The Bible has a thoroughly developed theology of bread. Bread appears as a gift, such as Melchizedek’s gift to Abram; it shows up when Jacob deceives Esau and gives him some bread with the lentil stew. Bread is also a protagonist in the Passover Feast; it’s what fed the Israelites in the wilderness. in fact, sharing bread in the Psalms expresses close friendships. In the Book of Ruth, dipping bread in vinegar is given as a ritual that brings Boaz and Ruth together. It is a marital bonding ritual. And these are only morsels of examples.
If you were to put all that data together, you would see that the purpose of bread—whether literal or figurative– is central to the relational life of the church. In I Corinthians, Paul says that we are one loaf, which is to say we are bound together as one. And finally, in John 6, Jesus is called the true bread from heaven.
At the Lord’s Supper, we eat from one bread to fulfill this beautiful typology. God uses this theme to invite us to his Son, the bread of life. We come together today as one loaf offered to God. May God hear us and accept our bodies as living loaves in his sight.
