08/04/12

The Bread that was glorified

Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.


In the Bible bread is given a very important place. In today's message Jesus compares His body to the bread He lifted up and gave thanks to God with. In the Tabernacle also Jesus the Son was symbolized as the shewbread while the Holy Spirit was symbolized as the candle stand.

It is important for us to understand why bread; for this we need to go to the root meanings of the words bread, shewbread, flesh and body both in Greek and Hebrew.

Greek
Bread - root meaning - raise up
Flesh - root meaning - sweep (in sense of to draw)
Body - root meaning - make whole

Hebrew
Bread - root meaning - overcome
Unleavened bread - root meaning - to milk or suck out, in the sense of greedily devouring for sweetness; (yeast breaks the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, thus destroys the sugar)
Shewbread - root meaning - overcome
Flesh - root meaning - message
Body - root meaning - most places the womb is translated as body and other places flesh or side is translated as body. Only in case of a dead body a different word is used which has the root meaning breathe, symbolizing lack of breathe (life) in the flesh.

What we see by these root meanings that these words were not taken just by coincidence but done with perfect wisdom and understanding of God.

Jesus was the only human, born of human yet without sin and who remained without sin (Adam also was born without sin but later he sinned). Jesus had no blemish; not only in His soul but also in His flesh, therefore He was perfect in both. It is because of this perfectness He was raised not only in Spirit but also in the flesh. He alone as the Old Testament says will be raised both in spirit and flesh. He is the first to overcome (shewbread) and has become an example and way for us to overcome.

Today as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, remembering the day Jesus gave proof to the world He alone is perfect and by His perfection He broke the curse of hell for all who believe in Him. God in His wrath had cursed Adam and all his generations to perish in this prison when Adam sinned.

A true celebration of Resurrection Sunday would be when the message of Jesus Christ comes alive in us and become a part of us so we too will not perish but will be raised up like Him at least in spirit even though our flesh (understanding) is corrupt.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, people call themselves by your name but have not yet really understood your Message. Lord we pray people really eat your Message and make it a part of themselves so that they too be raised in You. Lord, like You said when we really have your message in us a river of Living Water will follow from our bellies. Lord, we pray more and more people have bellies that follow your Living Water following from it..

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 6:51-56
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Hebrew 9:1-2
1 Then verily the first had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)