Each year I receive an
invite from the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the ‘annual commemoration of the death
of Jesus Christ’. Known as ‘The Memorial Meal’, Jehovah’s Witnesses and invited
guests, gather ‘to remember what he did in giving his life for us’.
This year (2021) will be slightly
different. Due to the Covid lockdown restrictions, the observance will be held
virtually via Zoom. Though the location of those gathered will be different,
the content of the meeting will not have changed whatsoever.
In my next few articles, we will
begin to consider the Why? What? and Who? of the Memorial Meal.
WHY?
The purpose of the Lord’s Evening Meal is to remember Jesus, showing our
gratitude for his sacrifice in our behalf. (Matthew 20:28; 1 Corinthians 11:24)[1]
Keep
doing this in remembrance of me. 1 Cor.11:24
The Jehovah’s Witnesses
get this part right. They, just as the Christian Church has done throughout its
history, gather to remember what Jesus did. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for
many (Matthew 20:28) and the people of God assemble to give thanks. Having commended
the Jehovah’s Witnesses for meeting to remember Jesus’ sacrifice, we have to
say that pretty much everything they do whilst congregated for the Memorial
Meal is completely out of sync with historic Christianity.
WHAT?
We adhere strictly to the Bible in our observance of the Lord’s Evening
Meal, which is also known as “the Lord’s supper,” the Last Supper, and the
Memorial of Jesus’ death. (1 Corinthians 11:20; King James
Version) In contrast, many beliefs and
practices of other denominations in connection with this observance are not
based on the Bible.[2]
The Jehovah’s Witnesses
are always keen to tell us that, in belief and practice, they adhere strictly
to what the Bible teaches. The reality though is quite different. They adhere strictly
to what the Organisation tells them, and then they blindly follow. This is
because their real authority is not God’s Word but the Organisation. This can
be clearly seen in their teaching and practice regarding the Memorial Meal.
If you have ever
observed or participated in the Lord’s Supper/Communion at church, you will
know that the bread and wine is passed around the congregation. Those who have
trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour will be encouraged to partake.
In doing this Christians adhere strictly to what the Bible teaches about the
Lord’s supper:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to
you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he
had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is
my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In
the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you
drink it, in remembrance of me.” For
as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's
death until he comes.
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Paul tells the believers at Corinth, that what he is passing
on to them by way of instruction, he had received directly from the Lord Jesus.
The Apostle encourages the believers to partake of the bread and wine as a way
of remembering what Jesus did. He says, ‘as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.’
Pretty straight forward
you would think. The Christian Church has therefore continued throughout its
history to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, with millions of Christians partaking
of the emblems.
Now if you were to
attend the Memorial Meal of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will notice something very
much at odds with what I have just described. As the bread and wine is passed
around, the overwhelming odds are that you will not see anyone partake. What is
going on? Why is everyone just passing along the bread and wine? Can anyone
partake and if so who?
WHO?
When Jehovah’s
Witnesses observe the Lord’s Evening Meal, only a small fraction of us partake
of the bread and wine. Why is that so? Jesus’ shed blood established “a new covenant”
that replaced the covenant between Jehovah God and the ancient nation of
Israel. (Hebrews 8:10-13) Those who
are in that new covenant partake of the Memorial emblems. It includes, not all
Christians, but only “those who have been called” in a special way by God. (Hebrews 9:15; Luke 22:20) These ones
will rule in heaven with Christ, and the Bible says that just 144,000 people
receive that privilege.—Luke 22:28-30; Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1, 3.[3]
Please note that this quote from the ‘Organisation’
is littered with Bible verses, which apparently support their teaching. This
appears impressive to the uninitiated or the already convinced. It can seem
that they indeed do ‘adhere strictly to the Bible’, but do not be fooled. These
out of context and misinterpreted verses are used by the Organisation to
support their errant teaching.
In a recent article: The Great Crowd of
Other Sheep Praise God and Christ[4],
Jehovah’s Witnesses are reminded of a time when all of them would have taken
the bread and wine:
The young man was 18 years old when he
got baptized in 1926. His parents were Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses
were known at the time. They had three sons and two daughters, whom they raised
to serve Jehovah God and imitate Jesus Christ. As was true of all Bible
Students back then, this sincere young man partook of the bread and the wine
each year at the Lord’s Evening Meal. However, his entire outlook on life was
changed by a history-making talk entitled “The Great Multitude.” That talk was
given in 1935 by J. F. Rutherford at a convention in Washington, D.C.,
U.S.A. What was revealed at that convention?
What was revealed to those Bible Students was that what they had
previously believed, taught, and practiced, was not Biblical! This raises all
kinds of questions. Before the ‘flash of prophetic light’ received by
Rutherford in 1935, did the Bible Students believe they were adhering strictly
to Biblical teaching? If they got the Bible wrong here, did they get it wrong
elsewhere? Does ‘new light’ trump and replace previously held belief? Is it
possible that what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, and practice today could also
be wrong?
In my next article I will seek to answer those questions and
consider what implications this teaching has for rank-and-file Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
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