A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable; a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else. A parable is a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or biblical principal.
Y'shua spoke in parables many times, telling stories to illustrate spiritual lessons; stories that are to be interpreted in order to reveal the hidden meaning of what he was teaching. There is no real mystery. He was teaching us to use our 'brain', to think and reason - not just follow what was fashionable at the time.
Matthew 13:34
All these things Y'shua spoke in parables to the crowd, and he would not speak to them without a parable, so might be fulfilled the things which was spoken through the prophet who said, "I will open my mouth with parables and will bring out secrets that were from before the foundation of the world." (Psalms 78:2)
Mark 4:2
And he would teach them by parables, and would say many in his teaching.
Y'shua told his disciples that they were given to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of Elohim, but to others everything is in parables. This can be gleaned from the parable of the sower of seeds. (Mark 4:3)
Mark 4:34
And he would not speak to them (the crowds) without parables but to his disciples he would explain everything.
If we read and study Scriptures, we too may gain understanding.
Lets take what we know about Y'shua teaching technique and apply it to the following:
John 6:48
I am the Bread of Life. :50 this is the Bread that has descended from heaven that a man may eat from it and he will not die! :51 I am the Living Bread who has descended from Heaven. And if a man should eat from this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I give is my body which I give for the sake of the life of the world.
He has caused quite a stir among the Yehudeans saying such things, and they couldn't understand, 'how can he give us his body to eat?' They were thinking in the physical not the spiritual realm.
John 6:53
I say to you, that unless you eat the body of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in Qnoma (underlying substance/self). :54 And he who eats from my body and drinks from my blood has life that is everlasting, and I will raise him up on the last day. :55 for truly my body is food and truly my blood is drink.
I quote Andrew Gabriel Roth of One Faith One People Ministries --
"The body/blood imagery is metaphoric. Y'shua of course knows very well that it is an abomination to drink any kind of blood, let alone human blood (Leviticus 17:11). Consuming human flesh is also an abomination that is strictly prohibited. There are two underlying parts: Part 1 recalls the imagery of Ezekiel 3:1-15 where the prophet ate a Torah scroll, the imagery symbolizing the prophet being sustained by and proclaiming Torah, which is the essence of what Y'shua is teaching. Y'shua's example and teaching are to be part of our innermost being, literally taken... into our hearts. This imagery is also seen in Mark 7:19 which distinguishes between physical food and spiritual food, and Jeremiah 31:33 which speaks of writing Torah upon the heart. Part 2 is the life which Y'shua refers to, it is not physical as in one's self, but the core essence of being, the spirit of man." end quote
John 6:63
It is the Spirit that makes alive; the body does not profit anything. The words that I speak with you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.
Here I find it useful to quote Mr. Roth again:
"As the body does not profit anything, then neither can ingesting a wafer that symbolizes the body! Sin is a violation of Torah. The absolution of sin begins with Teshuva (turning to YHWH). Faith in Mashiyach is evidence that the Ruach haKodesh has begun to write Torah upon the heart. Obedience to Torah as the Word of YHWH is the process of Sanctification which is the setting apart of YHWH's people unto Himself, from all manner of worldliness and false religion. No volume of wafer-ism or canned prayer... will provide an acceptable substitute to being born into the Image of Elohim." end quote
John 6:58
This is the Bread that has descended from heaven. It is not as manna (physical) your forefathers ate and died. He who eats this Bread (spiritual) will live forever!
The following accounts are from the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Y'shua knows his time has come, and it is the last time he will dine with his beloved disciples. He hasn't instituted anything new or added to the Instructions of the Father in regards to keeping this fixed time. He came to do the will of the Father. He has always maintained that he is the True Bread from Heaven.
Matthew 26:26
It is during this set time of YHWH that the bread Y'shua is breaking is unleavened and he tells his disciples that it represents his body, as he is the true Bread from Heaven. The cup represents his shed blood for the forgiveness of sins. Leaven is a metaphor for sin and Y'shua was sinless - there was no leaven to be found in him. So, to do this in remembrance of him would be to break the unleavened bread at the passover meal -- not every weekend at 'church'. It is appropriate to remember him during the feast of Unleavened Bread, as YHWH's reason for this time is to remember how powerful and awesome He Himself is by recounting all He did prior to Pharaoh setting His people free -- a foreshadow to remembering His Son whose shed blood has set us free from guilt of past sins. This is not the 'lord's supper' or the 'last supper' but it is where the church spun their doctrine for the ritual of a weekly communion.
We have the testimony of the Son and obey the Instructions of the Father, both of which are required to become Set Apart, to become part of the commonwealth of Israel - His Chosen people. We do remember that Y'shua died for our sake - we accept his shed blood as atonement for our sins - spiritually symbolic, a one time sacrifice but a forever covenant.
Y'shua spoke in parables many times, telling stories to illustrate spiritual lessons; stories that are to be interpreted in order to reveal the hidden meaning of what he was teaching. There is no real mystery. He was teaching us to use our 'brain', to think and reason - not just follow what was fashionable at the time.
Matthew 13:34
All these things Y'shua spoke in parables to the crowd, and he would not speak to them without a parable, so might be fulfilled the things which was spoken through the prophet who said, "I will open my mouth with parables and will bring out secrets that were from before the foundation of the world." (Psalms 78:2)
Mark 4:2
And he would teach them by parables, and would say many in his teaching.
Y'shua told his disciples that they were given to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of Elohim, but to others everything is in parables. This can be gleaned from the parable of the sower of seeds. (Mark 4:3)
Mark 4:34
And he would not speak to them (the crowds) without parables but to his disciples he would explain everything.
If we read and study Scriptures, we too may gain understanding.
Lets take what we know about Y'shua teaching technique and apply it to the following:
John 6:48
I am the Bread of Life. :50 this is the Bread that has descended from heaven that a man may eat from it and he will not die! :51 I am the Living Bread who has descended from Heaven. And if a man should eat from this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I give is my body which I give for the sake of the life of the world.
He has caused quite a stir among the Yehudeans saying such things, and they couldn't understand, 'how can he give us his body to eat?' They were thinking in the physical not the spiritual realm.
John 6:53
I say to you, that unless you eat the body of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in Qnoma (underlying substance/self). :54 And he who eats from my body and drinks from my blood has life that is everlasting, and I will raise him up on the last day. :55 for truly my body is food and truly my blood is drink.
I quote Andrew Gabriel Roth of One Faith One People Ministries --
"The body/blood imagery is metaphoric. Y'shua of course knows very well that it is an abomination to drink any kind of blood, let alone human blood (Leviticus 17:11). Consuming human flesh is also an abomination that is strictly prohibited. There are two underlying parts: Part 1 recalls the imagery of Ezekiel 3:1-15 where the prophet ate a Torah scroll, the imagery symbolizing the prophet being sustained by and proclaiming Torah, which is the essence of what Y'shua is teaching. Y'shua's example and teaching are to be part of our innermost being, literally taken... into our hearts. This imagery is also seen in Mark 7:19 which distinguishes between physical food and spiritual food, and Jeremiah 31:33 which speaks of writing Torah upon the heart. Part 2 is the life which Y'shua refers to, it is not physical as in one's self, but the core essence of being, the spirit of man." end quote
John 6:63
It is the Spirit that makes alive; the body does not profit anything. The words that I speak with you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.
Here I find it useful to quote Mr. Roth again:
"As the body does not profit anything, then neither can ingesting a wafer that symbolizes the body! Sin is a violation of Torah. The absolution of sin begins with Teshuva (turning to YHWH). Faith in Mashiyach is evidence that the Ruach haKodesh has begun to write Torah upon the heart. Obedience to Torah as the Word of YHWH is the process of Sanctification which is the setting apart of YHWH's people unto Himself, from all manner of worldliness and false religion. No volume of wafer-ism or canned prayer... will provide an acceptable substitute to being born into the Image of Elohim." end quote
John 6:58
This is the Bread that has descended from heaven. It is not as manna (physical) your forefathers ate and died. He who eats this Bread (spiritual) will live forever!
"Nothing is being eaten while Y'shua is making this statement; he had just levied a rebuke for their desire of physical rather than spiritual 'bread'. It is Faith in Y'shua as Mashiyach which causes a person to (be sustained by him). The 'wafer' is a pagan adulteration against Y'shua's teaching. Y'shua observed Torah to perfection, his perfect atoning sacrifice would be remembered specifically on the Moedim (feast of Unleavened Bread) as the Word of YHWH instructs." -- Andrew Gabriel Roth
John 6:35
Y'shua
said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not
hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst.
He calls himself the Bread of Life: whoever comes to him will not hunger! whoever believes in him will never be thirsty! All who believe and follow his teaching will be sustained spiritually.
He calls himself the Bread of Life: whoever comes to him will not hunger! whoever believes in him will never be thirsty! All who believe and follow his teaching will be sustained spiritually.
Matthew 26:26
And
while they were dining, Y'shua took bread and blessed it and broke it
and gave it to his disciples and said, "Take, eat. This is my body." And
he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them and said, "Take,
drink from it, all of you (his 12 disciples). This is my blood of the
renewed covenant, which for the sake of many is shed for the forgiveness
of sins."
Mark 14:22
Then
while they were eating, Y'shua took bread and blessed it and broke it
and gave it to them and said to them, "Take it. This is my body." And
he took a cup and gave thanks and blessed it and gave it to them and all
of them drank from it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the
renewed covenant, shed for the sake of many".
Luke 22:19
And
he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them and
said, "This is my body, which for your sake is given. Do this for my
memorial." And likewise also concerning the cup, after they had eaten
supper, he said, "This is the cup of the renewed covenant in my blood,
which is shed for your sake."
It is during this set time of YHWH that the bread Y'shua is breaking is unleavened and he tells his disciples that it represents his body, as he is the true Bread from Heaven. The cup represents his shed blood for the forgiveness of sins. Leaven is a metaphor for sin and Y'shua was sinless - there was no leaven to be found in him. So, to do this in remembrance of him would be to break the unleavened bread at the passover meal -- not every weekend at 'church'. It is appropriate to remember him during the feast of Unleavened Bread, as YHWH's reason for this time is to remember how powerful and awesome He Himself is by recounting all He did prior to Pharaoh setting His people free -- a foreshadow to remembering His Son whose shed blood has set us free from guilt of past sins. This is not the 'lord's supper' or the 'last supper' but it is where the church spun their doctrine for the ritual of a weekly communion.
We have the testimony of the Son and obey the Instructions of the Father, both of which are required to become Set Apart, to become part of the commonwealth of Israel - His Chosen people. We do remember that Y'shua died for our sake - we accept his shed blood as atonement for our sins - spiritually symbolic, a one time sacrifice but a forever covenant.
Here is more concerning the bread/wine analogy:
1 Corinthians 11:27- "He, therefore, who eats of the bread of Master Y'shua and drinks of his cup AND is not worthy of it, is guilty of the blood of Y'shua and of his body. :28 For this reason, a man should examine himself... :29
For whoever eats and drinks of it while he is unworthy... brings
condemnation upon himself by not discerning the 'body of Master YHWH'. :30
For this cause, many among you are diseased and sickly and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (meaning if
we hold ourselves up to God's Standard, in obedience to His Instructions
in Righteousness, we shall not bring condemnation upon ourselves) :32 But when we are judged by our Master Y'shua we are really disciplined, that we many not be condemned with the world."
1 Corinthians 11:33- Wherefore, my Brothers, when you assemble to eat, wait for one another. And let him who is hungry eat at home, that you may assemble and not for condemnation.
1 Corinthians 10 - the entire chapter is a good teaching. Paul
points out examples from Torah so that we do not covet after the evil
things as they did - those who died in the wilderness who did not enter
the promised land. They were all immersed by Moses,
under the same cloud, all passed through the same sea... they all ate
the same spiritual food (provided by YHWH) and drank the same spiritual drink
(water from the rock at Horeb)... yet there was a multitude of them that
God was not pleased. All the things that befell them were for an
example to us and they are written for our instruction, on whom the end
of the world has come. (10:11)
He is referring to idolatry, and not to eat foods sacrificed to idols.
1 Corinthians 10:16- The cup of thanksgiving which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the
blood of the Messiah? And the bread which we break is it not the
fellowship of the body of Messiah? As therefore that bread is One so we
are all one body.
We come to understand the we are all one in the Messiah by accepting the 'bread and the wine' of eternal life in the renewed covenant. In Deuteronomy 8 we are taught that man does not live by bread alone but he may live on anything decreed by YHWH. Therefore keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim: walk in His ways and revere Him.
We come to understand the we are all one in the Messiah by accepting the 'bread and the wine' of eternal life in the renewed covenant. In Deuteronomy 8 we are taught that man does not live by bread alone but he may live on anything decreed by YHWH. Therefore keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim: walk in His ways and revere Him.
The common belief in performing 'communion' rituals is what spurred this study. Folks think that the above mentioned Scriptures mean we should be eating the wafer and drinking the wine every weekend to remember the suffering 'Jesus' went through. Some denominations believe the wafer and wine actually become the body and blood of Messiah. 'Communion' carries way too much traditional religious baggage from the Catholic realm and distorts the original meaning of the Hebrew word for 'fellowship'.
What is taught and believed in the Catholic Church:
Quote: Our Catholic teaching that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus, not bread and wine, is clearly taught in the Bible and throughout the 2,000-year tradition of the Church. The early Church took this teaching seriously. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says, "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord... for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:27,29) Paul's statement makes sense only if the bread and wine have become the real Body and Blood of Christ. How does this change take place? It happens during the eucharistic prayer of the Mass. At that time, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, as the Church has always taught. Although they still look like bread and wine, they have, by divine power, actually changed into His Body and Blood. How can we know this? It requires faith. It is a mystery which, like love, we will never fully understand. The Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, His death and Resurrection are other mysteries which, along with the Eucharist, we will never fully comprehend in this life." end quote
It is appropriate to ceremoniously remember Y'shua during the time of the feast of Unleavened Bread. He did not replace the Father's plans and instructions for us, nor did he add anything new - but he is very much a part of all of it! Messiah is prophesied throughout the 'old testament' and the 'new testament' is an account of those prophecies fulfilled and those yet to occur. All of Scripture is to help us Remember who we are, Whom we came from and where we are going.
