Every Friday night, Jewish families all over the world, say prayers to usher the Sabbath, Shabbat. Some families may say more prayers, perhaps a blessing over the children or the women, but at least three prayers are recited. One prayer is giving thanks for the Sabbath and lighting the Sabbath candles, one is giving thanks to God for the fruit of the vine, and one is giving thanks to God for the bread.
The prayer recited over the bread is:
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech HaOlam HaMotzee Lechem Min HaAretz
Blessed are You Oh LORD Our God, King of the Universe Who brings forth bread from the earth. When I was young, we rarely said this prayer, and I don't know why. Perhaps it was that my mom was too busy raising four young children to bake the wonderful challah (egg) bread. However, as we grew up, at Thanksgiving as we gave thanks, my dad would recite the HaMotzee, giving God thanks for the bread. Saying grace is not a standard operating procedure in most secular Jewish homes, so this prayer was a real blessing! Knowing Yeshua adds a wonderful new dimension to this prayer.
Our LORD Messiah Yeshua was born in Bethlehem, and in Hebrew, that town is Beit Lechem, meaning the House of Bread. Yeshua said to His disciples and the multitude in John 6:35: "I am the Bread of Life (Lechem Chyeem); he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." A couple of verses before, verses 26-27, Yeshua Jesus rebukes the motives of the multitudes "You seek Me, not because you saw the signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life..."
Yeshua really challenged His followers about their motives of satisfying their appetites, instead of seeing HIM. Personally, this is quite convicting. How often do I personally look at Him to satisfy temporal wants, when He is the Forever Bread, the Eternal Bread?
He continued in verse 32 "Truly truly I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the Bread out of heaven." Here is Yeshua, born in the House of Bread (Beit Lechem - Bethlehem) telling them He is the Always Bread, the Much More Bread. Manna had to be gathered daily and there was only enough for one day's supply, except for the Sabbath. However, here, Yeshua Jesus is given from Heaven, from God, and His supply is eternal.
We continue in Matthew 26:26 “And while they were eating, Yeshua Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is My body...” This prayer of thanksgiving is the same as above Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech HaOlam HaMotzee Lechem Min HaAretz. Blessed are You O LORD Our God, King of the universe Who brings forth Bread from the earth.
Once more, We see the Yeshua Jesus, the Living Bread, born in the House of Bread, giving thanks to the One who brings forth the Bread from the earth. Yeshua Jesus again foretells His death and resurrection in the HaMotzee !
How blessed is God who brings forth Bread from the earth.
How blessed is God who brings forth Yeshua from the grave. No sin, no leaven, no yeast –
yet He Rises Perfectly !
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