Pão
O pão é símbolo central na Bíblia: do maná no deserto ao pão da vida — Jesus. A Escritura usa o pão para ensinar sobre provisão divina, comunhão e dependência espiritual.
O maná do céu
Deus alimentou Israel no deserto com pão do céu. O maná era diário, fiel e suficiente — retrato da provisão constante de Deus.
The Lord said to Moses, "I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God."
That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, "What is it?"
Moses answered, "This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
The Israelites called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey.
But God gave a command
to the clouds,
and he opened the doors
in the skies.
From heaven he sent grain
that they called manna.
He gave them more than enough,
and each one of them ate
this special food.
You let the earth produce
grass for cattle,
plants for our food,
wine to cheer us up,
olive oil for our skin,
and grain for our health.
O pão da vida
Jesus declarou: 'Eu sou o pão da vida.' Quem vem a Ele nunca terá fome, e quem nele crê jamais terá sede. Ele é o sustento eterno.
Jesus then told them, "I tell you for certain that Moses wasn’t the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world."
The people said, "Sir, give us this bread and don’t ever stop!"
Jesus replied:
I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.
I am the bread that gives life! Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread I give to the people of this world.
so he made you go hungry. Then he gave you manna, a kind of food that you and your ancestors had never even heard about. The Lord was teaching you that people need more than food to live—they need every word that the Lord has spoken.
Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say:
‘No one can live only on food.
People need every word
that God has spoken.’ "
Partilha e comunhão
O partir do pão une o corpo de Cristo. Na Ceia, na generosidade e na partilha, expressamos a comunhão com Deus e uns com os outros.
Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!"
The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about his death until he comes.
When we drink from the cup we ask God to bless, isn’t that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread we break, isn’t that sharing in the body of Christ? By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.
You should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor
your name.
Come and set up
your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth
will obey you,
as you are obeyed
in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
The Lord blesses everyone
who freely gives food
to the poor.
Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat."
But they asked him, "Don’t you know it would take almost a year’s wages to buy all of these people something to eat?"
Then Jesus said, "How much bread do you have? Go and see!"
They found out and answered, "We have five small loaves of bread and two fish." Jesus told his disciples to tell the people to sit down on the green grass. They sat down in groups of 100 and groups of 50.
Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish, so everyone could have some.
After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftover bread and fish.
Provisão divina
O justo não é desamparado e seus descendentes não mendigam pão. Deus provê com fidelidade o alimento de cada dia.
As long as I can remember,
good people have never
been left helpless,
and their children have never
gone begging for food.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread when they crossed the lake.Jesus then warned them, "Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
The disciples talked this over and said to each other, "He must be saying this because we didn’t bring along any bread."
Jesus knew what they were thinking and said:
You surely don’t have much faith! Why are you talking about not having any bread? Don’t you understand? Have you forgotten about the 5,000 people and all those baskets of leftovers from just five loaves of bread? And what about the 4,000 people and all those baskets of leftovers from only seven loaves of bread? Don’t you know by now that I am not talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!
Finally, the disciples understood that Jesus wasn’t talking about the yeast used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
It Pays To Work Hard
Be generous, and someday
you will be rewarded.
Share what you have
with seven or eight others,
because you never know
when disaster may strike.