IN SEARCH OF THE HOLY GRAIL

 

  All three of the synoptic gospels revealed Judas as the traitor in much the same way. In this commentary, the account from Matthew is used to compare with the more detailed version of John. The whole story of the is then revealed.

KEY VERSES: ¹ Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end … ²¹ Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. ²² Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake … ²⁵ Lord, who is it? ²⁶ Jesus answered, “He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.” And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. ²⁷ And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. (John 13)

²³ He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me …Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it; ²⁸ For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Mat 26)

  Compare the two accounts of the Passover meal. Consider that the Passover celebrated the exodus from Egypt when all the first-born sons of the Jews were passed over by the Angel of Death. Jesus was God’s first-born, but the Death Angel would not pass over Him; He would execute but would never die in Mind, Spirit, nor Body. His body would “sleep” for three days as if dead.

  The difference in the two accounts is how Judas would eat and drink the elements of the Last Supper. Only John referred to the dipping as “sop.” Sopping is taking bread and dipping it into the wine. All the apostles, excepting Judas, ate the bread and drank the wine separately. Only Judas mingled the wine on the bread.

  Paul explained the purpose of the Last Supper:

²⁴ 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.” 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… ²⁷ whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Cor 11)

  The wine represents the blood of Jesus and the bread His body. Since Jesus is the “Bread of Life” and the blood represents eternal life shed for mankind, then the Passover represents the crucifixion.

  Judas took of the two elements unworthily: he mingled the wine and the bread together (representing the blood on the body of Christ), whereas the others did not dishonor Jesus in that manner. Judas as well have killed Jesus right there because He ate in an inappropriate manner. Coupled with that is that he was responsible for the death of Jesus. Thus, taking the elements (Eucharist) inappropriately is unworthiness.

  I have seen many church services where in the elements are consumed without contemplation. It has become a ritual rather than a reflection on people’s communion with God. What was the Passover meal? Communion with Jesus. What is Communion today? Communion with the Holy Ghost of Jesus.

  The Holy Ghost experienced death with the Body of Jesus. The blood was used to drive out the Holy Ghost from the body of Jesus. Taking the elements ritualistically and without reflection is as if crucifying Jesus all over again! The worshiper, before taking the Eucharist, must repent and confess unconfessed sins to God for the remission of sins (Mat 26:28). That is the purpose of Communion — to remember that Jesus died for our sins. Mingling wine, bread, and vanity is “taking the Lord’s Name in vain” (His Purpose) or breaking the Fifth Commandment.

  One hypothesis is that the Holy Grail is the cup used at the Last Supper. If so, it would be more unholy than holy because Judas dipped bread in it after Jesus had made it holy, and thus made it Satan’s Cup, or the Unholy Grail because at the very moment he drank, Satan entered him. (Only Paul mentions that Jesus took the elements, but he was not there to know that. Perhaps Jesus never drank from the cup.)

  With that background, the Holy Grail may be something else other than the cup of the Passover. Truly no one knows because the Holy Grail has never been identified and has never has been found. What is another possibility for the Holy Grail?

³⁷ And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. ³⁸ Then saith he unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” ³⁹ And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Mat 26)

  After the Passover meal, Jesus began to agonize. He revealed, perhaps, the Holy Grail. Is it the Passover Cup or the “Not Passed Over Cup” and by that, I mean, His Purpose? As I have written before, the “cup” that Jesus mentioned was perhaps two: (1) That He was born to die for mankind, and (2) His soul would be emptied of God’s Holy Spirit. Perhaps those two were the same thing in that they happened at the same instant (Mark 15:37). 

  Throughout the Bible “giving up he ghost” is death. It is when the spirit is breathed out of the flesh. Adam and Eve never knew but their “death” was when God exhumed His Holy Spirit from them immediately after they ate, and it was as if they were dead; not as if they were gods! Just like Adam, Judas ate unworthily what belonged to God. Perhaps the meat and juice of the fig tree (not apple) was symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus, and Satan took that occasion to enter Adam.

  My hypothesis is that the Holy Grail is the very soul of Jesus; that it was the Container that spilled blood and water when the Holy Ghost vacated Jesus’s “cup.”

  Why has the Holy Grail never been found? Because it is now in another realm. It is Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. The only way to find the Holy Grail is to take the Way of Jesus and come after Him. As far as I am concerned, I know where the Holy Grail is, and it is the Grail which Paul referred to when he mentioned “winning the prize” (1 Cor 9:24; Phil 3:14).

  The “assurance of salvation” is running the race as if the “prize” is already obtained. If the Passover Cup is perhaps the Unholy Grail, then Jesus was passed over by the Father and Jesus is the Holy Grail. The Death Angel did not terminate Jesus. When all was done, the Father would pass over His own Son as well. He seemed to have not, but the Father as the Giver of Life could never allow His Son to remain dead.

  Because of that, the trophy for running the race is the same for all that run. Each “runner” will see the prize when they finally see Jesus face to face! The “Cup” of Jesus is the Holy Grail.

(picture credit: 123rf.com "The Holy Grail")