When it comes to our Methodist heritage, I think it can be instructive to read Wesley's notes that he made on these passages:
Matthew 26
[26] And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Jesus took the bread — the bread or cake, which the master of the family used to divide among them, after they had eaten the passover. The custom our Lord now transferred to a nobler use. This bread is, that is, signifies or represents my body, according to the style of the sacred writers. Thus
Genesis 40:12, The three branches are three days. Thus
Galatians 4:24[, St. Paul speaking of Sarah and Hagar, says, These are the two covenants. Thus in the grand type of our Lord,
Exodus 12:11, God says of the paschal lamb, This is the Lord's passover. Now Christ substituting the holy communion for the passover, follows the style of the Old Testament, and uses the same expressions the Jews were wont to use in celebrating the passover.
[27] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
And he took the cup — Called by the Jews the cup of thanksgiving; which the master of the family used likewise to give to each after supper.
[28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
This is the sign of my blood, whereby the new testament or covenant is confirmed.
Which is shed for many — As many as spring from Adam.
Mark 14
[24] And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
This is my blood of the New Testament — That is, this I appoint to be a perpetual sign and memorial of my blood, as shed for establishing the new covenant, that all who shall believe in me may receive all its gracious promises.
[25] Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, till I drink it new in the kingdom of God — That is, I shall drink no more before I die: the next wine I drink will not be earthly, but heavenly.
Luke 22
[17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
And he took the cup — That cup which used to be brought at the beginning of the paschal solemnity, and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I will not drink - As if he had said, Do not expect me to drink of it: I will drink no more before I die.
[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
And he took bread — Namely, some time after, when supper was ended, wherein they had eaten the paschal lamb.
This is my body — As he had just now celebrated the paschal supper, which was called the passover, so in like figurative language, he calls this bread his body. And this circumstance of itself was sufficient to prevent any mistake, as if this bread was his real body, any more than the paschal lamb was really the passover.
[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
This cup is the New Testament — Here is an undeniable figure, whereby the cup is put for the wine in the cup. And this is called, The New Testament in Christ's blood, which could not possibly mean, that it was the New Testament itself, but only the seal of it, and the sign of that blood which was shed to confirm it.
John 6
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Moses gave you not bread from heaven — It was not Moses who gave the manna to your fathers; but my Father who now giveth the true bread from heaven.
Psalms 78:24.
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
He that — giveth life to the world - Not (like the manna) to one people only: and that from generation to generation. Our Lord does not yet say, I am that bread; else the Jews would not have given him so respectful an answer,
John 6:34.
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Give us this bread — Meaning it still, in a literal sense: yet they seem now to be not far from believing.
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life — Having and giving life: he that cometh - he that believeth - Equivalent expressions: shall never hunger, thirst - Shall be satisfied, happy, for ever.
[50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Not die — Not spiritually; not eternally.
[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
If any eat of this bread — That is, believe in me: he shall live for ever - In other words, he that believeth to the end shall be saved.
My flesh which I will give you — This whole discourse concerning his flesh and blood refers directly to his passion, and but remotely, if at all, to the Lord's Supper.
[52] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Observe the degrees: the Jews are tried here; the disciples,
John 6:60-66, the apostles,
John 6:67.
[53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of man — Spiritually: unless ye draw continual virtue from him by faith. Eating his flesh is only another expression for believing.
[55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Meat — drink indeed - With which the soul of a believer is as truly fed, as his body with meat and drink.
[57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
I live by the Father — Being one with him.
He shall live by me — Being one with me. Amazing union!
[58] This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
This is — That is, I am the bread - Which is not like the manna your fathers ate, who died notwithstanding.
1 Corinthians 10
[16] The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
The cup which we bless — By setting it apart to a sacred use, and solemnly invoking the blessing of God upon it.
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ — The means of our partaking of those invaluable benefits, which are the purchase of the blood of Christ. The communion of the body of Christ - The means of our partaking of those benefits which were purchased by the body of Christ - offered for us.
[17] For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
For it is this communion which makes us all one. We being many are yet, as it were, but different parts of one and the same broken bread, which we receive to unite us in one body.
1 Corinthians 11
[20] When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
Therefore — That is, in consequence of those schisms.
It is not eating the Lord's supper — That solemn memorial of his death; but quite another thing.
[21] For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
For in eating what ye call the Lord's supper, instead of all partaking of one bread, each person brings his own supper, and eats it without staying for the rest. And hereby the poor, who cannot provide for themselves, have nothing; while the rich eat and drink to the full just as the heathens use to do at the feasts on their sacrifices.
[22] What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
Have ye not houses to eat and drink your common meals in? or do ye despise the church of God - Of which the poor are both the larger and the better part. Do ye act thus in designed contempt of them?
[23] For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
I received — By an immediate revelation.
[24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
This is my body, which is broken for you — That is, this broken bread is the sign of my body, which is even now to be pierced and wounded for your iniquities. Take then, and eat of, this bread, in an humble, thankful, obediential remembrance of my dying love; of the extremity of my sufferings on your behalf, of the blessings I have thereby procured for you, and of the obligations to love and duty which I have by all this laid upon you.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
After supper — Therefore ye ought not to confound this with a common meal.
Do this in remembrance of me — The ancient sacrifices were in remembrance of sin: this sacrifice, once offered, is still represented in remembrance of the remission of sins.
[26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Ye show forth the Lord's death — Ye proclaim, as it were, and openly avow it to God, and to all the world.
Till he come — In glory.
[27] Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Whosoever shall eat this bread unworthily — That is, in an unworthy, irreverent manner; without regarding either Him that appointed it, or the design of its appointment. Shall be guilty of profaning that which represents the body and blood of the Lord.
[28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
But let a man examine himself — Whether he know the nature and the design of the institution, and whether it be his own desire and purpose throughly to comply therewith.
[29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
For he that eateth and drinketh so unworthily as those Corinthians did, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself - Temporal judgments of various kinds,
1 Corinthians 11:30. Not distinguishing the sacred tokens of the Lord's body - From his common food.
