“The life of every creature is its blood.”
The ancient Jewish practice was to pour the blood of the slaughtered animal on the ground
It was an act of mercy, ensuring death before further action was taken.
They did not drink blood, because the life is in the blood.

This blood-pouring ritual applied to all slaughtering of animals, not just ritual sacrifice.
The ceremonial pouring out of the blood reminds the observant Jew of the cost of a life taken.
But the Temple's sacrificial system and the Passover meal
were about atonement for sin and about remembrance.

Hence, when the Gospels use language, symbolic though it is,
changing the Passover from eating flesh to eating both flesh and blood,
surely a key thought is that, now, the blood must be eaten because
the sacrifice that Jesus offered had the purpose
of granting, or giving, life.

Church doctrine has interpreted that as granting eternal life in heaven.
The church-born concept is that we obtain our eternal life from Jesus.
It’s not innate. We weren’t born eternal beings.
It is a gift we receive from the Messiah.
The church takes that further, saying
that we only receive that gift
if we follow its dictates.

Our resurrection will be received by our consuming his sacrifice, including the blood,
because the blood gives life, and life is only received through blood,
and the giving of that blood lies in the hands of the church,
It is a principle that is endorsed continuously,
in song and liturgy, to protect the monopoly.


A more honest approach is to say that
when we take communion, we aren’t drinking Jesus’ literal blood.
Neither are we taking a sacrament that blesses us by its own power.
Rather, we’re re-committing ourselves to receive his life
by becoming a curse and an abomination, a challenge.
By drinking the blood of Jesus we take on his life,
accept the life-path that he defined.

But we also "drink his blood" when we follow his way;
when we: rub elbows with Samaritans, heal on the Sabbath,
feed those who are hungry for food or hope,
bring forgiveness to sinners.

Perhaps when we:
go to the pub after church,
work in the shop on Sunday,
send goods or money to Ukraine,
even attend a formal church service.