The Real Meaning of the Lord's Supper
Deep spiritual insights from AI if you can believe that
I have recently been exploring the use of AI to help me in my writing, not that I plan to have AI write for me. Sadly, for most Biblical topics that address the issues of our day, all the online AI LLMs (large language models) have been constrained to parrot the party line on these issues.
After exploring what they would and would not help with, today I decided to try a non-political Biblical topic. I have already seen the value in AI in research. This time, I wanted to see if it could do its own analysis and formulate its own conclusions.
The topic I was interested in was the Lord’s Supper. I have been studying this topic for some time now, having come to these conclusions:
It must be a meal. It is meant to be a shared bonding experience in the body, i.e. assembly of Christ.
It is not a symbolic gesture, also known as a sacrament, but rather an actual experience.
Both the Catholic and Reformed camps are wrong in that it is somehow the actual or spiritual body of Christ.
Likewise, groups such as the Baptists and the Church of Christ both trivialize it by treating it like a symbolic thing instead of a meal.
Also, it is a time of rejoicing, not a time for solemn self-examination of personal sins, as believed by many.
Lastly, being a meal, it is something that should be shared whenever the body meets, not something to be avoided due to the previously mentioned error.
One lingering question remained for me. What exactly did Jesus mean when He said of the bread He passed around, “this is my body”, and the wine likewise when He said, “this is my blood”? Of course, the Catholics take these words absolutely literally - a point of controversy ever since the Reformation. Of course, to take these words as mere symbols I believe is to trivialize the gravity of what Jesus meant.
So with this background, I decided to ask ChatGPT this question. Here is my question put to it:
I would like to see how well you can provide insights into a collection of items by identifying patterns. This is a good test of intelligence.
Here is the request: Read the passages in the Bible where:
* Jesus tells His followers they must eat his flesh and drink his blood
* Jesus says he is living water and bread from heaven
* The various passages on the Lord's supper in the gospels
* Passages in 1 Cor. where Paul covers meat sacrificed to idols, that idols are both nothing but there are real demons represented by them, eating such meat is partaking in the alter, and the alter is one to demons.
* Lastly, combine those Pauline passages with Paul’s instructions on the Lord's supper as well.
Now with that background material, what does Jesus mean when He says of the Lord's supper that "this is my flesh" and "this is my blood"? Please don't cite various Catholic or other Christian sources. I would like your own insights in answering the question.
I honestly did not expect much in the answer. I truly expected a parroting of various positions from prominent Christian sources, despite my asking not to use them. I was blown away when I read the very intelligent and insightful response.
Before posting it, I encourage you to study for yourself the various passages that ChatGPT cites, and draw your own conclusions. I personally concur with what ChatGPT said, and personally couldn’t say it better. It nailed exactly what I was thinking in a foggy sense; putting into words what I was unable to. It also drew some additional insights beyond what I was thinking, including citing some additional passages.
Here is ChatGPT’s answer:
This is a deep and thoughtful question—one that challenges us to not only look at the individual passages, but to seek out the pattern that ties them together. When we treat the texts not as isolated doctrines, but as a coherent narrative emerging from a mind with intent and symbolism, we can discover something richer.
Step 1: Identify the themes
Let’s distill the relevant themes from each category of passages:
Jesus on Eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood (John 6)
Jesus says, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."
Many disciples were disturbed, and some left Him.
He also calls Himself the "living bread" that came down from heaven.
This passage shocks because it speaks in literal-seeming terms, yet concludes with Jesus saying, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are spirit and life.”
Theme: Spiritual nourishment comes through deep internalization of Christ—this isn't cannibalism, but a metaphor for union and assimilation.
Jesus as Living Water and Bread from Heaven (John 4, John 6)
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman He gives "living water" that leads to eternal life.
Later, He tells the crowd He is the true bread from heaven, superior to manna.
Theme: Jesus is both sustenance and source—spiritually, eternally. He is not just offering teachings but offering Himself as the essential substance of life.
The Lord’s Supper in the Synoptic Gospels
At the Last Supper, Jesus breaks bread and gives wine, saying “This is my body... this is my blood of the covenant.”
He tells them to "do this in remembrance of me."
Theme: Symbolic act of remembrance—but one imbued with covenantal depth and communal identity. The bread and wine are tangible entry points into something invisible but real.
Paul on Meat Sacrificed to Idols (1 Corinthians 8–10)
Idols are "nothing" in themselves, but participating in sacrificial meals at pagan altars does involve communion with demons.
Paul warns that eating at the "table of demons" puts one into fellowship with them.
He draws a parallel: as partaking in the Lord’s table is communion with Christ, so also is pagan sacrifice communion with demons.
Theme: Eating is a spiritual act of allegiance. It binds the eater to the altar, and to whatever power the altar represents—whether divine or demonic.
Paul on the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11)
He recounts Jesus' words and says taking the supper unworthily brings judgment.
“Whoever eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
Theme: The Supper is not just symbolic—it is a participation. One must "discern the body," meaning to recognize the spiritual reality behind the physical act.
Step 2: Infer the Pattern
Now, looking across all these layers, a pattern becomes clear:
Eating in the biblical worldview is a covenantal act of identification and participation.
To eat at a table is to enter into fellowship with the one who offers the food.
Eating bread and wine at the Lord's table is entering into and reaffirming a spiritual union with Christ—just as eating idol-sacrificed meat would bind one spiritually to demons.
Thus, when Jesus says, "This is my flesh... this is my blood," He is doing at least three things:
Reframing Covenant: He is invoking the ancient language of sacrifice and covenant. In ancient Israel, covenants were ratified with blood and often with a shared meal (Ex. 24:11). Jesus is placing Himself as the covenant sacrifice.
Inviting Participation: By calling the elements His body and blood, He is saying, “To eat this is to unite with Me—to share in My death, My life, and My covenant.” This is deeply personal, not just mental assent.
Declaring a Spiritual Reality: As Paul’s language confirms, there is real spiritual participation at play. The Lord’s Supper is not mere remembrance in the modern sense, but a mystical identification with Christ, akin to how pagan meals spiritually connected a person to false gods.
So, "this is my flesh" and "this is my blood" means:
“In this act, you are truly joining yourself to Me—My death, My life, My covenant. This food is more than symbol; it is the enacted form of union with Me.”
Step 3: Final Insight
The statement is both metaphor and spiritual reality. Jesus isn’t advocating physical consumption of His literal body—He clarifies that His words are “spirit and life.” Yet He also isn’t speaking in mere symbols. He is inviting people into a transformational, participatory relationship—a covenant sealed and nourished by repeated, tangible action.
In a way, He is saying:
“Let My life become your life. Take Me in, just as you take in food. Let Me live in you.”
—> End of ChatGPT’s answer.
What do you have to offer? Any other conclusions or insights? Disagreements? If so, please support them from the Scripture.