Resurrection Bread

 

“And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (Luke 22:19).

When Jesus and His disciples gathered to celebrate Passover on the eve before His crucifixion there was a profound combination of prophecy, tradition and meaning coming together. By the time of Jesus, the Passover had already been celebrated for over 1,400 years by the Jews since the days of Moses.

During the traditional Passover Seder, it is customary to place three pieces of matzo (unleavened bread) inside a bag with three compartments. Early in the Seder, the middle piece of matzo is removed, broken in half, and one half of the matzo is hidden away until later in the evening. This hidden matzo is called the “afikomen.” At the end of the meal, the children are sent out to find the hidden afikomen, which is then broken into small pieces for everyone to eat as the dessert part of the meal. It is often said that the eating of the afikomen brings long life from God because it signifies observing the commandment to celebrate the Passover (Exodus 12).

Such a fascinating tradition whose origins are shrouded in mystery! The earliest explicit reference to the eating of the afikomen comes from the Mishnah, an early rabbinic work written in 200 AD. Scholars have concluded that it is possible, even probable, that the bread held up by the Lord was an early version of the afikomen, but it is impossible to know for sure.

What’s more amazing is how the parallels between the Jewish afikomen tradition and Christ are striking. We know that Jesus reinterpreted the meaning of the Passover bread to symbolize His body. The unleavened bread pictured His sinlessness, as leaven in the Bible is always a picture of sin (Ex. 12:15; 1 Cor. 5:6-8.

Then, there are three pieces of matzo in the bag, but only the second one is broken, which is reminiscent of the Son of God – The Second Person of the Trinity - who was slain for our sins (John 3:16).

The afikomen is hidden away after being publicly broken, which is reminiscent of Christ’s burial after His public death (John 19:38-42). Then the afikomen is found—which alludes to Christ’s resurrection and our Savior walking out of His tomb where He was discovered by many witnesses (Acts 1:3).

Then the afikomen is given to all present as a symbol of God giving life to those who follow Him. This is reminiscent of what Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

Amazing! For some communion is a sleepy hour in which wafers are eaten and juice is drunk and the soul never stirs. It wasn’t intended to be as such. It’s not just a time to look back at the cross and marvel at the prophetic fulfillment, but also to look forward to His crowning return in anticipation. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).

Notice that last part – until He comes! For believers, the Rapture of the Church, then the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, are next on God’s prophetic calendar. Beloved, the wedding is not far off! Perhaps today we’ll hear, “Behold the Bridegroom comes. Go out to meet Him.”

The Power of Perfect Love

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)

My wife is an animal rescuer. She will take-in any pitiful pup or stray cat that wanders our way. Her most recent labor of love is a doggy, which my mother said looked like a “Toby” the first time she saw him. The name stuck. Much better than what he had been called - “Taco.”

My wife scours the local animal adoption Facebook pages. That’s where she found Toby. When Toby first entered our three-ring-circus, you could tell he had a terrible past. We suspect he was abused and neglected, because Toby exhibited all the traits of a damaged doggy – timid, cowering, nervous, no appetite and looking for a chance to run away.

But over the past several days, we have noticed a transformation take place. He’s not the same dog. He’s coming out of his shell. He loves to play with the kids. He greets everyone with an excited wag and a whimper. He begs to be cuddled and surrenders his paw for a handshake. He wants to be wanted.

What made the difference? The only thing I can figure is the transforming power of love. Perhaps, for the first time in his life Toby has a family. When you are truly loved you don’t have to be afraid. There’s security in love. And that security fosters growth and change. In the security of love, Toby is learning to trust and that he doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.

This is a faint example of what John talked about when He said, “perfect love casts out all fear.” If love can transform a scared doggy, then imagine what the perfect love of God can do in fearful, broken people! In Christ, we are objects of the Father’s infinite love. Because Christ satisfied the wrath of God by absorbing our punishment on the cross, then we don’t have to fear God’s judgment – whether that pertains to the future penalty of hell or the Tribulation period (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9).

But that’s only the beginning. If you were to chart this on a graph you would see an inverse proportion – as our understanding of God’s love increases, our level of fear and anxiety decreases. God’s love protects us from the fear of danger (Ps. 56:3), the fear of defeat (2 Tim. 1:7), the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15) and the fear of disownment (Rom. 8:35-39). We don’t have to be afraid of our past disqualifying us from God’s love, nor do we have to be afraid of the future, because God’s love doesn’t expire.

Because we know that God is watching over us as a loving Father, then His plans will not be undermined and His purposes for us are good. When we fall into sin, His love for us doesn’t change based on our performance. God doesn’t cast us aside. We can truly rest in His love because He will never drag up our past or condemn us (Rom. 8:1). So let go of all the shame and fear and let the love of God set you free.

“Oh love that will not let me go / I rest my weary soul in thee / I give thee back the life I owe / That in thine ocean depths its flow / May richer, fuller be”