THE BREAD AND WINE

Bread and wine besides being staples at the Passover table of the Lord have deep symbolism. The Lord’s table popularly known as the last supper has its precursor in the one between Abraham and Melchizedek. In both instances, bread and wine are the complimentary staples offered by the priestly figures. As with other symbolism in priestly sacrifices and offerings, the bread and wine have their own metaphoric meaning.

Genesis 14:18 NKJV

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High”

Hebrews 7:1-3 NKJV

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “King of righteousness”, and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”

A priest’s role is to intercede for man before God. God is holy and no impiety can appear before him. Before sin, Adam; Man met this criterion and could commune with God directly. After sin, there had to be an office holy enough to appear before God, to represent and intercede for man in the communion as Man’s sinful nature was ineligible. Melchizedek is the entity of holiness, representing man before God, prior to its personification in Jesus.

Hebrews 5:5-6 NKJV

“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to him: “You are My son, Today I have begotten You”. As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”.

In the foregoing, Melchizedek priesthood personified in Christ uses the partaking of bread and wine to symbolize communion with God. The items were representative of the fundamentals that facilitate God’s communion with man. There is no better place to infer the meaning of the items other than from the proclamations of Jesus himself.

John 6:48-51 NKJV

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

John 1:14 NKJV

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

“ But He answered and said, “It is written,’ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’”.

By referring to his flesh as a life-giving edible, the question is, in what form then is he consumable to man? His flesh is the embodiment of God’s Word. The Word, therefore, is the consumable form of him. It is the life-giving bread. Consumption and adherence to his Word is fundamental in communion with God. Word deficiency and lack of adherence lead to spiritual malnutrition and eventual death.

The bread’s accompaniment in the symbolic communion is the wine. These two are complementary to effective communion.

John 6:53-56 NKJV

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Matthew 26:27-29 NKJV

“Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

The wine is symbolic of the blood of Jesus which in itself is a metaphor. Clearly, Jesus was not referring to the physical intake of his blood. In fact, the consumption of blood was prohibited under the law in Leviticus 17:10. The misunderstanding of his statement led to many abandoning him.

John 6:66 NKJV

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

The role of the blood in a physical body is to keep all the body parts well nourished and alive. In the body of Christ where we are members, what plays the role of the blood in keeping us attached, well-nourished, and alive is the Holy Spirit. Drinking his blood is partaking in the Holy Spirit and allowing his influence in our lives. It is walking in the Spirit.

The priestly order of Melchizedek offers bread and wine as complimentary items in the mock communion with God. In reality, the staples for the communion are the Word and the Holy Spirit. Just as the wine helps in digesting the bread, so does the Holy Spirit on the Word. The Word forms an essential part of a believer’s spiritual diet. However, it is by the Holy Spirit that the Word is revealed. It is by consuming the Word and walking in the Spirit that we fully abide in him. By intaking His flesh (the Word) and his blood (the Holy Spirit), we become more Christlike. His vitals dwell in us. We are a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Revelations 5: 9-10 NKJV

“And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For you were slain, And have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

Being offered bread and wine by the Melchizedek priesthood is a metaphor for what an effective communion with God entails. The symbolic Bread and Wine by themselves are perishables that cannot make for a Holy communion. It is by fully embracing the substance of the metaphor ie.. Jesus, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, that a Holy communion is manifested.

Luke 22:19 NKJV

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,’ This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”

As much as periodic ordinances are partaken by believers as gestures of remembrance, real holy communion is through the word and the Holy Spirit. It is by abiding in Jesus that a meaningful remembrance is achieved. Holy communion is therefore not a periodic ordinance, but a state of being in his presence for every believer.