The Bread of Life - Genesis 41:53-57

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Genesis 41:53-57. In this passage of Scripture, we read about how God used Joseph to save his family and the adjoining world from famine by storing grain in Egypt. God intervened again in like manner to save humankind by sending Jesus, the Bread of Life. All who eat from this Bread will live forever. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we remember Jesus who died on a cross to save us from our sins. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "The Bread of Life." I read from Genesis 41:53-57 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere."

The Scriptures tell us that "Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of the Pharoah king of Egypt." As Joseph explains to his brothers, his rise to power was no lucky coincidence, "God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." God saved them by ensuring there would be grain during a time of great famine in the world. Because there was grain, there would be bread, and because there was bread, there would be life! What a great story—how God appointed one man to ensure there would be a supply of bread to save His people! If elements of this story are starting to have a familiar ring, you are probably thinking of Jesus' words spoken from Capernaum (John 6:48-51), "I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Yes, there are similarities, but let's focus on some very important contrasts. Joseph was the son of Jacob; Jesus was the Son of God. Joseph supplied grain for bread; Jesus was the bread! The people who ate the bread from Egypt would die; the people who ate the bread of heaven would live forever. That's the kind of bread we want, and it is freely available to all. Jesus told us the bread was His flesh, which He would give for the life of the world. Jesus' listeners would someday see the fulfillment of Jesus' words as He offered His life for humankind when He died on the cross. As we partake of the bread, we are reminded of Jesus, the living bread that came down from heaven. As we partake of the fruit of the vine, we are reminded of His blood, which He poured out on the cross that we can receive forgiveness of our sins through faith in Him. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, we are encouraged by the story of Joseph; he is one of the heroes of our faith. You raised him up that he might store grain to save his family and the world from famine. Once more, Abba, Father, You intervened in the course of human affairs to save humankind. You sent Your Son, Jesus, to be the bread of heaven that gives life to the world. We are thankful that Jesus was willing to offer His flesh for the life of the world. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we will remember Your Son, Jesus, and His sacrifice for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV), “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!