The Real Thing

Truth is reality, and grace identifies the kind of reality Messiah brought for us to embody. “Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Messiah” (John 1:17). The point is not that the Law was false but that it was not the real thing; it drew a picture of the real thing, approximated it, prepared for its real expression in us: relationship to God and each other based on grace.

In the flesh-and-blood state (John 1:18), the Messiah expressed what we in the flesh and blood condition are to have. John’s comment at the beginning of Messiah’s ministry anticipates its purpose. At the end of that ministry, the Messiah himself instituted this “Supper” to commemorate what he did in his ministry start to finish.

Between these book ends, we exhibit our daily character. The loaf and cup serve as prompts for living out grace and truth.