Does Mathew 26:29 mean that we shouldn’t take communion?
Question:
Does Mathew 26:29 mean that we shouldn't take communion?
Answer:
"But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29).
Your conclusion contradicts other clear passages concerning partaking of the Lord's Supper.
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (I Corinthians 11:23-29).
Christians are commanded to partake of the Lord's Supper. It isn't an option. So when you find what appears to be a contradiction, it means that you misunderstand one or more things that are being mentioned.
Jesus told the apostles that he would not partake of the Lord's Supper until in his Father's kingdom. Since we are partaking of the Lord's Supper, the simple conclusion that we are in the Father's kingdom. Paul states that Christ is reigning. "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet" (I Corinthians 15:25). He also states that the kingdom exists. "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14). Notice the use of the past tense. The simple fact is that the church is the kingdom.
Thus when we partake of the Lord's Supper we are sharing in the memorial with each other and with our Lord. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (I Corinthians 10:16-17).