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.
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.
Then Jesus said to them: "Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from Heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is the One coming down out of Heaven and giving Life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." So Jesus said to them: "I am the bread of the Life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes into me will never thirst.
"I am the bread of the Life. Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died. This is the bread that comes down out of Heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. Actually, the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give on behalf of the life of the world."
But in answer He said, "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word coming out of God’s mouth.’ "
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 institutes the Lord’s Supper
Then, after the meal, He took bread, gave thanks, broke and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death, until He comes.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing of the body of Christ? Since the loaf is one, we, the many, are one body, because we all partake of that single loaf.
Therefore, you pray like this:
‘Our Father who is in the heavens,
let Your name be reverenced;
let Your kingdom come,
let Your will be done, on the earth just as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
But in reply He said to them, "You feed them!" to perform the miracle, before they had seen it done. Wow! They say to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and feed them?" So He says to them: "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." When they knew they said, "Five, and two fish."
Then He directed them all to recline in groups on the green grass. So they reclined in ‘plots’ of hundreds and of fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples to serve the people; He also divided the two fish among them all. Well they all ate and were filled. And they picked up twelve full baskets of broken pieces; also of the fish.
Provisão divina
O justo não é desamparado e seus descendentes não mendigam pão. Deus provê com fidelidade o alimento de cada dia.
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees"
Upon arriving at the other side His disciples had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." So they reasoned among themselves saying, "It’s because we didn’t bring any bread." But Jesus, being aware, said to them: "You little-faiths! Why are you reasoning among yourselves because you didn’t bring any bread? Do you not yet perceive nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many hampers you took up? How come you don’t perceive that it wasn’t about bread that I told you to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.