Portland Biblical Community

Luke 22:19-21 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. 21 “But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.

Examine verse 19 carefully before reading the following.

This passage is quite often misquoted and, therefore, misapplied. The operative word that describes the relationship of the bread to the body of Christ is “given” - however, it is often misquoted “broken” (This is Christ’s body “broken” for us) due to the fact the Christ “broke” the bread and because the translators of the KJV mistranslated 1 Cor 11:23-24, including the word “broken” when it is not in the oldest/best Greek manuscripts. Therefore, we often remember the “broken” body of Christ rather than the “given” body of Christ for us. One small change changes the entire focus and theology. The former tends to focus on the suffering of Christ, while the passage itself places the emphasis on the love/generosity of God towards us in “giving” His unique Son on our behalf. In addition, John 19:32-37 affirms that Christ’s bones were not broken in fulfillment of Scripture (Psalm 34:20), making the theology inaccurate as well.