Matthew 26:26-46

“Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” (Matthew 26:26, CEB)

In the midst of a ritual that was so ancient, so meaningful, so familiar, Jesus does something that rocks the disciples. Instead of the simple breaking of the matza, Jesus changes the story, and the action, and the ritual. He, who called himself the bread from heaven, portrayed in a symbolic and mysterious way how his own body would be taken, blessed, broken, and given to those around the table, so that the world could be fed.

Every since that night, we gather to remember the story and take the bread, bless it, break it, and give it to one another as representing Christ. Yet, it’s become more than about Jesus alone.

In the book Life of the Beloved, author Henri Nouwen describes the spiritual life through these four actions of Jesus. He says,

“These words summarize my life as a Christian because as a Christian I am called to become bread for the world: bread that is taken, blessed, broken, and given. Most importantly, however, they summarize my life as a human being because in every moment of my life somewhere, somehow the taking, the blessing, the breaking, and the giving are happening”

The Bread of Life in a real and sometimes too tangible way, takes us, blesses us, breaks us, and gives us to the world. In a very real sense, Jesus has made us (the Church) the bread of life for the world. Nouwen continues,

“It is through them that I have come into touch with the ways of becoming the beloved of God.”

All that Jesus did through his ministry, his suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection were to tell us one simple story, that no matter what part of life you may be experiencing right now, taken, blessed, broken, or given, you are the beloved of God!