亞里斯多德說過，沒有人能和神成為朋友。為什麼呢？因友誼需要平等的地位，什麼樣的神會步下神聖的位階，與卑微的人類成為同等呢？

我很好奇，若亞里斯多德在耶穌與門徒共進最後的晚餐（馬太福音26章26-35節）的現場，不知他會做些什麼？因為耶穌這位萬有的創造主撇下天上尊榮的地位，成為卑微的人（腓立比書2章6-8節；歌羅西書1章16節），祂還告訴門徒，祂不再稱他們為僕人，乃稱他們為朋友（約翰福音15章15節）。

若亞里斯多德知道與耶穌同坐席的有哪些人，也會感到驚訝。其中有為羅馬人辦事的稅吏馬太；有反抗羅馬政權的奮銳黨西門（馬太福音10章3-4節）；還有被稱為「雷子」的雅各和約翰（馬可福音3章17節）與安靜的腓力同坐。當耶穌把餅和酒比喻成祂的「身體」和祂的「血」，要為多人破碎和流出，「使罪得赦」（馬太福音26章26-28節），我可以想像亞里斯多德一定會疑惑地看著耶穌，尋思什麼樣的神會為凡人而死，甚至為那些很快就會離棄祂的人（56節）而死？

這就是聖餐禮意義深刻的原因之一。上帝藉著耶穌成為人類的朋友，並使不同政治傾向、不同性情的人能成為朋友。當我們一起領受聖餐時，我們尊崇這位與人為友的上帝，祂改寫了友誼的規則，讓人與祂、與不同的人成為朋友。

Aristotle said that no one can be friends with a god. Why? Because friendship requires equality, and what god would step down from their heavenly status to become equal with lowly human beings?

I wonder what Aristotle would’ve done if he’d been present at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-35). For there, Jesus—the Creator of all, who left His heavenly status to become a lowly human being (Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 1:16)—told His disciples He no longer called them servants but friends (John 15:15).

Aristotle would’ve been surprised too at who sat at that table. There was Matthew, the Roman-friendly tax collector; and then Simon, the Roman-denouncing Zealot (Matthew 10:3-4); along with James and John, the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17) sitting with quiet Philip. I imagine Aristotle watching quizzically as Jesus described some bread and wine as His “body” and “blood,” broken and poured out for the “forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). What god would die for mere mortals, even those who’d soon abandon Him (v. 56)?

That’s one reason Communion is so profound. Through Jesus, God became friends with humans and enabled friendships between those with political and temperamental differences. As we eat and drink at the Lord’s Table, we celebrate the one who rewrote friendship’s rules, human and divine.