredeemed.
In fact, one could argue that the principle of redemption began in Genesis with Adam and Eve and NOT with Moses and the Priesthood.
The Lord does indeed want eternal life for all mankind but it is restricted to those who are redeemed according to the Torah’s definition and method of redemption.
So here’s the point and connection I want to make.
Just as Adam and Eve were forbidden from partaking of the PHYSICAL Tree of Life because they were in a state of rebellion…
…so too did the Apostle Paul explain that the unworthy (meaning the unredeemed) were prohibited from partaking of the SPIRITUAL Tree of Life via the Communion cup symbolic of Yeshua’s shed blood for the sins of mankind.
One who is in a state of rebellion is not permitted to “drink of Yeshua’s blood” as symbolized in the drinking of the communion wine.
I’m done.
Shalom Brother,
As I see the last cup at Yehoshua’s last seder the only gospel that got the wording right is that of Luke 22:20 where Yehoshua says, “This cup is the New Covenant, ratified by my blood, which is being poured out for you.” (Complete Jewish Bible) The cup is symbolic of the Renewed Covenant which was ratified by His blood. Yehoshua being a devout Jew would never command his taught ones to symbolically drink his blood. It is not symbolically his blood. Also, I believe that we are to do this at Passover not as some monthly pagan ritual with little pieces of bread and little cups of grape juice.
By the way, I love your lessons and have at times borrowed from them in my lessons.
I am not a fan of the so called New Testament. You have almost illiterate men who were unlearned ,(Acts 4:13) who wrote in Aramaic, (there are no originals available) which was then translated into Koine Greek copied many times in Koine Greek, often the copies misquoted what was written and altered numerous times, (as Origen and others complained), then into a more modern Greek and then into King James English which did not have the letter “J”.
You asked for some Jewish perspective and this is mine on the cup of the Renewed Covenant.
Shalom,
Rabbi Kittron ben-Calev
Thank you so much for sharing Rabbi Kittron! Be blessed and shalom!