gave thanks
The Greek word used here is "εὐχαριστήσας" (eucharistēsas), from which the term "Eucharist" is derived. This act of giving thanks is not merely a ritualistic gesture but a profound expression of gratitude to God. In Jewish tradition, giving thanks before a meal is a common practice, acknowledging God's provision. Jesus' act of giving thanks here sets a precedent for Christians to approach the Lord's Table with a heart of gratitude, recognizing the grace and mercy extended through His sacrifice.

broke it
The breaking of the bread is a significant action that symbolizes the breaking of Jesus' body on the cross. The Greek word "ἔκλασεν" (eklasen) indicates a physical breaking, which foreshadows the suffering and sacrifice that Jesus is about to endure. This act also signifies the sharing of His body among His disciples, emphasizing the communal aspect of the Lord's Supper. Historically, breaking bread was a common practice in Jewish meals, symbolizing fellowship and unity.

and gave it to them
In this phrase, Jesus distributes the bread to His disciples, symbolizing the giving of His life for the redemption of many. The Greek word "ἔδωκεν" (edōken) implies a deliberate and generous act of giving. This distribution signifies the inclusivity of Jesus' sacrifice, offered to all who would believe. It also highlights the role of the disciples as recipients of His grace and as future bearers of His message to the world.

saying, 'This is My body
Here, Jesus makes a profound declaration, identifying the bread as His body. The Greek word "σῶμά" (sōma) refers to the physical body, but in this context, it carries a deeper spiritual meaning. Jesus is instituting a new covenant, where His body, broken for humanity, becomes the means of spiritual nourishment and salvation. This statement has been theologically significant throughout Christian history, forming the basis for the doctrine of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

given for you
The phrase "given for you" underscores the sacrificial nature of Jesus' mission. The Greek word "διδόμενον" (didomenon) indicates an offering or a gift. Jesus' body is given willingly, out of love, for the redemption of humanity. This sacrificial giving fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of a suffering servant and establishes a new covenant between God and His people. It is a personal and communal gift, offered to each believer and to the Church as a whole.

do this in remembrance of Me
This command from Jesus establishes the practice of the Lord's Supper as a memorial of His sacrifice. The Greek word "ἀνάμνησιν" (anamnēsin) means a remembrance or a memorial. This act of remembrance is not merely a recollection of past events but a living participation in the reality of Jesus' sacrifice. It calls believers to continually reflect on the significance of His death and resurrection, fostering a deeper relationship with Him and with one another. This command has been faithfully observed by Christians throughout the ages, serving as a central act of worship and a means of grace.

Which is given for you.--Literally, which is now in the act of being given. The sacrifice was already inchoate in will. St. Paul's report omits the participle.

This do in remembrance of me.--Literally, as My memorial, or, as your memorial of Me. The words are common to St. Luke and St. Paul, but are not found in the other two reports. The word for "remembrance" occurs, in the New Testament, only here and in Hebrews 10:3. In the Greek version of the Old Testament it is applied to the shew-bread (Leviticus 24:7), to the blowing of trumpets (Numbers 10:10), in the titles of Psalm 38:1 ("to bring to remembrance,") and Psalm 70:1. The word had thus acquired the associations connected with a religious memorial, and might be applied to a sacrifice as commemorative, though it did not in itself involve the idea of sacrificing. The fact that our Lord and His disciples had been eating of a sacrifice which was also a memorial, gives a special force to the words thus used. In time to come, they were to remember Him as having given Himself, sacrificed Himself, for them, and this was to be the memorial in which memory was to express itself, and by which it was to be quickened. It may be noted that the early Liturgies, as a rule, follow St. Luke's report, attaching the word "memorial" sometimes to the bread, sometimes to the cup, sometimes to both. . . .

(1) The separation of the flesh of the Son of man into flesh and blood (John 6:53) presupposes a violent death submitted to for the sake of others (John 6:51).

(2) Both these elements, the flesh and the blood, are to be appropriated individually by the believer (John 6:56).

(3) How appropriated? St. Bernard well answers the question which he asks: "What is it to eat his flesh and to drink his blood, but to share in his sufferings and to imitate the life he lived when with us in the flesh?" (St. Bernard, on Psalm 3:3). "If ye suffer with him, ye shall also reign with him." The Holy Eucharist is from one point of view a great truth dramatized, instituted for the purpose of bringing before men in a vivid manner the great truths above alluded to. But it is something more. It brings to the believer, to the faithful communicant, to the one who in humble adoring faith carries out to the best of his ability his Master's dying charge - it brings a blessing too great for us to measure by earthly language, too deep for us to fathom with human inquiry. For the partaking of this Holy Communion is, first, the Christian's solemn public confession of his faith in Christ crucified; his solemn private declaration that it is his deliberate wish to suffer with his Lord and for his Lord's sake; that it is, too, his firm purpose to imitate the earthly life lived by his Lord. The partaking of this Holy Communion, too, is the Christian's most solemn prayer for strength thus to suffer and to live. It is, too, his fervent expression of belief that this strength will be surely given to him. Further, the partaking of this Holy Communion is, above all, the Christian's most solemn prayer for living union with Christ - "that Christ may dwell in his heart by faith." It is, too, his fervent expression of belief that "then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; we are one with. Christ, and Christ with us." This confession, declaration, and prayer he constantly renews in obedience to the dying command of his Master. It is difficult to understand how any belief in a physical change in the elements of bread and wine, such as is involved in the theory of transubstantiation held in the Roman Church, or of consubstantiation in the Lutheran community, can be supposed to enhance the reverence of the communicant, or to augment the blessing promised. The words of the Lord, "This is my body... my blood," cannot surely be pressed, seeing that the same Divine Speaker was in his discourses in the habit of using imagery which could not literally be pressed, such as "I am the Bread of life," "I am the Door of the sheep," "I am the true Vine," etc. Nothing that can be conceived is more solemn than the simple rite, more awful in its grandeur, more Divine and far-reaching in its promises to the faithful believer. Human imaginings add nothing to this Divine mystery, which is connected at once with the Incarnation and the Atonement. They only serve to envelop it in a shroud of earth-born mist and cloud, and thus to dim if not to veil its Divine glory.

Parallel Commentaries ...