How Passover became Breaking Bread, and how to Celebrate it

—(Part 59 of Seeing Jesus in the O.T.)

Andrew Fountain – July 17, 2022

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Goal

To understand what and why we break bread together
and for each of us to get the most out of the celebration at the end of this teaching.

Named in the Bible

breaking bread	12
the Lord’s table	1
the Lord’s supper	1
love feast	1
communion/participation	1
eucharist (thanks)	0

The Passover and Breaking Bread

The Original Passover – Old Covenant Feast
Jesus replaces it – “This is the New Covenant in my blood”
How Should We Celebrate it Now?

Exodus 12

The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no destructive plague will touch you, when I strike Egypt…
And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this ceremony?’
you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’”

The second element was the unleavened bread, and that was symbolic of having to leave in a hurry, with no warning —they just grabbed the bread dough and ran.
- Later on God added the imagery of the yeast being like a picture of contamination of sin
  (That was later, and there was no suggestion that yeast itself was wrong.)
Note that no drink is mentioned. Of course they would have drunk, but it did not have symbolism
- In Egypt wine was too expensive for common people and beer was the usual drink
- In Palestine, wine was cheap and became the common drink to go with the meal. But it did not carry any meaning in that context!
Note that the Passover Sacrifice always had to happen in Jerusalem at the temple
- This caused a problem later when the kingdom was divided, but some still came
- It is the reason the Passover Sacrifice ended when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70
- Although the Jews today have a Ceder celebration, it isn’t based around the sacrifice of one life for another
  - The Jewish historians tell us that is is actually patterned after a Greek tradition called a symposium rather that the Passover

The Passover and Breaking Bread

The Original Passover – Old Covenant Feast
Jesus replaces it – “This is the New Covenant in my blood”
How Should We Celebrate it Now?

Matthew 26

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

“the new covenant in my blood” —Luke 22:20

Old vs New Covenant

Jesus makes use of what is present to replace the symbolism

Annual	Blood sacrifice of Lamb	Unleavened Bread	(unspecified drink)
	Sacrifice completed so no more eating lamb!	re-purposed by Jesus	re-purposed by Jesus
Frequent		Broken body	Life blood poured out for us

1 Corinthians 11:23–26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Passover and Breaking Bread

The Original Passover – Old Covenant Feast
Jesus replaces it – “This is the New Covenant in my blood”
How Should We Celebrate it Now?

1 Corinthians 11:23–26

and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Seven Reasons for Breaking Bread

Look backwards as we remember Jesus’s death
Proclaim what he has done as a witness to others
Demonstrate our unity in Christ
Celebrate that our sins are washed away
Obtain a blessing as by faith we receive the benefits of Christ’s death
Picture of depending on Jesus for sustenance
Look forwards to feasting with Christ in glory

Look backwards as we remember Jesus’s death
1 Cor 11:24. and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
- So what does it mean to “remember”?
  - Simply not to forget!
Proclaim what he has done as a witness to others
1 Cor 11:26. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
- How can it function to proclaim?
- People wondered why these Christians spend so much time in each other’s houses eating together
  - They were impressed by the level of love and community
  - It was designed to demonstrate unity and community!
  - People would ask about the symbols and they could explain
- Even recently I was watching a lecture by an archeologist who had excavated a Roman house used as a Christian church
  - He said that what was amazing about what it showed about Christianity was that all strata of society, from slaves to wealthy came together as equals, in unity.
  - He said this is one of the reasons it grew so quickly.
Demonstrate our unity in Christ
- This is clearer when it is celebrated as a meal, as was commonly done in the early church,
  - but still today you can look around you now and say “we are one in Christ!” “One body!”
Celebrate that our sins are washed away
- Replaced the Passover, which celebrated freedom from slavery.
- We don’t have to be good enough to receive this!

I want to pause here and ask you if you can remember to do all these things in a few minutes?
Well actually, you do not have to be conscious of doing 2.
1. and 4. are the two sides of the same coin: sadness and joy
I want you to old on to them for later

Obtain a blessing as by faith we receive the benefits of Christ’s death
- Blessings such as increased assurance that we are not under condemnation but free and justified
- Blessings of an impartation of joy
- Obedience leads to blessing
Picture of depending on Jesus for sustenance
- Living water (John 4)
- Eat my flesh, drink my blood (John 6)
- Vine and the branches (John 15)
Look forwards to feasting with Christ in glory
Rev 19:9 Marriage supper of the Lamb
1. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Emotions to hold

Sadness remembering Jesus’ suffering
”He broke the bread and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”
Clinging to Jesus, receiving life from the one we depend on
”I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Joy celebrating—now washed spotlessly clean!
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
Hope an unimaginably bright future for eternity
”I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”