Nothing could be more foreign to Christ's spirit and teaching than the character which certain churches give to this simple meal. There is nothing occult or mysterious about it. Christ was founding a kingdom or society, and wished his followers to have some way of showing their membership in it. He would not have them forget that they were Christians. He bade them join together in a simple meal, which was a common way of acknowledging equality and brotherhood. They were to come as Christians and eat and drink together in token of their being united in a common bond of love for him. It was not to be an elaborate feast, but to consist of the common constituents of the ordinary meal of that time. As they ate the broken bread they were to think of his body which was broken for them, and as they drank the wine they were to remember how his blood was shed for them. To make a mass of it and invest the details with a significance never intended is to miss the majestic simplicity of Christ's conception and his purpose in instituting the ordinance.
