New Testament Blog Post #11 - Sacrament

What was the relationship between the Passover and the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

During the Passover, at least the original Passover, the children of God in Egypt were told to sacrifice a lamb, dip a brush in its blood, and cover the doorposts and lintels of the entrances of their homes with that blood, because that night, the destroying angel was going to come to Egypt and kill every person and animal that was the firstborn—but if that symbol was on the door, the angel would not enter it.

In a way, this is an analogy for our circumstances in mortality. We are surrounded by influences that have the potential to be spiritually hazardous to us. There are “destroyers” all around. But Christ has performed the Atonement so that we can be safe from these things. He chose to be the sacrificial lamb in this situation, and our use of his Atonement is sort of like marking the lintel and doorposts with his blood. When we use the Savior’s Atonement to repent of our past sins—when we use it to constant effect in an effort to improve ourselves and become more like Christ, we become more and more protected from the influences around us that would harm us spiritually. That’s my take on the relationship between these two events, anyway.

What is the relationship between the Sacrament and the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

The bread and the water are symbols for the body and blood of Christ, which were given during the Atonement. He gave his body, letting the mob take his life, so that he could then take it up again and be resurrected, breaking the bonds of death and opening the way for all of God’s children to be resurrected. And earlier, he sweat as it were great drops of blood while he took upon him the sins and pains of the world. In other words, he gave his blood.
There are at least two purposes of the Atonement, if we consider the Atonement to begin at the Garden of Gethsemane and to end with Christ’s resurrection. They are parallel: to help everyone to overcome physical, temporal death (through resurrection), and to help everyone overcome spiritual death. I would submit that the Sacrament pertains most directly to that second purpose. We do not, I think, any of us, understand how it worked, but we do understand that it did. Christ experienced all the suffering from sin and pain that anyone has ever felt, and by doing so, allowed us to become clean through repentance. He also told us, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect,” and that is the goal of the Atonement and of our repentance. Therein lies the relation, in my mind, to the Sacrament. Through baptism, we have promised to take upon us Christ’s name and keep his commandments and always remember him. The Sacrament is meant to renew those covenants when we make mistakes.

How do John 4:13-14 and John 6:48-53 add to an understanding of the symbolism of bread and water?

The Savior elaborates on the symbolism in the Sacrament by saying that he is the bread of life and that the water he gives, once drunk by someone, becomes a well in them, springing up unto everlasting life. Each symbol is related to life in those verses, and that is what the Atonement gives: spiritual life.

Considering the Savior’s instructions in Luke 22:19 and 3 Nephi 18:7, why do you think we are commanded to partake of the Sacrament weekly? How does Mosiah 5:13 apply to this idea?

We are meant to partake of the Sacrament in remembrance of the Savior, according to these verses. To me, that's important, because as mortal people, we are prone to forgetfulness. And it’s particularly hard for us to focus on something continually. So it’s nice to have a reminder every week. That relates to the verse in Mosiah because it suggests that we cannot know Christ unless we keep him present in our minds.

Carefully look at the additions and corrections in the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 26:26, 28 (see Matthew 26:26 footnote b, and Matthew 26:28 footnote a). Write responses to the following questions and tasks:

What important truths do we gain from these verses of the Joseph Smith Translation?

That Christ brake the bread first, then blessed it, which is how we perform the ordinance in the Church.
That the bread and water are symbols only—they are not literally the body and blood of Christ.

That Christ gave his body as a ransom.
That Christ’s blood was shed for as many as will believe on his name (it has infinite potential—there is no limit to how many people it can cover)

That Christ commanded us to do as he did, and to bear record of him “to the end.”

What does ransom mean? How does properly participating in the ordinance of the Sacrament ransom us? (See JST, Matthew 26:26)

A ransom is a price that is paid for a captive. When we take the Sacrament, we uphold our end of the bargain, aiming to become like Christ and believe on his name so that his Atonement can apply to us.

Make a list of what you want to remember about the Savior the next time you partake of the Sacrament?

His Atonement applies to all.
He ransoms us, meaning we are captive.

We are to take upon us his name, which could be interpreted as meaning that we are to bear record of him, and that commandment is one that we are meant to observe until the ends of our lives.