Dear Aebi: "Are there any Biblical principles
we can use to determine how we should dispose of the bread and
fruit of the vine that are left after communion? (Since it has
been 'set apart,' should it be treated in a frivolous way?")
There are four passages that describe the institution
of the Lord's supper: Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20;
and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. All four agree on what was done with
the bread, and Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11, gives what Jesus did
as an example, which we are to follow in our partaking. All four
passages say that Jesus (1) took bread, (2) blessed (gave thanks),
(3) broke (the bread), (4) gave it to the disciples, and (5) told
them it was (the symbol of) His body and commanded them to eat
it in memory of Him. All four passages indicate that Jesus gave
thanks before He broke the bread and gave it to the disciples
(apostles). They do not say exactly how the bread was distributed,
nor is anything said about disposing of any bread that might have
been left.
Jesus broke the bread at the Passover supper which
He celebrated with His apostles. Custom among the Jews did not
require a container for the bread; it was passed hand-to-hand
around the table. Jesus probably followed the then current custom;
exactly how it was done was not important enough for the Holy
Spirit to describe it further. The same is true of the fruit of
the vine and the manner in which it was served.
Our questioner asks about that which was left
over after everyone had partaken of the emblems, and about whether
it should be treated in a frivolous way since it has been "set
apart." We note that the text does not say it was "set
apart," but that Jesus gave thanks for it or blessed it.
"Blessed" here means He gave thanks for it, not that
he made it especially holy or consecrated it for specialized religious
use or "transubstantiated" it. (Transubstantiation is
the Catholic idea that the bread, once blessed by a priest for
"mass," is sanctified and changed literally into the
body of Christ and, thus, is especially holy or sanctified). The
same word for "blessed" is used of the bread of the
Lord's supper in Matthew 26:26 as is used of the bread and fish
in Matthew 14:19 with which Jesus fed the 5,000. The twelve baskets
of fragments left over from the multitude's meal were picked up,
not because they were holy, but because Jesus did not want to
waste it (John 6:12). The fragments were not to be lost or wasted;
they were to be kept and used or eaten. Why would not the same
thing apply to whatever is left over of bread or fruit of the
vine after the Lord's supper has been eaten?
What would be done with these leftovers if they
were holy and could not be either eaten or thrown out? Would we
have to provide a special place where they could be preserved?
Could we have some ceremony over them as they were disposed of?
What would be a "frivolous way" to use the leftover
bread and fruit of the vine? These questions are not meant to
make light of the issue but to cause us to think about it. Perhaps
it would be frivolous to give these leftovers to children standing
around after the assembly is over, and it might be better to dispose
of them privately or keep them for future use. Since this is a
matter on which the Scriptures do not specify, it must be left
up to our judgment to do what seems appropriate. 2660 Layman Rd.,
Vincent, OH 45784-5578. cjandi@juno.com