Bread

“It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God.” (Matt. 4 v 4)

Do you remember the story in the Bible concerning Martha and Mary, the Bethany sisters? Jesus visited them and their brother Lazarus, and Martha was busily attending to their needs, whilst her sister, Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to His words.

Martha was upset because Mary was not helping her, and she made her feelings known. Jesus, however, replied; “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things;- But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)42).

If we look at Moffat’s version we read the following; “In the course of their journey He entered a certain village, and a woman called Martha welcomed Him to her house. She had a sister called Mary, who seated herself at the feet of the Lord to listen to His talk. Now Martha was so busy attending to them that she grew worried: she came up and said, “Lord, is it all one to You, that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Come, tell her to lend me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, Mary has chosen the best dish, and she is not to be dragged away from it.”

Moffat adds a note to say that he has translated it in a slightly different way, by using ‘Dish’ to bring out the point and play indicating Jesus means that Mary chose well in selecting the nourishment of His teaching.

I have to be honest and say I do have some sympathy with Martha. When you receive a visitor, your first thought is to make them feel as welcome as possible, and to offer food and drink. Especially for someone as special as Our Lord – although we have to remember that if we do so to even the least of our brethren, we also do it to Him. One could also say of course, that people have to eat, and so supplying sustenance is thus important.

However, rather like the woman at the well, whom Jesus asked for water, it was Jesus Himself who had the Waters of Life, and regarding Mary, sitting at His feet, she found that His words were more nourishing than ordinary food.

That is not to say we should not eat, but perhaps we should regard food in the same way as our late Queen – Elizabeth 2nd – who was reportedly of the opinion that you should eat to live and not live to eat!

It is a matter of what is more important, and in today’s world food is given a much higher status than it should have, and let us not forget that a lot of what is eaten today contravenes God’s food laws, and thus will not give us the proper nourishment we should have. Hence the state of the health or lack of it, of many people today.

Spiritual food is, on the other hand, much to be desired.

‘Bread’ as in the Bible, can mean any type of food or sustenance, not just necessarily bread as in a ‘loaf’. In fact back in Biblical times you didn’t have your ready made sliced bread, and the equivalent of our bread would have been prepared as required.

Nevertheless the term ‘bread’ is frequently used in the Bible. Often for food, but sometimes with a more spiritual indication.

Proverbs 20 verse 17 tells us; “”Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel”. This brings to mind Judas at the Last Supper, who Jesus had indicated to his other disciples was the one who would deceive Him, when he dipped his bread (or Sop) in the wine at the same time as He (our Lord) did. After Judas had carried out his act, and seen Jesus taken away, he realised his great sin, and hung himself.

It was when Satan came to tempt Jesus and asked Him to prove He was the Son of God by turning the stones into bread, that Jesus uttered the words quoted above, that man shall not live by bread alone… .

However, in the Lord’s Prayer, taught to us by Jesus Himself, we ask “Give us this day our daily bread…”. – but this can refer to our needs both physical and spiritual.

If we go back to Proverbs chapter 9:5, we read; “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.” This was in reference to ‘wisdom’ and the previous verse says; “As for him that wanteth understanding, she saith unto him …….”. Indeed it is interesting that the ‘bread and wine’ which is symbolic of the New Testament, is also within the Old Testament. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of the most high God.” (Gen. 14:18).

At the end of October each year, we are subject to the spell of Halloween. This nonsense, which targets young children, actually celebrates death, and which is actually a celebration of sin, for by sin, death came into the world. Halloween comes the day before All Saints Day – or All Souls, as it used to be called – when services were held to remember those loved ones who had died over the previous year. Halloween is satanic, and full of darkness, and it is very sad to see little children being encouraged and even delighting to taking part in it. This is what is being dished out in our once Christian/Israelite lands. Anything to divert us from the Truth and Life that is Jesus Christ.

Instead of death, we need to teach our children of Life, for this is the whole message of the Bible Look up John chapter 6, and read those lovely words; “…for the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, “I Am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.”

“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I Am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Jesus fed His disciples with that bread of Life, and this included Martha and her sister Mary. In fact as we as Identity believers know, Martha and Mary, along with Lazarus, and others of Jesus’ followers, accompanied Joseph of Arimathea, after the resurrection of Our Lord, in his voyage in a boat cast away, without oars or sails – to Marseilles, and eventually to Britain, having spread the Word on their way.

In today’s world of strife, darkness and death, we need to spread this same Word of Truth and Life to all around us. Recently, Buckingham Palace, with King Charles at the helm, wished everyone a happy Diwali, having celebrated the Hindu Festival of Lights! Well, this is quite tragic, as the Hindu religion does not accept Jesus Christ as it’s Saviour. Clearly King Charles has bitten off a piece of the bread of deceit! We pray his eyes may be opened.

“And when one of them that sat at meat with Him heard these things He said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.”
(Luke 14:15).

Let us make sure we are eating of the right bread – the bread that gives Life!