Bread and Wine

Spoiler Alert…

Okay — I’m just venting here. And if you’re someone who finds deep meaning in communion, and some of this rubs you the wrong way, please forgive me in advance. You might be right to feel that way. This is me processing my own journey, through my own lens, flavored with Jewish kishkes and some sarcasm.

From the beginning, I knew Hashem wouldn’t want me drinking blood. That’s a forever prohibition, for all our generations. It’s not vague. It’s not flexible. It’s not culturally negotiable.

So when I first started believing Yeshua is the Messiah, and I was still attending church (which ended decades ago) let’s just say I had an internal struggle when the little tray of plastic cups and dry white wafers came down the pew.

And let’s be honest: my kishkes were not wrong to react. I knew this practice was rooted in something beautiful. The original context wasn’t a weekend ceremony. It was the Passover meal.

That matters. And my Jewish instincts knew it.

Now, for well over a decade, I’ve been part of a shul that believes Yeshua is the Messiah. We still pass around trays. In fact, once a month, we do share matzah and grape juice. And yes, I do participate. I do it knowing it was originally part of a Passover meal. Still, there is nothing wrong with a small snack in remembrance, if it draws my heart toward repentance and my mind toward reflection. And that’s exactly what it does for me. I take the matzah. I sip the juice. I pause and ask: “Hashem, what are you dealing with me about right now?”

Sometimes, the answer is clear. I recognize that part of what Hashem is working on in me… is this very sarcasm, scattered throughout this blog post.

Because remembrance isn't just about looking back. The original moment happened at a Passover table, but the purpose was to invite each of us, every time we remember Yeshua.

Tiny cups in scripture? Non-existent. Tiny wafers in scripture? Non-existent. The texts speak of the cup at a Passover meal.

What the plain words say (CJB):

Luke 22:17 — “Then, taking a cup, he made the b’rakhah and said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves.’”

• Luke 22:20 — “And he did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant…’”

• 1 Corinthians 10:16 — “The cup of blessing over which we make the b’rakhah—isn’t it a sharing in the blood of the Messiah?”

• 1 Corinthians 11:25–26 — “Likewise also the cup after the meal… ‘Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes.”I’m keeping this very simple. No theories. No debates. Just the plain words of Scripture.

  

  
  

  The time and setting

  Luke 22:1 (CJB) “The festival of Matzah, known as Pesach, was approaching;” Luke 22:7 (CJB) “Then came Yom HaMatzah, on which the Pesach lamb had to be sacrificed.”

  What Yeshua did with the bread

  Luke 22:19 (CJB) “Also, taking a piece of matzah, he made the b’rakhah, broke it, gave it to them and said, ‘This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in memory of me.’”

  What Yeshua did with the cup—after the meal

  Luke 22:20 (CJB) “And he did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant, ratified by my blood, which is being poured out for you.’”

  Paul repeats these facts exactly

  1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (CJB) “For what I received from the Lord is just what I passed on to you — that the Lord Yeshua, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and after he had made the b’rakhah he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me.’ Likewise also the cup after the meal, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant effected by my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes.”

  What the bread and cup are called

  1 Corinthians 10:16 (CJB) “The cup of blessing over which we make the b’rakhah — isn’t it a sharing in the blood of the Messiah? The bread we break — isn’t it a sharing in the body of the Messiah?”

  Passover itself is a memorial

  Exodus 12:14 (CJB) “This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to Adonai; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation.”

  In the period reflected by early Jewish sources, the Passover meal followed an order with reclining and four cups, and each person had their own cups (four per person). This order is recorded in Mishnah Pesachim 10 (compiled ~200 CE, preserving earlier practice).

  Literal note on “as often as you do this” 

  In 1 Cor 11:25–26, “as often as” simply means “whenever / every time.” Plainly: whenever you drink this cup after the meal at the Passover meal, do it in memory of him; and whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. It sets the meaning each time, not a new schedule.

  What Did Yeshua Expect?

  Yeshua expected his disciples to continue celebrating and remembering the Torah command to keep the Passover, "a perpetual regulation” (Exodus 12:14, CJB). He said he did not come to abolish the Torah (Matthew 5:17, CJB). Therefore, at the Passover meal, with matzah and the cup after the meal, he said, “Do this in memory of me.” Whenever we reach that moment, we remember the Messiah.

The seder is a memory machine. Its gears are oiled with “Exodus, Exodus, Exodus.” As the CJB puts it: “On that day you are to tell your son, ‘It is because of what ADONAI did for me when I left Egypt’” (Exod 13:8). That’s the center of gravity mentioned over a hundred times in the Jewish Bible. Bring Yeshua in where he himself said, “remember me,” and dayeinu, that’s enough. Want to explore how the elements might point to him? Beautiful, make it a stand-alone session another day, but don't allow it to take over the importance of the main purpose of remembering the Exodus. Remember again... “On that day you are to tell your son, ‘It is because of what ADONAI did for me when I left Egypt’” (Exod 13:8).