Christ’s Memorial. Take eat, drink NONE of you! Part 1

How would you feel if you were invited to a friend’s home for Thanksgiving dinner but not allowed to eat? In fact, all the elements are there for a glorious dinner but they are just passed from person to person without anyone partaking. Sound weird, unusual to say the least. But that is exactly what the Governing Body of JWs requires of all Witnesses once a year at what they call the “Memorial of Jesus Christ’s Death.” In 2013, it was “celebrated” after sundown in most Kingdom Halls on March 26. JW’s invite millions of people around the world to come to the Lord’s Evening Meal and watch as the Witnesses partake or more accurately, not partake.

Why is it so necessary that each participant hold the bread plate and wine glass then decline to partake and pass it to the next person? It all starts with the speaker who receives the elements from an elder. The speaker then hands both back to the elder. All the elders take and pass the emblems to the crowd who in turn pass them among themselves with only a chosen few partaking. For most Kingdom Halls no one does partake. In a few Kingdom Halls, if the speaker or one of the other elders or a member is of the “anointed class,” they would be permitted to eat and drink, but this is extremely rare. (The “anointed class” are those JWs who have a heavenly hope and this number, since Pentecost, is limited to 144,000.) See my blog on "‘Earthly Hope’ or ‘Heavenly Hope’? Part 1-The 144,000" here.

In 2012, there were an estimated 8,500 members of this anointed class still alive. (Each year this number usually keeps going down as you might expect since the 144,000 was filled in the 1930’s but inexplicably the number has gone UP at various times.) Also in 2012, there were approximately 111,719 congregations of JWs. The number of Kingdom Halls is less since one Kingdom Hall may be used by more than one congregation. With some simple division you can calculate that for every 14 JW congregations there is 1 person of the “anointed class.” So if you attend a JW “Memorial,” chances are no one will partake.

Why is this done in this manner? What do the scriptures say about the proper way to conduct communion?

Here is Part 2, "The Scriptures about Communion"