Why Did Jesus Refer to Himself as the “Bread of Life”?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21906/rbl.284Keywords:
bread, Bread of Life, bread of the Presence, Blessed Sacrament, Elijah, Eucharist, Covenant, manna, Melchizedek, Moses, show-bread, temple, sacrificeAbstract
Why did Jesus refer to Himself as the “Bread of Life”? Obviously, He intended to give us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. But why did He choose the form of bread? Beginning with the first use of the word “bread” in the Masoretic Text of the Book of Genesis and the etymological meaning of this term, one can see how God was preparing His Chosen People for the real Presence of His Son in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The bread offered to Abraham by Melchizedek as a gesture of blessing, the manna in the desert as bread from heaven, the bread of Presence in the tent of meeting and in the Jerusalem temple as a unique manifestation of God’s Covenant and love for His People, as well as the messianic expectations of Jewish tradition are all realities expressing the unfolding plan of God in reference to the Body of Christ, present in the Eucharist. This plan reached its climax during the Last Supper in view of the future ultimate Sacrifice of the Lord on the Cross.
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