The Bread of Life

Many thousands of years ago Moses was commanded to lead the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land.  Being enslaved by Pharoah, this was no easy task.  For seven days the Lord brought forth plagues to torment Egypt, culminating in the destroying angel taking the lives of all the first born sons in each home.  The lives of the children of Israel whose parents heeded the warning of the prophet were spared, having marked their homes with the sacrificial blood of a first born lamb.  They then left in such haste that they could not wait for their bread to rise.  The celebration of this singular event continues today in Jewish homes each year as "Passover."  The iconic symbol of the passover is the unleavened bread that the children of Israel took with them.

It was on this very day many years later that a young Jewish preacher went up on a hillside to teach a group of about 5,000 people.  There was something different about this "Jesus" who taught them things they had never thought of before.  His power was unmistakable, healing their sick and afflicted.  They left to hear him speak in such haste that not only was there not time for their bread to rise, they forgot it altogether.  After communing with his Father in "the mountain" he looked up, saw the multitude, turned to his disciple Phillip and asked, "Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?" (John 6:5).  A small boy, a lad, had with him five loaves and two fishes.  After having offered a prayer of thanksgiving, the Savior broke the bread and miraculously fed the multitude.  Not only was everyone filled but there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets.

Now I had never before considered the fact that this well known miracle occurred on the passover.  Obviously this was not a coincidence.  Jesus, the following day went on to explain that he was the bread of life.  He was the symbol of the passover.  Through his blood, the blood of the Lamb of God, we all would be saved from the destroying angel of sin.  He declared, "whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life; and I shall raise him up at the last day" (vs. 54).  Many of the people, who were happy to be fed a free meal or receive of a healing miracle could not abide his declaration of the messiaship.  How could he be the Son of God?  He was Joseph's son.  He turned to his trusted apostles, likely with sadness in his eyes and heaviness in his heart and asked, "will you also go away?" (vs. 67).  Peter, he with the willing heart but an impetuous nature and who just the night before had taken two confident steps on water but then needed to reach for Jesus' outstretched hand, simply said, "To whom shall we go?  Thou hast the words of eternal life.  And we believe and art sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (vs. 68-69).  I love his response.  He did not wait for his bread to rise but quickly turned to follow the Savior.

It would be exactly one year later that Jesus would again sit at passover with his apostles.  This would be the last time to do so in mortality.  "[He] took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; This is my body.  And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26: 26-28).  The institution of the ordinance of the sacrament, or in other faiths, communion is, in my mind, a way to access the Savior's atonement.  It calls back through the ages, reminding us of ancient promises made to the fathers, it reminds us of Christ's ability to fill us spiritually and to make us whole, it is a time when we offer up to him the burden of our sins, taking upon ourselves a commitment to follow him and not turn away.  He is the manna from heaven.  As we partake, he will fill us day by day.