What does "discern" mean? It means to "see" (spiritually), and to "rightly divide" (Righteous judgment). Is Paul telling us that it is dangerous to "partake" of the ceremony of communion if we don't "discern the body of Christ?" Yes! Not only dangerous, but LETHAL!
There seem to be two requirements, 1-self-examination (application?); 2-Christ-viewing (Revelation?). Jesus made one, small statement that so revolted His disciples that most abandoned Him on the spot! John 6:53-(+)-68 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you (Spiritually dead!). Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat (Willful God-Obedience) indeed (in Truth!), and my blood is drink (Eternal [Love] Life) indeed (Reality!)." (The Hebrews used the expression "eat & drink" as symbolic of mortal ingestion & digestion of Spiritual knowledge [hence, to "know"].
As with most tribal characteristics of the Jews, they "came-by" this from God Who Named them (gave them their character!), as seen in Dt 8:2,3 "And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to HUMBLE thee, and to PROVE thee, to KNOW what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou >knewest< not, neither did thy fathers know; [so] that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."
And too, in Jer 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." And again in Ezk 2:8 "But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee." Over & over again, God asks His servants to "eat His Word"!)
Now back to Jesus ... "He that eateth (Hears) my flesh (Word), and drinketh (Obeys & Does) my blood (Will), dwelleth (Lives, Abides) in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (his Life comes from Me!). --> This <-- is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear (listen to) it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you (do you stumble over this)? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Note the two, Spirit (Revelation) & Life (application). "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, (left Him!) and walked no more with him (6:66!).
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." This was in direct contrast to the Pharisees who had "closed the Book" (so to speak) on Jesus (having concluded in their own opinion Whom He was NOT!). Jn 5:37-40 "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and (but) they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me (and Dine!), that ye might have life."
Jesus Christ IS our Pascal Lamb! To formalize, ritualize, codify & modify our "eating" of God's Word into an outward symbol only is perversion! Jesus makes it plain that His "Body" is "Spirit", and His "Blood" is "Life"! Further, we might see ("discern") His Body as His Word ("manna from Heaven", or "from God's Mouth"), and His Blood as His Will! God has always Wanted us to "hear" & "do" so we might "know" & "become" as He Intended by the Word He Used to Create us in the first place!
So we "see" that "discerning the Body" has to do with humbling ourselves before God, acknowledging and confessing that He is Lord (God!), opening our "mouths" to receive His Word (Revelation, Breath, Inspiration) from His Mouth, and digest ("chew") it by DOING it! I'm convinced that the only Word of God (including Scripture!) we are enabled to DO is that Word Which we receive (hear!) DIRECTLY from God!
It is God Who Performs His Perfect Will in us, and not we ourselves! Ezk 36:26,27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and CAUSE you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." But Jesus said we had to "eat" & "drink" Him, and He IS the Word of God! Therefore let us not confuse any outward celebration we may perform as a ritual celebration (like Passover!), with the inward MEANING God intends us remember by it! To do so is PAGAN, and IDOLATROUS!
But more, we miss the mark! What mark? The Truth, the Reality, the Meat, the Meaning of God's Intention and Christ's Inheritance on our behalf! Jesus said He had "Meat" that we "knew" not! But He would have us "KNOW" that "Meat"! It is HIS Perfect Obedience to God's Perfect Wish! Jesus kept Communion with His Father thought-by-thought, action-by-action! Never a "break" (sin!) in that fellowship! How can we Obey or Follow or Know or Love or Live as He did, in Union with The Father, if we do not "discern" (keep ever in our "minds-eye") His "Body" (the Meaning & Purpose of His Word as Revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in Truth!)? To mis-construe (distort, pervert, divert) His Meaning is "weakness", "illness" and even "death" to us!
We must prefer God's Preference to our opinion, and expect (as Written of His Royal children) it is His "Good Pleasure" to Give us His Kingdom! HOWEVER .... Hebrews 6:4-8 "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come (communion!), If they (then, AFTER that!) shall fall away, to RENEW them AGAIN unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain (receives Life!) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers (produces death after receiving Life!) is REJECTED, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." So let us humble & hear & believe & be fed & nourished by all that God has Said to us in His Word, His Son Jesus Christ!
Lets us be careful (as one who Fears God!) to listen very carefully for God to Speak His Revelation in our heart, that we may "discern" (see/hear) and "apply-by-examination" (Do/Obey) the very thing which will Please God! Lets us seek to "know" and to "do" that very thing Which our Lord died to Obtain for us through His Resurrection Life! Then let us share with God AND man, those marvelous things which our Heavenly Father has Shared with us! Amen.
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