CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, PART THREE: BREAKING BREAD

With this devotion, Jonathan Dudley continues an occasional series on Christian community.

"As they were eating Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it into pieces and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take this and eat it for this is my body.' " (Matthew 26:26, NLT)

Today is the third part of a short series on Acts 2:43. We began with apostolic teaching and continued with fellowship. Today's subject is "breaking bread."

How many times do you go in after a round of golf with your friends and have dinner or lunch?

In the golfing community, social luncheons after the round are quite common. We go and play golf and talk a bit, but after the round all the stories are told and different subjects are brought up. Often, this is when friendships are made and good times are shared.

More generally, however, the once commonplace activity of sharing a meal has all but disappeared.

In the modern household, meals are quickly put together and used as merely consumption rather than enjoyment and a time of conversation and sharing. People even eat alone as they find the quickest meal possible.

However, when we look at the New Testament and how Jesus "broke bread," we see a much different attitude.

Can you ever remember a time when Jesus ate alone? Is there ever a time in the Bible where we find these words: "And Jesus went off into the wilderness to eat"?

To our best knowledge, whenever Jesus ate he ate with another person. He ate in a lot of different environments, but he was always giving thanks to the Father for His provision in the presence of other people.

In today's verse from Matthew, we get a chance to experience the last meal of Jesus and two things stand out.

The first is the symbolism of the "broken bread." Jesus was very purposeful in His proclamation that the bread is a representation of His life being broken and given freely to all those who desire to have it. The bread is not specifically given to one person, but is to be eaten and shared by all who would have it.

Second, Jesus did not merely say these words in front of random men and women, but it in the midst of those who closest to Him. Certainly we know that Christ had a great evangelistic lifestyle, but this message is reserved specifically for those who had followed Him during His ministry on earth. This setting is intimate and Jesus made it a point to have His last meal with those closest to Him.

Amazingly, He not only desired to have his last meal with those men, but He created an opportunity for all of us in future days to dine with Him as well.

Therefore, the breaking of the bread was twofold--for provision and for unity. Provision is the needed sacrifice of Christ to cleanse our sins and unity is the assembly of all those who gather together for His name's sake under the banner of grace.

Furthermore, it is in through this act that we are worshipping corporately. We make an outward profession of an inward manifestation, thanking God for the work He has done in our lives through Christ.

What an amazing opportunity! No wonder Luke mentions it in Acts 2 as one of the pillars of Christian fellowship.

--

Jonathan Dudley

September 27, 2006

Copyright 2006 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.