“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you’” (Matthew 26:27).
Federal Visionists love this verse. They think that it is okay for a twenty-first century pastor to repeat Jesus’ line about “Drink from it, all of you.” This is because Federal Visionists are all about being inclusive with regards to the Lord’s Supper. They will let anyone who is baptized take communion, even children. Obviously, this is a radical departure from what our Lord had in mind.
The first rule of interpretation is context, context, context. At the last supper, Jesus could say, “Drink from it, all of you” because he knew that no children were present. However, for a contemporary minister to say “Drink from it, all of you” in the presence of children is outright dangerous. Every year, dozens of children spontaneously combust when the communion juice hits their lips. It’s not widely reported, but we must stop the madness.
When Jesus said, “Drink from it, all of you,” he never intended this exact phrase to be infrequently repeated year after year. This line was basically a throwaway, an off-the-cuff remark that Jesus probably wished was never recorded in Scripture.
Ultimately, Anti-Federal Visionists are not very interested in what Jesus said. We are much more interested in guessing how Jesus would fence the table today if he were a NAPARC pastor.
Thus, the mark of a truly Reformed pastor is that he does not emulate Jesus. In no sense should we ever attempt to be like Jesus and say “Drink from it, all of you” in the presence of a mixed multitude. When a modern Reformed minister administers the cup, at best, he can say, “Drink from it, some of you.”
