Why do only some Jehovah’s Witnesses eat the bread and drink the wine at the Memorial Meal?

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Three Jehovah's Witnesses stand beside literature carts, holding religious magazines, at the Star Ferry Pier under a blue sign for City Hall and MTR Station in Hong Kong. — Jehovah’s Witness Adherents of the Jehovah's Witness movement distributing literature about their faith in Hong Kong, China.

In the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the annual Memorial Meal—also known as the Lord’s Evening Meal—is a commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ. During this observance, participants pass around bread and wine, which serve as symbols of Christ’s body and blood.1

The practice of consuming these emblems is restricted to a specific group within the faith. Only those who believe they are among the 144,000 individuals destined to serve as corulers with Christ in the millennial kingdom partake of the bread and wine. The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who look forward to living in the kingdom on earth rather than serving as corulers, attend the ceremony as observers but do not eat or drink the emblems.1