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Category: Appointed Times

What's This Service to You?

Tags:  afikoman, breaking bread, communion, cup of blessing, four cups, haggadah, matzah, Passover, seder

By Aaron Eby

Bread and wine are historically common elements of every meal. So what was going on behind the scenes that would motivate Yeshua to say 'this' bread and 'this' cup?

Many believers participate in 'breaking bread' together. And most services employ these verses while so doing.

...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23b-26)

In this short passage of Scripture, the word 'this' is used six times alone. Is the word 'this' a reference to a church communion service? Probably not. Bread and wine are historically common elements of every meal. So what was going on behind the scenes that would motivate Yeshua to say 'this' bread and 'this' cup?

When He said 'this,' He was referring to the unleavened bread of Passover, one of the cups of Passover wine, the bitter herbs of Passover and the entire seder meal! In other words, He was saying, "Make Passover a memorial to Me."

Breaking Bread

One apparent conflict with the view that 'breaking of bread' always indicates a Passover meal is found in Acts 2:42, 46:

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart...

From these verses it may appear that the Apostles 'broke bread' every day. However, there is no reason to believe that breaking bread in this context refers to a ritual communion service.

"Breaking bread" is a very common term used in Judaism to refer to eating any meal together. Specifically, it refers to the traditional blessing before eating bread, which is often recited before a meal: "Blessed are You O Lord, our God Who brings forth bread from the Earth."

References to breaking bread occur throughout the Talmud. Obviously, these references do not mean partaking of the Eucharist. Here is one example.

When the time came to begin the meal, he said to R. Zera: "Will your honour please commence for us." He said to him: "Does not your honour accept the dictum of R. Johanan that the host should break bread?" So he [R. Abbahu] broke the bread for them. When the time came for saying grace he said to him [R. Zera], "Will your honour please say grace for us?" He replied: "Does your honour not accept the ruling of R. Huna from Babylon, who said that the one who breaks bread says grace?" (b.Berachot 46a)

"Saying grace" actually refers to the recitation of the birkat hamazon (blessing for the nourishment)--the blessing recited after a meal is eaten (Deuteronomy 8:10). The question being addressed in this section is regarding the roles and responsibilities of saying the blessing (breaking the bread) and leading the grace after meals.

Cup of Blessing

Let's look at another traditional communion passage: 1 Corinthians 10:15-17. Indeed, this is the passage from which the term "communion" is derived.

I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Messiah? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Messiah? (1 Corinthians 10:15-17)

Certainly Paul is not speaking of any general meal. Paul's references to Messiah's body and blood are sure connections to the meal Yeshua shared with His disciples before His death. But there are two key phrases in this text that indicate that Paul is indeed speaking of a Passover Seder.

First is the reference to the 'cup of blessing.' In a Passover meal, there are traditionally four cups of wine, which are derived from Exodus 6:6-7:

  • The first is known as the Kos Kiddush, the Cup of Sanctification, because we drink it at the beginning of the night, setting apart the time as holy.
  • The second cup is called the Kos Ge'ulah, the Cup of Redemption, so named because we drink it after telling the story of the Exodus.
  • The third cup is the Kos B'rakhah, the Cup of Blessing, which we drink as we conclude the Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals referenced above. It is drunk during the section of the seder known as barekh, which means, "blessing."
  • The fourth and final cup is called the Kos Hartza'ah, the Cup of Completion, which we drink at the end of the meal.

The Cup of Blessing, the third cup that is taken after the seder meal, seems to be the one Yeshua used for His illustration. This is further substantiated by the gospel account of the Passover meal, "He also took the cup after supper." (Luke 22:20 and 1 Corinthians 11:25)

The Bread Which We Break

The second phrase--"the bread which we break," found in the 1 Corinthians 10 passage--is markedly different from the other passages that refer to breaking bread, in that the bread itself is characterized by its breaking.

In the Passover Seder, there is a specific breaking of bread for a purpose other than eating. In the part of the seder known as yachatz, which means "breaking in half," the middle piece of three matzot is taken by the leader and broken in half. One half is wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden.

At the end of the meal, we read the section of the haggadah called tzafun, "hidden." At this time, the piece of matzah it is recovered, unwrapped and distributed among everyone present.

This bread, broken, wrapped, hidden, recovered and shared by all is called the afikoman. Afikoman is loan word from Greek whose actual identity has been lost. It is claimed by traditional Judaism that the word is either derived from epikomoi ("dessert"), epi komon ("after-dinner entertainment") or epikomion ("festal song"). However, it seems likely that the source word is afikomenos, which means "the coming One." This word is actually used in a Second-Century Passover liturgy in reference to the Messiah.1

The afikoman of Passover does an excellent job of "proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes." As disciples of Yeshua, we memorialize Him in our Passover service from the time we purge our homes of leaven to our final prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem. We do 'this' in remembrance of Him, as often as we eat the bread of affliction and drink the cup of blessing once a year, in the month of Nisan, on the night of the Passover Seder.

Endnotes

1. Bishop Melito of Sardis, Section 66, Peri tou Pascha (On Passover), (2nd Century). Melito calls the Messiah "This One who is coming out of Heaven (houtos afikomenos ex ouranon) to the Earth."

© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from messiah magazine #90 .

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