I've collected some research from over the last years into this blog. I know it is controversial, but I would like to share my thoughts about it and see if I have made some wrong assumptions.

Memorial - partaking or not

The account in Luke is interesting since it is a little different compared to the others.

Luke starts with saying he wrote it down in a logical order, which doesn't mean fully chronological, but he mostly wrote in chronological order.

Luke 1:3 - I resolved also, because I have traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them to you in logical order

Now if we look at his description of the events of the Memorial evening we can conclude that Judas was still with them during the actual Passover and Memorial.

Luke 22: 14-22

14 So when the hour came, he reclined at the table along with the apostles.+ 15 And he said to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” 17 And accepting a cup, he gave thanks and said: “Take this and pass it from one to the other among yourselves, 18 for I tell you, from now on, I will not drink again from the product of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.”+

19 Also, he took a loaf,+ gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: “This means my body,+ which is to be given in your behalf.+ Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”+ 20 Also, he did the same with the cup after they had the evening meal, saying: “This cup means the new covenant+ by virtue of my blood,+ which is to be poured out in your behalf.+

21 “But look! the hand of my betrayer is with me at the table.+ 22 For, indeed, the Son of man is going his way according to what has been determined;+ all the same, woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!”+

This is a fulfillment of Ps 41:9:

“ Even the man at peace with me, one whom I trusted,
Who was eating my bread, has lifted his heel against me”

After that they were wondering who it was and they had a discussion of who was the greatest among them.

Than Jesus interrupted them saying:

Luke 22:28-30

“However, you are the ones who have stuck with me+ in my trials;+ 29 and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom,+ 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom,+ and sit on thrones+ to judge the 12 tribes of Israel.+

Here we see that basically after the Memorial Jesus made the covenant for a kingdom with them. Since there is no mention of Judas anymore, he was obviously gone at that time.

They were to judge the 12 tribes of Israel, which clearly is not the literal Israel.

So the account in Luke makes distinction between the 2 covenants. The one during the bread and wine was the “new covenant” where Judas was still present. Later in the evening there was the “covenant for a kingdom”, to rule in heaven over the 12 tribes of Israel.

John also seems to suggest Judas was still present at the evening meal.

John 13:1-30. According to verse 30, when Judas was sent out it was already night.

John 13:30 - So after he received the piece of bread, he went out immediately. And it was night

Now we go to Revelation 7.

Rev 7:4-8

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000,+ sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel:+

5 Out of the tribe of Judah 12,000 sealed;

out of the tribe of Reuʹben 12,000;

out of the tribe of Gad 12,000;

6 out of the tribe of Ashʹer 12,000;

out of the tribe of Naphʹta·li 12,000;

out of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh+ 12,000;

7 out of the tribe of Simʹe·on 12,000;

out of the tribe of Leʹvi 12,000;

out of the tribe of Isʹsa·char 12,000;

8 out of the tribe of Zebʹu·lun 12,000;

out of the tribe of Joseph 12,000;

out of the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 sealed.

So we see these texts in Revelation and Luke kind of supplement each other. The remaining apostles were to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Surely they were not going to judge themselves if they only are part of that 'Israel'.

Revelation explains this further by saying that the anointed are sealed out of every tribe (or 12) of Israel. So those remaining, which are not sealed are those that the anointed ones will be judging.

Interesting are the references to the “new covenant”.

Heb 8:10: “‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says Jehovah.* ‘I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I will write them.+ And I will become their God, and they will become my people.+

This is basically a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34

“Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant.+ 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,+ ‘my covenant that they broke,+ although I was their true master,’* declares Jehovah.”

33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Jehovah. “I will put my law within them,+ and in their heart I will write it.+ And I will become their God, and they will become my people.”+

34 “And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’+ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them,”+ declares Jehovah. “For I will forgive their error, and I will no longer remember their sin.”+

These texts show that the “new covenant” will be made with the house of Israel, which is not the literal Israel, but the “spiritual” Israel. And out of these the 144000 are choses from the 12 tribes. So this would again indicate that the new covenant applies to all, the anointed and those with an earthly hope.

The parallel with the ancient nation of Israel is clear. During the ancient nation, the Mosaic law (old covenant) applied to the whole nation of Israel including the regular Israelites and the Levites and priests. Still only the priests and Levites were assigned to work in the temple.

In our day if all those believing in Jesus are part of the “spiritual” Israel, the new covenant would apply for all, including the ‘priest’ group, which are the anointed.

Refer to Heb 8:1-13.

There are also several texts in Numbers regarding the Passover and native and foreign residents.

Numbers 9:14

And if a foreign resident is residing with you, he should also prepare the Passover sacrifice to Jehovah. He should do so according to the statute of the Passover and its set procedure. There should exist one statute for you, both for the foreign resident and for the native of the land.

Numbers 15:15,16

You who are of the congregation and the foreigner who is residing with you will have one statute. It will be a lasting statute for all your generations. The foreign resident should be the same as you before Jehovah.+ 16 There should be one law and one judicial decision for you and for the foreigner who is residing with you.’”

John 6

Then we have the texts in John about eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood, which was well before the Passover and Memorial and Jesus was speaking to a crowd in general, including his disciples. For me this refers to the Memorial that Jesus would later institute.

John 6:28-71

48-51:

48 “I am the bread of life.+ 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness and yet they died.+ 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and for a fact, the bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.”+

Were all first century Christians anointed?

There is the text in 1 Cor 11. If we look at the opening words of 1 Cor I get the impression that there were anointed and non-anointed that Paul was referring to.

1 Cor 1:1,2

Paul, called to be an apostle+ of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosʹthe·nes our brother, 2 to the congregation of God that is in Corinth,+ to you who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus,+ called to be holy ones,+ together with all those everywhere who are calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,+ their Lord and ours:

In these opening words Paul obviously addresses the anointed ones by saying 'holy ones', but then he says 'together with all those everywhere who are calling on Jesus' name. Why the distinction if these were all anointed and holy ones? Paul is even saying 'their Lord and ours', indicating 2 different roles for Jesus. For the anointed ones, the promise to go to heaven and rule and for the others, Jesus as mediator for a new covenant.

While Paul is addressing those 2 groups, he doesn't make a distinction in chapter 11 when talking about the Memorial. The only warning he gives is 'eating the loaf and drinking the cup unworthily. This is clearly regarding the way they didn't show respect to the Memorial and making it a party.

If the non-anointed would not be allowed to partake, wouldn't Paul have made it clear at that time?

Surely nobody decides for themselves whether they're anointed or not. But based on the texts above I don't think partaking is a sign of being anointed. Just a sign that we accept Jesus' ransom sacrifice, no matter what our hope is.

Some other considerations.

There are several texts in the Bible that talk about the marriage of the Lamb and his bride.

Matthew 22 has the parable of the marriage feast.

In verse 14 it's written: For there are many invited, but few chosen.”

Like every wedding there are those who actually get married, the groom and the bride. Then there are the invitees, family and friends, who celebrate together with the couple and enjoy a wedding party.

Revelation 19:9 writes:

And he tells me, “Write: Happy are those invited to the evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage.”

Here we see that there are invitees to the evening meal of the marriage. These are not those who actually get married, but celebrate the marriage at the evening meal.

Based on that I also interpret it that there are the anointed who will get 'married' to Jesus and those who enjoy with them at the evening meal.

Based on the text in Matthew quoted above this could be that all those who believe are invited (to the wedding) but few (the anointed) are actually chosen to marry.