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Ezra’s Table Ministries
Sukkot 2011
Ezra’s Table MinistriesTeresa Smith
Ezra’s Table Ministries
Ezra’s Table Ministries is the ministrythat has been charged and entrustedto Teresa Smith by YHVH.
It is my responsibility to representYHVH and His word as honestly andtruthfully as is possible. I take thisresponsibility seriously and pray thatyou are blessed by this work.
Ezra 7.9-10
For on the first of the first month he began togo up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifthmonth he came to Jerusalem, because thegood hand of his God was upon him.For Ezra had set his heart to study the Torah ofYHVH and to practice it, and to teach Hisstatutes and ordinances in Israel.
Nehemiah 8:1-4, 8And all the people gathered as one man at the squarewhich was in front of the Water Gate, and they askedEzra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moseswhich YHVH had given to Israel.Then Ezra the priest brought the law before theassembly of men, women and all who listen withunderstanding, on the first day of the seventh month.He read from it before the square which was in front ofthe Water Gate from early morning until midday, in thepresence of men and women, those who couldunderstand; and all the people were attentive to thebook of the law.Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which theyhad made for the purpose.They read from the book, from the law of Elohim,translating to give the sense so that they understoodthe reading.
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The Last Supper
Passover, Communion, or Something Else?
The Last Supper
According to Matthew:
Matthew 26.26-30While they were eating, Yeshua tooksome bread, and after a blessing, Hebroke it and gave it to the disciples, andsaid, take, eat; this is My body.And when He had taken a cup and giventhanks, He gave it to them, saying, drinkfrom it, all of you;for this is My blood of the covenant,which is poured out for many forforgiveness of sins.
According to Matthew (con’t)
But I say to you, I will not drink of thisfruit of the vine from now on until thatday when I drink it new with you in MyFather’s kingdom.After singing a hymn, they went out tothe Mount of Olives.
According to Mark
Mark 14:23-26
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks,He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.And He said to them, This is My blood of thecovenant, which is poured out for many.Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of thefruit of the vine until that day when I drink itnew in the kingdom of God.After singing a hymn, they went out to theMount of Olives.
According to Luke
Luke 22:14-20 When the hour had come, He
reclined at the table, and theapostles with Him. And He said tothem, I have earnestly desired toeat this Passover with you before Isuffer; for I say to you, I shall neveragain eat it until it is fulfilled in thekingdom of God.
According to Luke (con’t)
And when He had taken a cup and giventhanks, He said, take this and share itamong yourselves; for I say to you, I willnot drink of the fruit of the vine fromnow on until the kingdom of God comes.And when He had taken some bread andgiven thanks, He broke it and gave it tothem, saying, This is My body which isgiven for you; do this in remembrance ofMe. And in the same way He took thecup after they had eaten, saying, Thiscup which is poured out for you is thenew covenant in My blood.
According to John
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of thePassover, Yeshua knowing that His hourhad come that He would depart out ofthis world to the Father, having loved Hisown who were in the world, He lovedthem to the end.John 13:2 During supper, the devilhaving already put into the heart ofJudas Iscariot, the son of Simon, tobetray Him,
According to John (con’t)
John 13:3 Yeshua, knowing that theFather had given all things into Hishands, and that He had come forth fromGod and was going back to God,John 13:4 got up from supper, and laidaside His garments; and taking a towel,He girded Himself.John 13:5 Then He poured water intothe basin, and began to wash thedisciples’ feet and to wipe them with thetowel with which He was girded.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:6 So He came to Simon Peter.He said to Him, Lord, do You wash myfeet?
John 13:7 Yeshua answered and said tohim, What I do you do not realize now,but you will understand hereafter.
John 13:8 Peter said to Him, Never shallYou wash my feet! Yeshua answeredhim, If I do not wash you, you have nopart with Me.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:9 Simon Peter said to Him, Lord,then wash not only my feet, but also myhands and my head.John 13:10 Yeshua said to him, He whohas bathed needs only to wash his feet,but is completely clean; and you areclean, but not all of you.
John 13:11 For He knew the one whowas betraying Him; for this reason Hesaid, Not all of you are clean.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:12 So when He had washedtheir feet, and taken His garments andreclined at the table again, He said tothem, Do you know what I have done toyou?
John 13:13 You call Me Teacher andLord; and you are right, for so I am.
John 13:14 If I then, the Lord and theTeacher, washed your feet, you alsoought to wash one another’s feet.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:15 For I gave you anexample that you also should do asI did to you.
John 13:16 Truly, truly, I say toyou, a slave is not greater than hismaster, nor is one who is sentgreater than the one who sent him.
John 13:17 If you know thesethings, you are blessed if you dothem.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:18 I do not speak of all of you. Iknow the ones I have chosen; but it isthat the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HEWHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UPHIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’
John 13:19 From now on I am telling youbefore it comes to pass, so that when itdoes occur, you may believe that I amHe.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, hewho receives whomever I send receivesMe; and he who receives Me receivesHim who sent Me.
John 13:21 When Yeshua had said this,He became troubled in spirit, andtestified and said, Truly, truly, I say toyou, that one of you will betray Me.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:22 The disciples began lookingat one another, at a loss to know ofwhich one He was speaking.
John 13:23 There was reclining onYeshua’s bosom one of His disciples,whom Yeshua loved.
John 13:24 So Simon Peter gestured tohim, and said to him, Tell us who it is ofwhom He is speaking.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:25 He, leaning back thus onYeshua’s bosom, said to Him, Lord, whois it?
John 13:26 Yeshua then answered, Thatis the one for whom I shall dip themorsel and give it to him. So when Hehad dipped the morsel, He took and gaveit to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
John 13:27 After the morsel, Satan thenentered into him. Therefore Yeshua saidto him, What you do, do quickly.
According to John (con’t)
John 13:28 Now no one of thosereclining at the table knew for whatpurpose He had said this to him.John 13:29 For some were supposing,because Judas had the money box, thatYeshua was saying to him, buy thethings we have need of for the feast; orelse, that he should give something tothe poor.John 13:30 So after receiving the morselhe went out immediately; and it wasnight.
What is going on here?
The Last Supper Is this Passover? Is this Communion? Is something else going on and being taught? If so, then what is it?
Is this Passover?
When Yeshua and the disciples were at thelast supper… was He eating of thePassover, or did He become the PassoverLamb that year?
Is this Passover?
Did Yeshua establish a new teaching aboutPassover?
Or was He expounding on the teaching ofsome other part of Torah?
If so what part of Torah? Whichcommandment?
What was He teaching or saying?
Passover Or The Night Before?
This was the night before Passover. The day(evening) when this supper took place was theevening that ended the 13th day and began the14th day of the month. This was the preparationday for the Pesach meal. The Pesach isslaughtered in the afternoon on the 14th day andthe meal is eaten the evening after the close ofthat day. We find this in the exodus story whenthe Israelites ate the meal and were deliveredfrom Egypt on the same day. (Exodus 12)
Passover Or The Night Before?
This is the reason that the disciples askedwhere they were to prepare the Pesach.Because the day was coming upon themthat was now the preparation day. It takesmost, if not all, of the day to do the properpreparations.
Re: The Night Before Passover
Matt. 26:17 Now on the first ofUnleavened Bread the disciples came toYeshua and asked, where do You want usto prepare for You to eat the Passover?
The first of Unleavened BreadFirst: protos – beginning; ie. The time ofpreparationUnleavened Bread - azumos
Re: The Night Before Passover
To prepare – to make ready; to make thenecessary preparations; get everythingready; to provide or make arrangements for.
Matt. 26:19 The disciples did as Yeshua haddirected them; and they prepared thePassover.
Matt. 26:20 Now when evening came,Yeshua was reclining at the table with thetwelve disciples.
Before The Passover (Mark)
Mark 14:1 Now the Passover andUnleavened Bread were two days away;and the chief priests and the scribeswere seeking how to seize Him bystealth and kill Him;
Mark 14:2 for they were saying, notduring the festival, otherwise theremight be a riot of the people.
Mark 14:3 While He was in Bethany atthe home of Simon the leper
Before The Passover (Mark)
Mark 14:12 On the first day of UnleavenedBread, when the Passover lamb was beingsacrificed, His disciples said to Him, where doYou want us to go and prepare for You to eatthe Passover?
First day = protos When the Passover was being sacrificed “being” (indicative - a simple statement of
fact) ‘sacrificed’ - Aorist – an incomplete action;
indefinite; without reference to duration orcompletion of the action.
Before The Passover (Mark)
Mark 15:42 When evening had already come,because it was the preparation day, that is, theday before the Sabbath (pro-sabbaton),
Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, aprominent member of the Council, who himselfwas waiting for the kingdom of God; and hegathered up courage and went in before Pilate,and asked for the body of Yeshua.
Even in the Greek here we have ‘the day before thesabbaton. The Delitzsch Hebrew shows HaShabbat(THE Shabbat) showing the emphasis.
Before Passover (Luke)
Luke 22:1 Now the Feast of UnleavenedBread, which is called the Passover, wasapproaching.
Luke 22:15 And He said to them, I haveearnestly desired to eat this Passoverwith you before I suffer;
Luke 22:16 for I say to you, I shall neveragain eat it until it is fulfilled in thekingdom of God.
Before The Passover (John)
John 13:1 Now before the Feast ofthe Passover, Yeshua knowing thatHis hour had come that He woulddepart out of this world to theFather, having loved His own whowere in the world, He loved them tothe end.
Before The Passover
John 18:28 Then they led Yeshuafrom Caiaphas into the Praetorium,and it was early; and theythemselves did not enter into thePraetorium so that they would notbe defiled, but might eat thePassover.
Before The Passover
John 19:31 Then the Jews,because it was the day ofpreparation, so that the bodieswould not remain on the cross onthe Sabbath (for that Sabbath wasa high day), asked Pilate that theirlegs might be broken, and that theymight be taken away.
Before The Passover (John)
John 19:38 After these things Joseph ofArimathea, being a disciple of Yeshua,but a secret one for fear of the Jews,asked Pilate that he might take away thebody of Yeshua; and Pilate grantedpermission. So he came and took awayHis body.
John 19:39 Nicodemus, who had firstcome to Him by night, also came,bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,about a hundred pounds weight.
John wrote to prove Yeshua is the Messiah
Please note that John wrote accordingto the Moedim to prove that Yeshua isthe Messiah.
If this was Passover then why doesJohn not record it as such?
Because this meal occurred the nightbefore as the Gospel writers point out.
Yeshua Will Not Eat PassoverThat Year
Matt. 26:29 But I say to you, I willnot drink of this fruit of the vinefrom now on until that day when Idrink it new with you in My Father’skingdom.
I have desired…
Lk 22.15-16 I have earnestly desired toeat this Passover with you before Isuffer. For I tell you, “I will not eat it”until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom.
‘Epithumea epithumeo’ = with desire Ihave desired
St#1939 - a longing, especially for thatwhich is forbidden
A desire, craving, longing specifically forwhat is forbidden
The strongest expression of intensedesire
Longing for what was not possible
It would be forbidden because in orderfor Him to fulfill YHVH’s plan, He mustbe dead and in the grave on theevening of the Pesach meal.Therefore, He was longing forsomething that He could not have.
Earnestly Desired:
The reason that He says that He has desiredto eat this Pesach with them is because Hewould rather not have to go thru what iscoming upon Him.
That is why He prayed, Father let this cuppass from Me, but not My will but Yours bedone.
He knew that He would not be sharing thatPesach with them because He knew that Hewas going to give His life for them.
Earnestly Desired (con’t)
He will however, as He stated, eat itwith them when it is fulfilled in thefuture in the Kingdom.
It will be when we are again “passedover” and we will then truly say,“Where O death is your victory? WhereO death is your sting? (1 Cor 15.55)
Passover yet has a fulfillment: Is. 25:6 YHVH of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet
for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of agedwine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, agedwine.
Ancient Jewish writings speculate about this feast.The sages imagine that in the future, God willprepare a feast for the righteous in the Garden ofEden and recline with them at the table.
The Talmud says that at the end of the meal, no onewill be found worthy to say the Grace after Mealsexcept for the Messiah who will take four cups(alluding to the Passover) in his hands and say theblessings.
Future fulfillment of Passover
Yeshua spoke of this great feast that is totake place in the Messianic era. He alludesto this when he talks about those who will‘recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Mt8.11)
It is to this banquet that Yeshua refers towhen He told his disciples that He would noteat of the Passover or drink of the vine untilit is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
No Mention Of Lamb
There is no mention of lamb at this supper.How could there be when the lambs wouldnot be slaughtered until the next afternoon.
Lamb Slaughtered BetweenThe Two Evenings The offering is made between the two evenings.
This is an offering, a sacrifice, and the betweenthe two evenings is between the two eveningofferings. Between the two evenings is notreferring to the timekeeping of the day. (Daybeginning in the evening and continuing until thenext evening.)
The Pesach was to be offered between the twoevenings that is between the two eveningofferings. This is why we have the gospel tellingus that Yeshua died at precisely 3pm.
Between The Two Evenings
Mark 15:25 It was the third hour whenthey crucified Him.
Mark 15:33 When the sixth hour came,darkness fell over the whole land untilthe ninth hour.
Between The Two Evenings
Mark 15:34 At the ninth hour Yeshuacried out with a loud voice, ELOI, ELOI,LAMA SABACHTHANI? which istranslated, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHYHAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
Mark 15:37 And Yeshua uttered a loudcry, and breathed His last.
Yeshua Was The Lamb
Yeshua was the Pesach sacrificed for us. Andyou cannot have the Passover meal until after thelamb is slaughtered. Therefore the meal the nightbefore could not have been the Passover meal.
Yeshua Was The Lamb
Yeshua was to be the Pesach offering that year.He was put on the tree and died on the day thelambs were being slaughtered. He died on the14th of Aviv (the first biblical month) and died at3pm at the time between the two evenings asinstructed in Torah.
Therefore the lambs had not been slaughtered yetand there could therefore be no Pesach lamb atthat supper.
Yeshua Was The Lamb
If that night of the supper (the night before theslaughter took place) was Passover, and it wasnot, then He would have died on the wrong day.He died on the correct day according to theScriptures.
Yeshua Is The Passover Lamb
1Cor. 5:7 Clean out the old leaven so thatyou may be a new lump, just as you are infact unleavened. For Messiah our Passoveralso has been sacrificed.
But, But, But….. But He had to keep Pesach in order to be
Messiah. If He did not keep Pesach then He wasnot Messiah.
Yes! He kept the Pesach according to the Torah,by dying on the tree at the correct time, in thecorrect place, in the correct manner according tothe Word. You cannot help but to keep Passoverif you are the Passover. Yeshua died before thePassover meal commenced. And if He was deadat the time of the Passover meal, which He was,He obviously would not have to celebrate themeal.
We Must Choose…
We must choose, was it moreimportant that Yeshua once more eatof a lamb, OR to fulfill Scripture andactually become the prophesied lamb?
Bread: Leavened or Unleavened?
What about thebread that was atthe Last Supper?
Was it leavened orunleavened?
Bread (artos) & the blessing
Matt. 26:26 Whilethey were eating,Yeshua tookbread, and after ablessing, He brokeit and gave it tothe disciples, andsaid, take, eat;this is My body.
Bread (Artos & Lechem)
Bread: According to the Greek the bread wasleavened
Strongs # G0740 = Artos = bread
As opposed to #G0106 = Azumos =unleavened; without leaven
The Hebrew shows that the bread was leavenedas wellStrongs # H3899 = Lechem = breadAs opposed to #H4682 = Matzah = unleavened
Bread (Artos/Lechem)
John 13:18 I do not speak of all of you. Iknow the ones I have chosen; but it isthat the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HEWHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UPHIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’
Cf. Psalm 41.9 lechem/artos - leavenedbread
Required Elements of Passover
There is no mention of lamb (how could there be whenthe lambs would not be slaughtered until the nextafternoon)
The Greek shows that the bread was leavenedStrongs # G0740 = Artos = breadAs opposed to #G0106 = Azumos = unleavened ; withoutleaven
The Hebrew shows that the bread was leavenedStrongs # H3899 = Lechem = breadAs opposed to #H4682 = Matzah = unleavened
Torah Required Elements of Passover
Ex. 12:8 ‘They shall eat the flesh that samenight, roasted with fire, and they shall eat itwith unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
There is no mention of the Exodus teaching Gamliel, when the Temple stood, said that at
Passover one is to make mention of:– 1) The Sacrifice [Lamb]– 2) Matzah [Unleavened Bread]– 3) Maror [bitter herbs]
Removing The Leaven Ex. 12:8 ‘They shall eat the flesh that
same night, roasted with fire, and theyshall eat it with unleavened bread andbitter herbs.
Ex. 12:15 ‘Seven days you shall eatunleavened bread, but on the first dayyou shall remove leaven from yourhouses; for whoever eats anythingleavened from the first day until theseventh day, that person shall be cut offfrom Israel.
Ex. 12:19 ‘Seven days there shall be noleaven found in your houses; forwhoever eats what is leavened, thatperson shall be cut off from thecongregation of Israel, whether he is analien or a native of the land.
Ex. 12:20 ‘You shall not eat anythingleavened; in all your dwellings you shalleat unleavened bread.’”
And it was night…
The leaven that was remaining in the house still hadto be cast out (Judas)
John 13:30 So after receiving the morsel he (Judas)went out immediately; and it was night.
After Judas leaves we are told “and it was night”.Now began the 14th of Aviv. Until this time it hadbeen the 13th of the month. Now the very beginningof the 14th arrives, the day that will see the Pesachsacrificed in the afternoon.
Work / Purchasing
The disciples thought that Yeshua toldJudas to go purchase things (thereforeindicating that it was not theShabbaton)
Yeshua was washing the feet of thedisciples
Purchasing on Shabbaton?
John 13:29 For some were supposing, becauseJudas had the money box, that Yeshua wassaying to him, buy the things we have need offor the feast; or else, that he should givesomething to the poor.
John 13:30 So after receiving the morsel hewent out immediately; and it was night.
Working on Shabbaton?
John 13:3 Yeshua, knowing that theFather had given all things into Hishands, and that He had come forth fromGod and was going back to God,
John 13:4 got up from supper, and laidaside His garments; and taking a towel,He girded Himself.
John 13:5 Then He poured water intothe basin, and began to wash thedisciples’ feet and to wipe them with thetowel with which He was girded.
After Singing They Went Out
Matt. 26:30 After singing a hymn, they went out tothe Mount of Olives.
Singing what hymn? The psalms? The birkat?
They went out…
Ex. 12:22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dipit in the blood which is in the basin, and apply someof the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and thetwo doorposts; and none of you shall go outside thedoor of his house until morning.
Crowds (On a Shabbaton)
Matt. 26:47 While He was stillspeaking, behold, Judas, one of thetwelve, came up accompanied by alarge crowd with swords and clubs,who came from the chief priestsand elders of the people.
High Priest, Scribe, Elders, Sanhedrin
Matt. 26:57 Those who had seizedYeshua led Him away to Caiaphas,the high priest, where the scribesand the elders were gatheredtogether.
Matt. 26:59 Now the chief priestsand the whole Council (ie. TheSanhedrin) kept trying to obtainfalse testimony against Yeshua, sothat they might put Him to death.
Priests & Elders
Matt. 27:1 Now when morningcame, all the chief priests and theelders of the people conferredtogether against Yeshua to put Himto death;
Matt. 27:12 And while He wasbeing accused by the chief priestsand elders, He did not answer.
Simon of Cyrene
Luke 23:26 When they led Him away, they seized aman, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country,and placed on him the cross to carry behindYeshua.
Simon was ‘coming in from the country’. He wascoming in for the feast of Passover. It had not yetbegun.
Release Of Prisoner
Matt. 27:15 Now at the feast thegovernor was accustomed torelease for the people any oneprisoner whom they wanted.
Matt. 27:16 At that time they wereholding a notorious prisoner, calledBarabbas (son of the father).
Interesting Thought
Matt. 27:21 But the governor said tothem, Which of the two do you want meto release for you? And they said,Barabbas.
Which of the two? Could it be that bothmen were named Yeshua (Yehoshua)?Both are son of the father. This wouldshow the picture of the identical twogoats offered at Yom Kippur.
After The Crucifixion / Before Shabbaton
Matt. 27:57 When it was evening,there came a rich man fromArimathea, named Joseph, whohimself had also become a discipleof Yeshua.
This would be the evening just afterthe sacrifice of the Pesach and justbefore Unleavened Bread began.
Blessing Over Bread and Cup
Matt. 26:26 While they were eating,Yeshua took bread, and after a blessing,He broke it and gave it to the disciples,and said, take, eat; this is My body.
Matt. 26:27 And when He had taken acup and given thanks, He gave it tothem, saying, drink from it, all of you;
Matt. 26:28 for this is My blood of thecovenant, which is poured out for manyfor forgiveness of sins.
Blessing Bread & Cup
Note that the bread is broken and ablessing is said over it.
THEN the cup is taken and a blessingis said over it.
This order is significant, which we willsee a bit later.
Communion? Something New?Did Yeshua change Passover? If Yeshua had changed the elements of the
Pesach meal, and now only “communion” isneeded then by inference the Pesach (aswell as the other moedim) are no longerrequired.
This is error. Nothing about Pesach haschanged since it was put into place byYHVH.
Yeshua did not do or teach anything ‘new’.He lived and did everything according to theWord (Torah).
Is This Communion?
Communion
(Tim Hegg; An Investigation of “The Lord’sTable; 1999; TorahResource.com)
It becomes clear when reading the churchfathers that there was every attempt tofashion the Table as something distinct fromJudaism. This fits with the increasingemphasis upon the superiority of Christianityover Judaism, and makes one suspiciousabout why the Table [communion] wasinitiated in the first place, and how it gainedsuch a central place in the worship of theearly, Gentile church.
Communion (con’t)
For someone who already hasquestions about the Lord’s Table, todiscover that very early in the history ofthe ordinance the leaders of the churchhad invested it with such heresycauses new questions to arise. Couldsomething [taught] by Messiah, carriedon by the apostles, be so entirelychanged so quickly?
Communion (con’t)
The first four centuries of the commonera produced a church which hadentirely divorced itself from her Jewishroots. As such, the Lord’s Table hadbecome a ritual invested with meaningimpossible to be derived from the[context] from which it arose.
Communion (con’t)
The Lord’s Table was viewed as asacrifice requiring a priest to preside.
Justin Martyr (2nd century), in histeaching against the Jews, states thatthe sacrifices of the Jews werereplaced with a much superiorsacrifice, namely, the Eucharist[communion].
Communion (con’t)
Ireaneaus teaches that the Table is a sacrifice:Those who have become acquainted with thesecondary (ie., under Christ) constitutions of theapostles, are aware that the Lord instituted a newoblation in the new covenant. For we make anoblation to God of the bread and the cup of blessing,giving Him thanks in that He has commanded theearth to bring forth these fruits for our nourishment.And then, when we have perfected the oblation, weinvoke the Holy Spirit, that He may exhibit thissacrifice, both the bread the body of Christ, and thecup the blood of Christ, in order that the receivers ofthese antitypes may obtain remission of sins and lifeeternal.
Communion (con’t)
Ignatius, of the 2nd century, teachesthe same.
The Apostolic Constitutions agree.
Transubstantiation / Transformation
Some (like the RCC) teach thisdoctrine -- the belief that the bread andwine of the Lord’s Table actuallybecome the flesh and blood of Yeshua.The seeds of this doctrine are found inthe early church fathers. Those who donot confess the Eucharist to be theflesh of our saviour are heretics.
Life through Communion?
Augustine speaks of the “communionof the blood and body of Christ”, aphrase that might in our ears have nospecial meaning, but in his time wasquite significant, for the simple reasonthat the term “communion” was takenquite literally, ie., that the actual bloodand body of the Messiah comes to beone with the worshiper so that theworshiper is assured eternal life.
Life through Communion? (con’t)
But if this Eucharist becomes His fleshand blood, and it therefore unites withus as we consume it …. How can wethen see decay if we are one in fleshand blood with the One who cannotsee decay?
TorahResouce.com
The Lord’s Table was very earlypracticed as a ritual that would haveNEVER met with the approval ofYeshua or His apostles. The magical ormysterious character attached to theTable in the changing of bread to fleshand wine to blood fits more with thepagan rituals of the day than with anyteaching of the Messiah.
Salvation through Communion?
Furthermore, the idea that salvation comesthrough taking the Eucharist [communion] isclearly contrary to the Scriptures, andespecially to Paul’s epistles in which heregularly taught that salvation was by gracethrough faith. What is more, teaching thatthe Lord’s Table is the means of salvationwould require that a complete change in howGod saves a sinner occurred after the deathof the Messiah.
This would thereby deny His death ratherthan remember it.
Communion: Anti-Semitic In Origin
The anti-Semitic flavor that surroundsthe fathers about the Lord’s Table alsomakes its origins very suspicious.
There is nothing to support the ideathat the Lord’s Table, the way that it istaught, could have been initiated eitherby Yeshua or the disciples.
Communion simply does not line upwith the Scriptures.
Communion? Something New?
This is why the churches keep ‘communion’as they do.
They feel that there is a “new” teaching thatthe Messiah gave them.
They do not realize that communion as it hasbeen taught to them is of the lies that theyhave inherited by and thru their fathers.
They do not realize that they need to bekeeping Torah. If they understood Torahthen they would see the truth of the matter.
Is Something Else Going On And Being Taught?
Communion? Something New?
We do not see that we need to dailyexamine ourselves.
That we need to daily keep theremembrance of YHVH and not only onSabbath, ‘Sunday’, some ‘Sundays’, orannually at the time of Pesach.
It is by this daily examining of ourselves anddaily remembrance of Him that we judgeourselves in right manner so that we will notneed to be judged later.
What is Yeshua Teaching?
Yeshua spoke against the traditions of menwhich bring the Word of YHVH to naught.
He said to those who followed unscriptural,man-made precepts, “rightly did Isaiahprophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘this people honors me with their lips, buttheir heart is far away from me. But in vaindo they worship Me, teaching as doctrinesthe precepts of men.’ Neglecting thecommandment of God, you hold to thetradition of men.” (Mk 7.6-8)
So What Is Going On?
When you look at the meal that Yeshuashared with the disciples…– 1) it was the night before Passover– 2) there is no mention of lamb; the lambs
had not even be slaughtered yet (nextafternoon)
– 3) the Greek and the Hebrew show thatthe bread was leavened
– 4) the leaven had not yet been cast out(Judas; and it was night)
So What Is Going On?
When you look at the fact that the mealthat Yeshua shared with the disciples– 5) the disciples thought that Yeshua told
Judas to go purchase things -- indicatingthat it was not the Shabbaton
– 6) Yeshua washed the feet of the disciplesthereby working -- indicating that it wasnot the Shabbaton
– 7) They left the house and went out in thenight
So What Is Going On?
When you look at the fact that the mealthat Yeshua shared with the disciples– 8) The crowds, chief priests, elders and
Sanhedrin are out at night as well– 9) the tradition of releasing a prisoner at
the feast– 10) the reason for the speedy removal
from the tree
So What Is Going On?
When you look at the fact that the meal thatYeshua shared with the disciples– 11) that communion would mean a new teaching
and / or changing the elements of Passover --thereby changing Torah
– 12) the order of the blessing of bread first andthen cup…..
You come to the realization that this meal wasNOT a Pesach meal; NEITHER is communionbiblically sound.
The Last Supper:Not Passover and Not Communion
So What Is Happening? What Is Being Taught?
Neglecting the Commandment
Yeshua said, “rightly did Isaiah prophesy ofyou hypocrites, as it is written: ‘this peoplehonors me with their lips, but their heart isfar away from me. But in vain do theyworship Me, teaching as doctrines theprecepts of men.’ Neglecting thecommandment of God, you hold to thetradition of men.” (Mk 7.6-8)
What commandment of God?
So then…
We have come to the realization thatthis meal was NOT a Pesach meal andthat Communion is not Biblical.
So then, what is going on at the LastSupper?
What commandment of God are weneglecting?
Let Me Submit To You…
It was the common meal of the day(the family supper, if you will).
Bread, wine, reclining, singing(hymn/birkat) are equally characteristicof any meal of the day
Yeshua said “do this in remembranceof Me”
Breaking Bread
Breaking Bread
We will now look at the phrase ‘break bread’as it occurs in Scripture to see if we find anymore information on the Lord’s supper.
The question that faces us first is whether ornot this phrase, “to break bead”, was acommon phrase in the 1st century for the‘eating of a meal’ or whether it was atechnical phrase reserved for theobservance of the Lord’s Table.
Breaking Bread: The Greek Lexicon
Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich in their Greek Lexiconmake the statement that the phrase was used todescribe when the “father of the household gave thesignal to begin the meal” and they go on to statethat “this was the practice of Jesus.”
Liddel and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon deals withclassical Greek sources. It yields not one referenceto the phrase “breaking bread” except those found inthe Apostolic Writings. From this one may surmisethat the phrase was of Semitic origin, not Greek,and thus its appearance in the Apostolic writingsmay be traced to the Jewish community out of whichthe apostolic writings arose.
Breaking Bread: Hebrew Idiom
If the phrase was a common Hebrew idiomfor ‘eating a meal’, we would expect to findevidence in the extant literature, and we do.For instance, b.Beracot 46a:
“When the time came to start [the meal], hesaid To R. Zira, “Will the master begin for us[by breaking bread]? He said to him, “Doesthe master not concur with the statement ofR. Yohanan, who said, ‘The master of thehousehold is the one who breaks bread’?”
Breaking Bread: Having A Meal
This is only one example of many thatcan be found. Throughout the Berchot,the phrase “break bread” refers to theopening of the meal at which time theberachah (blessing) is said. Thus, thephrase “break bread” came to meanthis since the meal could not be serveduntil the initial blessings were said.
Breaking Bread = Common Meal
Most scholars agree with this conclusion.
The technical use of “to break bread” or“breaking bread” for the common meals of[the day] is to be construed as thedescription of a common meal in terms ofthe opening action, the breaking of bread.Hence the phrase is used for the ordinarytable fellowship of members of the firstcommunity each day in their homes.
Breaking Bread
The phrase “break bread” was in thefirst century a common phrase referringto eating a meal together.
It was when the father, the head of thefamily, would “break bread” that thecommon familial meal would begin.
We see this phrase in the Scriptures aswell.
Breaking Bread In The Bible
Breaking Bread: Before Passover
Matt. 26:26 While they were eating, Yeshua tooksome bread, and after a blessing, He broke it andgave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this isMy body.”
Mark 14:22 While they were eating, He took somebread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave itto them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.”
Luke 22:19 And when He had taken some breadand given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them,saying, “This is My body which is given for you; dothis in remembrance of Me.”
All being the night BEFORE Passover
Breaking Bread: Emmaus Road
Luke 24:30 When He had reclined at the table withthem, He took the bread and blessed it, andbreaking it, He began giving it to them.
Luke 24:35 They began to relate their experienceson the road and how He was recognized by them inthe breaking of the bread.
On the road to Emmaus; in v 16 of the chapter weare told that their eyes were prevented fromrecognizing Him.
Breaking Bread: After Shavuot Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and tofellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind inthe temple, and breaking bread from house tohouse, they were taking their meals together withgladness and sincerity of heart,
After Shavuot with the community of believers Here we have a description of the fellowship of
community of Jerusalem. Teaching, fellowship,breaking bread, and prayer.
Once again “breaking bread” does not mean takingthe Lord’s Table, but rather the sharing of commonmeals.
Breaking Bread: First Day of Week
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when wewere gathered together to break bread, Paul begantalking to them, intending to leave the next day, andhe prolonged his message until midnight.
Paul teaching the fellowship on the first day of theweek (“Saturday” night after the weekly Sabbathhad ended)
Breaking Bread: With The Centurion
Acts 27:35 Having said this, he took bread and gavethanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke itand began to eat.
Paul and the centurion in the shipwreck
Breaking Bread: In The Tanakh There are also verses in the Tanakh that support the breaking
of bread as the common meal.
Is. 58:7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungryAnd bring the homeless poor into the house;When you see the naked, to cover him;And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Jer. 16:7 “Men will not break bread in mourning for them, tocomfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup ofconsolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother.
Lam. 4:4 The tongue of the infant cleavesTo the roof of its mouth because of thirst;The little ones ask for bread,But no one breaks it for them.
Breaking Bread
All of the aforementioned passages describethe common meal among those present.
The phrase “break bread” is a Hebrew idiomfor the beginning of a meal.
Each time the phrase is found in theApostolic Writings, it describes the initiationof a meal and not a congregationalceremony like the Lord’s Table.
To equate “breaking bread” with the Lord’sTable is to impose a liturgical ceremonyupon a phrase that simply describes theinitiation of a meal.
Breaking Bread: According To Paul
1Cor. 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing which webless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not thebread which we break a sharing in the body ofChrist?
1Cor. 10:17 Since there is one bread, we who aremany are one body; for we all partake of the onebread.
1 Cor 10 is not discussing the Pesach. It isdiscussing the journeyings of the Israelites and howthese things are instructions for us.
Sha’ul (Paul) then goes on to discuss the things thatare they have in “common”.
Those things which are common to man.
The Table Of The LordThe Table Of Demons 1 Cor 10.21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord
and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of thetable of the Lord and the table of demons.
Why is it called the “Lord’s Table”? Did such aphrase already exist in Hebrew custom, and if so,what did it mean?
What is the “Table of demons” which is put at oddswith the Lord’s Table?
What the Rabbis teach
The rabbis teach that the discussion ofthe Torah was vital at this commonmeal.
In Avot 3.3-4 it states that if no wordsof Torah were mentioned at the mealthat “it is as if they have eaten of thesacrifices offered to the dead (idols), asit is said, ‘all their tables are full ofvomit and filth’ [Is 28.8]
What the Rabbis teach
But it says that if words of Torah werespoken that “it is as though they haveeaten from the TABLE OF GOD[Literally, the table of the place] as it issaid “He said to me this is the tablewhich is in the presence of YHVH”[Ezek 41.22]
Torah Study At The Table
The sages consider the study of Torah totransform an ordinary table into the Lord’sTable, parallel to the altar of the thirdTemple. Now this is very interesting sincethe earliest reference we have to a tableconnected with the divine presence is, ofcourse, the table in the Tabernacle, in Ex25.30
Ex. 25:30 “You shall set the bread of thePresence on the table before Me at all times.
The Lord’s Table
The Lord’s Table from a Hebrew perspectiveis thus clearly connected with theTabernacle / Temple service.
This idea of the Lord’s Table beingconnected with sacrifice is indicated inanother way in this well-known saying ofAvot. If people eat at a table and do notengage in discussion of the Torah, accordingto the Sages it is equivalent to having eatensacrifices offered to idols.
Table Of The Lord
In other words, from the viewpoint of thesages, a table substitutes for an altar, andthe sacrifices upon it are either for idols orfor YHVH.
Paul makes a very bold statement: “youcannot partake of the table of the Lord andthe table of demons.”
The average person, when reading this,defines the table of the Lord as communion.But then what is the “table of demons”? Didthe pagans have a similar ceremony?
The Table Of Demons
The context gives the answer. Paul is talking aboutsacrifices -- sacrifices offered to demons (pagangods) as contrasted to those offered to YHVH.
Israel of old provoked God at Sinai with their idolatry(1 Cor 10.7), which included immortality [fornication](1 Cor 10.8) as well as lack of faith [tempting Godand murmuring (1 Cor 10.9-10). In other words, theyparticipated in sacrificing to idols.
Paul encourages his readers to see the differencebetween pagan and holy sacrifices.
The table of demons is the eating of thesesacrifices.
Syncretizing of YHVH and Demons
The idea of “table” as parallel to “altar” fitswith the larger context of 1 Cor 10. Ratherthan viewing the phrases “cup of the Lord”and “table of the Lord” through the lenses ofthe later custom of the Eucharist /Communion, we should understand Paul'sconcern about those who felt comfortableparticipating in both the sacrifices of theTemple and those of pagan ceremonies. Asthe next chapter shows, the sacrifice whichstood predominant in Paul's mind is thePesach.
The Family Table
The family table is viewed as the altarto YHVH and the meals eaten thereare either to be done in remembranceof Him or they are considered as untoidols.
This is what Sha’ul is saying in 1 Cor10.16-22
1 Cor 10.16-22 1Cor. 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a
sharing in the blood of Messiah? Is not the bread which webreak a sharing in the body of Messiah?
1Cor. 10:17 Since there is one bread, we who are many areone body; for we all partake of the one bread.
1Cor. 10:18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eatthe sacrifices sharers in the altar?
1Cor. 10:19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed toidols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
1Cor. 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentilessacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do notwant you to become sharers in demons.
1Cor. 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of YHVH and the cup ofdemons; you cannot partake of the table of YHVH and thetable of demons.
1Cor. 10:22 Or do we provoke YHVH to jealousy? We are notstronger than He, are we?
1 Cor 10.16-22
The eating of the sacrifices hementions are those portions of thesacrifices that were taken home to beshared in by the family.
Sha’ul was concerned with thesyncretism of the day.
1 Cor 11.20-34 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is
drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of
God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Inthis I will not praise you.
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Yeshua in thenight in which 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 He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenantin 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 untilHe comes.
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner,shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of thecup.
For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge thebody rightly.
For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned
along with the world. So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment.
The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.
1 Cor 11.20-34
The immediate context of this chapter is the issue ofcorporate worship -- how believers should worshiptogether without hindering each other. Eatingtogether was naturally included for it was atcommon meals that many of the halachic issuesarose.
The scene is:– 1) a meal is scheduled for the congregation– 2) not everyone is able to arrive at the same time– 3) some feel compelled to begin before everyone
has arrived– 4) there is sufficient wine to result in some being
drunk– 5) the meal is connected to the Last Supper
It appears that the excuse of hungerwas given by those whom Paulrebukes.
So…What about that blessing? Remember when we saw that Yeshua took bread
and said a blessing and then the cup and ablessing? (Mt 26)
It is interesting to note that Matthew, Mark, and Johnrecord the ceremony in the order “bread” followedby “wine,” while Luke alone narrates the order as“wine” followed by “bread.”
Luke’s mention of the second cup after the bread (Lk22:20-21) follows the pattern of the Pesach seder,yet this section is missing and/or changed in anumber of the early manuscripts (Codex D, Syriac,Italic, Coptic, etc.) so as to conform to the order“bread” followed by “wine.”
Paul likewise has the order “bread” followed by“wine”
Dead Sea Scrolls Instruction
The Manual of Discipline, a non-biblicaldocument found among the Dead SeaScrolls, specifically command thecommunity to engage in a ceremony inwhich the priest first blesses the breadand then the wine.
Bread and Wine
The blessings before the meal alwaysfollow “bread” then “wine” EXCEPT atPassover. At Passover the wineblessing comes first.
The Didache (di-dah-KAY)
In contrast, the Didache, an early document (late 1stor early 2nd century church) had the order “wine”followed by “bread” (in chapter 9):
But as touching the eucharistic thanksgiving give yethanks thus. First, as regards the cup: We give Theethanks, O our Father, for the holy vine of thy sonDavid, which Thou madest know unto us through thyson Jesus; Thine is the glory for ever and ever.
Then as regards the broken bread: We give Theethanks, O our Father, for the life and knowledgewhich Thou didst make know through Thy SonJesus; Thine is the glory for ever and ever.
Moving Away From The Root
What might all this suggest? Itstrengthens, I believe, the idea that thechurch moved further and further awayfrom her root and sought to distanceherself from Judaism and its ways.
So I submit to you…
Now, if we are to do “this” inremembrance of Him, what is the “this”we are to be doing?
I submit to you that it is the commonfamilial meal (breaking bread).
Doing this in remembrance of Him willresult in our constant gratitude to Himfor all that He supplies.
For this reason many among youare weak and sick… It will also cause there to be less
sickness in the body. How? Byexamining what we eat, how we eat it,the discussion of Torah, as well as thefamilial social network that it builds willcause us to be healthier.
But not only physical and emotionalhealth…
Spiritual Health
The Torah study and discussion, therecognition that YHVH is above all, inall and is all will cause us to behealthier spiritually.
There are some sins that lead tosicknesses. If we are more aware ofTorah we are far less likely to committhese sins.
Examining Ourselves
1Cor. 11:17 But in giving this instruction, I donot praise you, because you come togethernot for the better but for the worse.
1Cor. 11:18 For, in the first place, when youcome together as a church, I hear thatdivisions exist among you; and in part Ibelieve it.
1Cor. 11:19 For there must also be factionsamong you, so that those who are approvedmay become evident among you.
Examining Ourselves
1Cor. 11:20 Therefore when you meettogether, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,
1Cor. 11:21 for in your eating each onetakes his own supper first; and one is hungryand another is drunk.
1Cor. 11:22 What! Do you not have housesin which to eat and drink? Or do you despisethe church of God and shame those whohave nothing? What shall I say to you? ShallI praise you? In this I will not praise you.
In Remembrance Of Me 1Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord that
which I also delivered to you, that the LordYeshua in the night in which He wasbetrayed took bread;
1Cor. 11:24 and when He had given thanks,He broke it and said, this is My body, whichis for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
1Cor. 11:25 In the same way He took thecup also after supper, saying, this cup is thenew covenant in My blood; do this, as oftenas you drink it, in remembrance of Me.
Examining Ourselves
1Cor. 11:26 For as often as you eat thisbread and drink the cup, you proclaim theLord’s death until He comes.
1Cor. 11:27 Therefore whoever eats thebread or drinks the cup of the Lord in anunworthy manner, shall be guilty of the bodyand the blood of the Lord.
1Cor. 11:28 But a man must examinehimself, and in so doing he is to eat of thebread and drink of the cup.
Examining Ourselves
1Cor. 11:29 For he who eats and drinks,eats and drinks judgment to himself if hedoes not judge the body rightly.
1Cor. 11:30 For this reason many amongyou are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
1Cor. 11:31 But if we judged ourselvesrightly, we would not be judged.
1Cor. 11:32 But when we are judged, we aredisciplined by the Lord so that we will not becondemned along with the world.
Examining Ourselves
1Cor. 11:33 So then, my brethren,when you come together to eat, waitfor one another.
1Cor. 11:34 If anyone is hungry, let himeat at home, so that you will not cometogether for judgment. The remainingmatters I will arrange when I come.
Neglecting The Commandment
Yeshua was teaching what hadalways been taught from Torah
Dt 8.10-20 is the commandmentthat we have been neglecting.
Dt 8.10-20 Deut. 8:10 “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall
bless YHVH your God for the good land which He has givenyou.
Deut. 8:11 “Beware that you do not forget YHVH your God bynot keeping His commandments and His ordinances and Hisstatutes which I am commanding you today;
Deut. 8:12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied,and have built good houses and lived in them,
Deut. 8:13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, andyour silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies,
Deut. 8:14 then your heart will become proud and you willforget YHVH your God who brought you out from the land ofEgypt, out of the house of slavery.
Dt 8.10-20 (con’t) Deut. 8:15 “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with
its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there wasno water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.
Deut. 8:16 “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathersdid not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, todo good for you in the end.
Deut. 8:17 “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and thestrength of my hand made me this wealth.’
Deut. 8:18 “But you shall remember YHVH your God, for it is He whois giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm Hiscovenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Deut. 8:19 “It shall come about if you ever forget YHVH your God andgo after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify againstyou today that you will surely perish.
Deut. 8:20 “Like the nations that YHVH makes to perish before you,so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice ofYHVH your God.
According to Torah
The meal was to be eaten (done) inremembrance of YHVH, Who Yeshua is, andwhat He has done and is doing, and so on.
If Yeshua had added to the Torah teachingthen He was a false messiah.
However, He never changed the Torah.
Yeshua Never Changed Torah
Yeshua never changed the Torah. Henever added to it or took away from it.
He explained it in a much clearersense than many had understood itbefore, but never did He change it.
Dt 8.10-20 Deut. 8:10 “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the
good land which He has given you. Deut. 8:11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His
commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; Deut. 8:12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and
lived in them, Deut. 8:13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and
all that you have multiplies, Deut. 8:14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who
brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Deut. 8:15 “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and
scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of therock of flint.
Deut. 8:16 “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He mighthumble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.
Deut. 8:17 “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand mademe this wealth.’
Deut. 8:18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power tomake wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is thisday.
Deut. 8:19 “It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other godsand serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.
Deut. 8:20 “Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish;because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.
Since Everything Comes From YHVH
It is important for us to realize how much weare dependent upon YHVH. Ultimatelyeverything we have comes from thesustaining environment He has provided. Byacknowledging this, we train ourselves to begrateful, to take nothing for granted, and toproperly value the world and its bounty. Theessence of such a blessing is theacknowledgment that God has created all ofthis for us.
Satisfaction Leads To Praise
It is when we do not ‘need’ God forsomething that we should take the time toremember what we have received. Godshould be connected in our consciousnesswith the experience of having fulfilled basichuman needs. Such an experience shouldlead immediately to words of praise.It is notwhen we are hungry that the most importantblessings are recited, but when we aresated.
Abundance Leads To Rebellion
Having eaten enough, it is all too easy toforget the source of all we have and to takeour comforts for granted. The lesson is whatwe have is not the product of our own mightbut the result of God’s beneficence.
The sages connect having an abundance ofmaterial comforts, especially food, withrebellion against God.
Deuteronomy 11.13-16
Deut. 11:13 “It shall come about, if you listenobediently to my commandments which I amcommanding you today, to love YHVH your God andto serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
Deut. 11:14 that He will give the rain for your land inits season, the early and late rain, that you maygather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.
Deut. 11:15 “He will give grass in your fields for yourcattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
Deut. 11:16 “Beware that your hearts are notdeceived, and that you do not turn away and serveother gods and worship them.
Birkat haMazon (Grace After Meals)
The role and purpose of grace after meals(Birkat haMazon) is to guard against ourpride and self-reliance. The Torah tells usthat giving thanks after we eat is so that we‘do not forget YHVH your God’ and imaginethat it is we ourselves who made thisprovision. The traditional prayer forces us toremember that God is our provider andsustainer and thereby helps us rememberthe words of Torah.
Birkat haMazon (con’t)
Next, it reminds us that we are saved.The text of the prayer thanks theFather specifically for having broughtus up out of Egypt. It causes us toreflect on the work of the Messiah. Weare to live holy and godly lives. Thepurpose of the food we eat is to fuelour bodies in order to accomplishGod’s goal for our lives.
Birkat haMazon (con’t)
Then, it is prophetic in nature. It callsus to look forward to our future in theland of Israel as we pray for its welfareand the people living there.
Blessings Before Eating
Throughout the Gospels, we seeYeshua giving thanks before eating
The 5000The 4000After the resurrection
This giving of thanks is idiomaticallydescribed as “breaking bread”
Blessings Before And After
At the Last Supper we find Yeshuabreaking bread at the beginning of themeal and saying a blessing over it.
Then at the end of the meal He takesthe cup and says a blessing.
Here we see both the blessing beforethe meal and after the meal.
Do This In Remembrance Of Him
It is this, when we have eaten and aresatisfied, the common meal that we are to doin remembrance of Him.
In this we always examine ourselves, alwaysremember Him and recognize Who He is.
For it is thru this that we remember YHVH /Yeshua.
Since The Original Presentation:
A few more words on the subject…
Keep The Commandment Deut. 11:8 “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am
commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in andpossess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it;
Deut. 11:9 so that you may prolong your days on the land whichYHVH swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants,a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deut. 11:10 “For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, isnot like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used tosow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden.
Deut. 11:11 “But the land into which you are about to cross topossess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain ofheaven,
Deut. 11:12 a land for which YHVH your God cares; the eyes ofYHVH your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the endof the year.
When You Eat And Are Satisfied
Deut. 11:13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to mycommandments which I am commanding you today, to loveYHVH your God and to serve Him with all your heart and allyour soul,
Deut. 11:14 that He will give the rain for your land in itsseason, the early and late rain, that you may gather in yourgrain and your new wine and your oil.
Deut. 11:15 “He will give grass in your fields for your cattle,and you will eat and be satisfied.
Deut. 11:16 “Beware that your hearts are not deceived, andthat you do not turn away and serve other gods and worshipthem.
Deut. 11:17 “Or the anger of YHVH will be kindled against you,and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rainand the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quicklyfrom the good land which YHVH is giving you.
He Knew We Would Forget Him
Deut. 31:19 “Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, andteach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this songmay be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.
Deut. 31:20 “For when I bring them into the land flowing withmilk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they haveeaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they willturn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break Mycovenant.
Deut. 31:21 “Then it shall come about, when many evils andtroubles have come upon them, that this song will testify beforethem as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips oftheir descendants); for I know their intent which they aredeveloping today, before I have brought them into the landwhich I swore.”
Note that in verse 20 that YHVH states that we would forgetHim and turn away.
And We Forgot YHVHNeh. 9:13 “Then You came down on Mount Sinai,And spoke with them from heaven;You gave them just ordinances and true laws,Good statutes and commandments.Neh. 9:14 “So You made known to them Your holy sabbath,And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law,Through Your servant Moses.Neh. 9:15 “You provided bread from heaven for them for theirhunger,You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,And You told them to enter in order to possessThe land which You swore to give them.Neh. 9:16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;They became stubborn and would not listen to Yourcommandments.
And We Forgot YHVH
Neh. 9:25 “They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.They took possession of houses full of every good thing,Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,Fruit trees in abundance.So they ate, were filled and grew fat,And reveled in Your great goodness.Neh. 9:26 “But they became disobedient and rebelled againstYou,And cast Your law behind their backsAnd killed Your prophets who had admonished themSo that they might return to You,And they committed great blasphemies.
In Speaking To Ephraim In HoseaHos. 13:4 Yet I have been YHVH your God
Since the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me.
Hos. 13:5 I cared for you in the wilderness,In the land of drought.
Hos. 13:6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied,And being satisfied, their heart became proud;Therefore they forgot Me.
Ephriam, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, ate and becamesatisfied and promptly forgot YHVH.
Forgetting Is Tied To Eating
Note that the aforementioned verses, as wellas Deuteronomy 8.10-20, all tie our eatingand being satified to forgetting YHVH.
So what are we to do?
Deuteronomy 8.10: When you have eatenand are satisfied, you shall bless YHVH.
Thanksgiving, Praise, BlessingPsa. 100:1 Shout joyfully to YHVH, all the earth.Psa. 100:2 Serve YHVH with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.Psa. 100:3 Know that YHVH Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psa. 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgivingAnd His courts with praise.Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
Psa. 100:5 For YHVH is good;His lovingkindness is everlastingAnd His faithfulness to all generations.
Pasture in verse 3 is a reference to food Verse 4 tells us to thank, praise and bless Him
Do This In Remembrance Of Me
In Deuteronomy YHVH gives us command to‘do this in remembrance of Me’ when Hesays that we are to eat and then to blessHim in order that we don’t forget Him.
At the Last Supper Yeshua commands: “dothis in remembrance of Me.”
Will you remember? Not if you forget thissimple command. YHVH stated we wouldforget Him and we did.
WHAT??
You thought that Yeshua was teachingsomething new?
