What Jehovah’s Witnesses Teach
Jehovah’s Witnesses hold an annual Memorial meal on Nisan 14 according to the Jewish calendar. Only “the anointed” of Jehovah’s Witnesses eat of the bread and drink from the cup. They believe that “anointed ones” make up 144,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are going to heaven and base their understanding on Revelation 7:4-8 and 14:1-5. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that most people are not going to heaven, so most will not partake of bread and wine at the Memorial.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have introduced rigid rules for implementation. For example, they believe that it must be done on a certain day, unleavened bread and wine without additives are used, because this was common in Jesus’ day.
What the Bible Teaches
The Bible does not teach that the bread and wine are only for a limited group of people. If it were really limited to a group of people, then it would be obvious that it only applied to the apostles sitting in the room. However, the Christian Greek Scriptures say that Christ “died for all” that they might live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15), that His flesh is “for the life of the world” (John 6:51), and that He is “the propitiator … to all the world” (1 John 2:2). The New Covenant applies to all believers for whom Christ died.
The Bible also says that the number of 144,000 people refers to Israelites, so to say that the Memorial meal applies to only 144,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not supported by the Bible (see chapter 10). In any case, the Bible does not say that there were 144,000 who would remember Jesus. The memory of Jesus has nothing to do with who is going to heaven.
There is no Scriptural basis for requiring that the commemoration of Jesus’ death must take place in connection with the Jewish Passover celebration or that the bread and wine must be of a special kind. If one is to emphasize details first, one must follow all details as a ritual and not just emphasize a few details in the account. For example, one cannot sit but one must lie down at the table (Luke 22:14), one cannot perform the ritual in a Kingdom Hall but must eat the meal in a large guest room upstairs in a private house (Luke 22:11), and one must use a “cup” and not a wine glass (Luke 22:17). While the Bible does not forbid such rigid practice, the Bible warns against introducing teachings based on “the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). By following man-made traditions, one risks setting aside God’s Word (Matthew 15:6). The purpose of the meal was to proclaim “the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 1:1). Corinthians 11:26).
The Bible teaches that we must distinguish between regular meals at home and meals that are intended to remind Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:1). (1 Corinthians 11:20-22). One should not look at the memorial meal as an ordinary meal. If a person performs the Memorial Meal without “realizing the importance of the body, [he] will be judged because he eats and drinks” (1 Corinthians 2:1). Corinthians 11:27-29).
Jesus’ sacrifice of his life for humans stems from the Mosaic Law’s sacrifice to Jehovah. Although the Mosaic Law commanded the Jews to offer sacrifices to Jehovah, Jesus showed what was important at Matthew 9:13. Jesus said: “Go therefore and find out what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice. For I have not come to invite the righteous, but sinners. Jesus did not institute rigid rituals, but wants us to mirror Jesus’ mercy by treating sinners, and even enemies, in a merciful way (Luke 6:36,37). As Matthew 6:15 says, we will not mean forgiveness for us if we do not forgive others.