The Lord's Supper: Remembering the Future.
We are conditioned to think that things develop from beginning to end, from A to Z. That is, we assume that Z is what it is because it is the result of causes, effects, and reactions that began with A and worked their way to Z. Another way of saying this is that history is moving from A to Z, and that Z is the end product of events A through Y.
It seems to me that God's way of narrating the world challenges that way of looking at history. Even though the story starts with A (Genesis 1-2) and ends with Z (Revelation 21-22), there is a sense in which the final scene of history, rather than being the result of prior decisions, causes, reactions, and effects, is instead shaping all the events prior, that history is conforming to Z if you will. In other words, it appears that Z is the first cause. Maximus the Confessor says it this way:
In the course of his argument, Zizioulas points out that Eucharist is ultimately about the kingdom of God. He points us to Luke22.15-30, where Jesus identifies the Eucharist with the future establishment of God's kingdom, and where Jesus reminds his disciples that they will sit at His table and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Zizioulas also points us to the Lord's prayer, and in particular the petition for "daily" bread. This little adjective "daily" (Greek: epiousios) has been a notoriously difficult one to interpret. It derives from the Greek verb epienai 'to be coming' , and is often intended to convey the idea of "the following day". Is Jesus instructing us to ask for the bread of tomorrow? Zizioulas suggests that this is the best way to understand this petition, concluding that ultimately this prayer is a request for the coming of God's kingdom. Zizioulas argues that this is why Orthodox liturgies place the Lord's Prayer just prior to the Eucharist, which is a foreshadowing of God's coming kingdom.
For Zizioulas, then, at its core, the Eucharist is a remembrance of the future: "the eucharistic remembrance is in fact a remembrance, a foreshadowing, a foretaste and a 'fore-gift' of Christ's future Kingdom...a remembrance of the Kingdom of God as the culmination and fulfillment of the whole history of salvation".
Understood in this way, the Eucharist reminds us of where (or when) we are in history; that history is moving towards its true end, its cause. The Eucharist is the result of this truth, that is yet to be fully realized. The Eucharist reminds us of what is to come, who is to come, and the kingdom which He will establish. The Eucharist "literally moves us along and sets us in the Kingdom which is to come...The symbolism in the Liturgy is not that of a parable or allegory. It is the symbolism of icon, meaning participation in the ontological content of the prototype. And the prototype...is the Kingdom which is to come, and our ultimate reconciliation and union with God when we are incorporated into Christ." (All quotes from "The Eucharist and the Kingdom of God [Part 1]).
Think about this the next time you take communion.
It seems to me that God's way of narrating the world challenges that way of looking at history. Even though the story starts with A (Genesis 1-2) and ends with Z (Revelation 21-22), there is a sense in which the final scene of history, rather than being the result of prior decisions, causes, reactions, and effects, is instead shaping all the events prior, that history is conforming to Z if you will. In other words, it appears that Z is the first cause. Maximus the Confessor says it this way:Orthodox theologian John Zizioulas has suggested that we should understand the Eucharist in this way. He argues that the Eucharist not only points us backwards to Golgotha, but that it also points us forward to our true end, to the truth as it is to be--the gathering of all peoples under the Lordship of the Messiah.For the things of the Old Testament are the shadow. Those of the New are an image. Truth is the state of things to come.
In the course of his argument, Zizioulas points out that Eucharist is ultimately about the kingdom of God. He points us to Luke22.15-30, where Jesus identifies the Eucharist with the future establishment of God's kingdom, and where Jesus reminds his disciples that they will sit at His table and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Zizioulas also points us to the Lord's prayer, and in particular the petition for "daily" bread. This little adjective "daily" (Greek: epiousios) has been a notoriously difficult one to interpret. It derives from the Greek verb epienai 'to be coming' , and is often intended to convey the idea of "the following day". Is Jesus instructing us to ask for the bread of tomorrow? Zizioulas suggests that this is the best way to understand this petition, concluding that ultimately this prayer is a request for the coming of God's kingdom. Zizioulas argues that this is why Orthodox liturgies place the Lord's Prayer just prior to the Eucharist, which is a foreshadowing of God's coming kingdom.
For Zizioulas, then, at its core, the Eucharist is a remembrance of the future: "the eucharistic remembrance is in fact a remembrance, a foreshadowing, a foretaste and a 'fore-gift' of Christ's future Kingdom...a remembrance of the Kingdom of God as the culmination and fulfillment of the whole history of salvation".
Understood in this way, the Eucharist reminds us of where (or when) we are in history; that history is moving towards its true end, its cause. The Eucharist is the result of this truth, that is yet to be fully realized. The Eucharist reminds us of what is to come, who is to come, and the kingdom which He will establish. The Eucharist "literally moves us along and sets us in the Kingdom which is to come...The symbolism in the Liturgy is not that of a parable or allegory. It is the symbolism of icon, meaning participation in the ontological content of the prototype. And the prototype...is the Kingdom which is to come, and our ultimate reconciliation and union with God when we are incorporated into Christ." (All quotes from "The Eucharist and the Kingdom of God [Part 1]).
Think about this the next time you take communion.
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