The doctrine of Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist is one of the easiest to demonstrate from Scripture. First, we'll examine how images of the Eucharist foreshadowed in the Old Testament are wonderfully realized in the New. Then, we'll see how Christ promises the Real Presence in John 6 and fulfills that promise at the Last Supper. Finally, we'll look at how the earliest Christians understood the Eucharist by examining 1 Corinthians, chapters 10 and 11.

The Eucharist Prefigured in the Old Testament
The Old Testament contains many signs and symbols of the Eucharist that are fulfilled in the New Testament.

(1) Melchizedek. The bread and wine offered by the priest-king Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) prefigure the bread and wine offered by the eternal priest-king Jesus at the Last Supper. Remember that Hebrews 6:20 calls Jesus “high priest forever according the order of Melchizedek.”

(2) The Paschal Lamb. The same victim that was offered up to save the lives of the first-born of Israel was also the victim consumed as food for bodily nourishment as the Israelites began their journey to the promised land (Exodus 12:1–20). This prefigures the Eucharist where the same victim, Jesus, who was offered up for our sins to save us from spiritual death is consumed in the Eucharist to provide spiritual nourishment for the journey to our promised land of heaven.

(3) The Manna. This is one of the clearest symbols of the Eucharist in the Old Testament and one that Jesus expressly applies to himself (John 6:32–51). The manna from heaven sustained the Israelites throughout their pilgrimage in the desert, but ceased to fall when they entered the Promised Land (Exodus 16:35). Similarly, the Eucharist nourishes us spiritually in this life of pilgrimage, but ceases (as do all the other sacraments) when we enter the promised land of heaven.

(4) The Ark of the Covenant. This holiest of containers in the Old Testament prefigures the tabernacles in our Catholic Churches because it contained three items, each of which prefigures the Eucharist:

1. The written word of God on tablets (Exodus 25:16) which prefigures the living word contained in the Eucharist.
2. A jar of manna (Exodus 16:34). This ordinary bread from heaven prefigures the Eucharist where Jesus—“the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51)—comes to us under the appearance of bread.
3. The rod of Aaron (Numbers 17:25) which flowered and bore ripe almonds as a sign of the true priesthood of the Old Covenant. Aaron’s priesthood prefigures the high priesthood of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant. Aaron’s rod, the sign of his priesthood, prefigures the instrument of Christ’s priesthood, his body. By assuming a human nature, Jesus was able to offer up his flesh and blood as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Just as Aaron’s rod miraculously brought forth almonds, so Jesus’ body miraculously brought forth the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, signified by the blood and water that flowed from his wounded side.

The Eucharist Fulfilled in the New Testament

• The Eucharist Promised in John, Chapter 6
• The Promise Fulfilled at the Last Supper
• The Witness of St. Paul
• A Final Observation Concerning the Scriptural Proofs