The Meal That Heals

The Meal That Heals

bread used for the supper is called matzo, meaning baked without leaven. There are four cups of wine used at every Jewish Passover. According to the Jerusalem Talmud, each cup represents one of the four words used in the redemption of Israel out of Egypt: 1. And I will bring you out (Exodus 6:6) 2. And I will deliver (Exodus 3:8) 3. And I will redeem (Exodus 6:6) 4. And I will take (Exodus 6:7) According to the Talmud and rabbinical commentaries, the wine is mingled with water so the wine will not be strong. Because of the children, some Jewish families use a special wine that has no fermentation (alcohol). It is produced in Israel, has a very sweet taste, and is actually considered the “pure blood of the grape” (Deuteronomy 32:14). When wine is used, the water and wine are mixed in each of the four cups before the blessing is made. Again, we see a picture of the Lamb of God who would suffer and die at the time of Passover. When the centurion pierced Christ’s side, blood and water came forth (John 19:34). At the Last Supper, when Jesus held up the cup, He called the contents the “fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18). I believe this is significant. The blood in Christ’s body was unique since He was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). The blood type of the child comes from the seed of the father, and Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Since our Lord was conceived by the Holy Spirit, the blood of Christ came directly from God in the same manner that God imparted blood into the first man Adam (who was not born through a natural birth process). Because Christ was sinless, His blood was untainted with the sin element in the same manner as the sons of Adam! During Communion, the pure blood of the grape, the fruit of the vine, represents the sinless, incorruptible blood of the Son of God. While some churches use fermented wine, which is produced by a decaying process, other churches use pure grape juice for this reason. Jesus informed His disciples that this cup would be the cup of the New Covenant. The new blood covenant would be complete upon

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