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.
And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying, "I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, Between the evenings you eat flesh, and in the morning you are satisfied [with] bread, and you have known that I [am] your God YHWH." And it comes to pass in the evening, that the quail comes up, and covers the camp, and in the morning there has been the lying of dew around the camp, and the lying of the dew goes up, and behold, on the face of the wilderness [is] a thin, bare thing, thin as hoarfrost on the earth. And the sons of Israel see, and say to one another, "What [is] it?" For they have not known what it [is]; and Moses says to them, "It [is] the bread which YHWH has given to you for food.
and the house of Israel calls its name Manna, and it [is] as white coriander seed; and its taste [is] as a cake with honey.
And He commands clouds from above, || Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens. And He rains manna on them to eat, || Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them. Each has eaten food of the mighty, || He sent provision to them to satiety.
Causing grass to spring up for livestock, || And herb for the service of man, || To bring forth bread from the earth, And wine—it makes the heart of man glad, || To cause the face to shine from oil, || And bread—it supports the heart of man.
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, therefore, said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread out of Heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread out of Heaven; for the bread of God is Him coming down out of Heaven, and giving life to the world." Therefore they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." And Jesus said to them, "I AM the bread of life; he who is coming to Me may not hunger, and he who is believing in Me may not thirst—at any time;
I AM the bread of life; your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died; this is the bread that is coming down out of Heaven, that anyone may eat of it, and not die. I AM the living bread that came down out of Heaven; if anyone may eat of this bread he will live—throughout the age; and the bread also that I will give is My flesh, that I will give for the life of the world."
And He humbles you, and causes you to hunger, and causes you to eat the manna (which you have not known, even your fathers have not known), in order to cause you to know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything proceeding [from] the mouth of YHWH.
But He answering said, "It has been written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word coming forth from the mouth of God."
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.
And having taken bread, having given thanks, He broke and gave to them, saying, "This is My body, that is being given for you, do this in remembrance of Me."
for as often as you may eat this bread, and may drink this cup, you show forth the death of the LORD—until He may come;
The cup of the blessing that we bless—is it not the fellowship of the blood of the Christ? The bread that we break—is it not the fellowship of the body of the Christ? Because one bread, one body, are we the many—for we all partake of the one bread.
therefore pray thus: Our Father who [is] in the heavens, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will come to pass, as in Heaven also on the earth. Give us today our appointed bread.
The good of eye—he is blessed, || For he has given of his bread to the poor.
And He answering said to them, "You give them to eat," and they say to Him, "Having gone away, may we buy two hundred denarii worth of loaves, and give to them to eat?" And He says to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see"; and having known, they say, "Five, and two fishes." And He commanded them to make all recline in companies on the green grass, and they sat down in squares, by hundreds, and by fifties. And having taken the five loaves and the two fishes, having looked up to the sky, He blessed, and broke the loaves, and was giving [them] to His disciples, that they may set [them] before them, and the two fishes He divided to all, and they all ate, and were filled, and they took up of broken pieces twelve hand-baskets full, and of the fishes,
Provisão divina
O justo não é desamparado e seus descendentes não mendigam pão. Deus provê com fidelidade o alimento de cada dia.
I have been young, || I have also become old, || And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, || And his seed seeking bread.
And His disciples having come to the other side, forgot to take loaves, and Jesus said to them, "Beware, and take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees"; and they were reasoning in themselves, saying, "Because we took no loaves." And Jesus having known, said to them, "Why reason you in yourselves, you of little faith, because you took no loaves? Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How do you not understand that I did not speak to you of bread—to take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?" Then they understood that He did not say to take heed of the leaven of the bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Send forth your bread on the face of the waters, || For in the multitude of the days you find it. Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, || For you do not know what evil is on the earth.