Their 15 March 2005 *Watchtower* said that on pages 5 to 6, and I fully agree with that point, so this question is not meant to stir up any ‘for’ or ‘against’ answers. Let us please all take it as understood that only those in the New Covenant Jesus inaugurated the night before he died are invited by him to eat bread and drink wine every time they “do this in remembrance of me” – Mark 14:2-24 & Luke 22:19. Nor is this question questioning how often this act of remembrance should be done. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it should be no more than once a year, with 2025 seeing their global event on 12 April, after sunset. Please be assured, I am not questioning that either. **It is the number of people attending their annual memorial event this year who partook that I am interested in learning about**. Granted, it may be a couple of months before the world-wide total of partakers is collated, so I will keep this question open. However, it would likely be possible for every Jehovah’s Witness reading this, and who attended themselves, to say if a single person partook, or two, three or four, etc, as ***in the vast majority of congregations nobody partakes. Or has this changed in recent years?*** The tiny percentage of all memorial attenders who do partake is tied up with the belief that only 144,000 people will ever have ‘the heavenly calling’, to be part of the kingdom of heaven. As stated here: > “The same spirit is operating on Jesus’ ‘other sheep,’ but it is not > arousing in them the hope and desire for heavenly life.” *The > Watchtower*, 15 February 1998 page 19 para. 6 Again, I’m not wanting any answers disputing that. I understand that to be the reason why less than 1% of attenders partake, but ***if the numbers have gone up somewhat, I would like to know why.*** **Hence the request to first obtain the number of those partaking this year**.

Mark 14:20 >And he said unto them, [It is] one of the twelve, he that dippeth with me in the dish. Luke 22:21 >But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. He doesn't single Judas out at all here. Matthew 26:25 >And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said. Plenty of others asked in turn if they would be the one, and when Judas asks, Jesus seems to reply affirmatively. Did he do so quietly? Was no one else paying attention? John 13:26 >Jesus therefore answereth, He it is, for whom I shall dip the sop, and give it him. So when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it to Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot. Again, why wasn't this noticed or remarked upon, or acted upon by anyone? Did they not believe what he was telling them? Did they not find Judas' subsequent hasty departure suspicious? John extends the incident a bit further: John 13:27-30 >And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus therefore saith unto him, What thou doest, do quickly. **Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.** For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus said unto him, Buy what things we have need of for the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went out straightway: and it was night. [bold mine] How could they not have known, when he straight out told them what was going to happen and who was going to do it? How could any of them think "Hey the guy that Jesus just said is going to betray him is probably just running off to the shops to get some more food, probably for the poor."

Jesus sent disciples to prepare a place so He could eat the Passover with them. (Luke 22:8). He did eat with them at this meal (Mark 14:18). I could not find any indication that after having blessed and broken the bread and, declaring that is was his body and distributing it to the disciples, Jesus Himself ate some of it. Since this was a repurposing of the Passover, which Jesus expressed eagerness to eat with them, it seems at least possible that He did partake. There is some more direct indication, however, that He did partake of the wine: > Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. - Mark 14:25. My questions are for those who hold to the doctrine of transubstantiation: 1) Did Jesus partake of the elements of this first Lord's Supper and, if so, 2) Did He eat His own flesh and drink His own blood?