For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, (Luke 2:11-12).
God chose Bethlehem, a small town in Judah, to be the birthplace of our Savior. This was prophesied hundreds of years before His birth (Micah 5:2). Bethlehem is located in the West Bank, about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. In Biblical times, Judean families harvested wheat and barley in nearby fields and managed flocks of sheep in the hillsides.
The story of Ruth (David’s grandmother) takes place in Bethlehem, and the fields of wheat are woven throughout this book of the Bible. In Hebrew, “Bethlehem” means, “House of Bread”. It is by no accident that God chose this place from whence our Savior came, for He is the Bread of Life.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst, (John 6:33-35).
Knowing that the House of Bread was the birthplace of Jesus, the Bread of Life, is food for my soul. It enriches me and is just one more way to see how God weaves things together in the bigger picture of His holy and righteous plan.
Bread is very important in the Bible. Bread is a staple of life today and in ancient times. Let’s look at some scripture and dig deeper.
- In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, (Genesis 3:19).
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world, they were banished from His garden. God cursed the ground and told them they would struggle and toil to eat thereof. God specifically talks about bread and how difficult it would be for them to have it now that they had sinned.
- Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no, (Exodus 16:4).
God provided for His people in the wilderness. He fed them bread from Heaven. Every morning for 5 days, they would gather the bread they needed for that day according to the number of people in their family. On the 6th day, God provided a double portion so the Sabbath would remain a day of rest. For 40 years God did this for His people. During that time, some would not follow God’s instructions, and they would gather more than He commanded. The extra bread that was taken would rot and fill with maggots. Some even tried to gather on the Sabbath, but no bread was found. There are consequences when we disobey God, and He used even bread to teach this lesson.
- And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway, (Exodus 25:30).
The Lord gave many specific instructions in the building of the tabernacle, including having 12 loaves of bread set in a particular place and in a certain way. We learn in Leviticus 24:8, that the showbread was set out new every Sabbath. This was a reminder of the covenant God had with His people. The bread also symbolized God’s presence and provision.
- It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, (Matthew 4:4).
When Jesus fasted in the wilderness 40 days, Satan tempted Him by telling Him to turn the rocks into bread. Jesus quoted scripture to him, and the verse He chose connects with the Spirit of God inside us and how important the Word of God is to our daily lives. Jesus furthers this point when He teaches the people how to pray in His sermon on the mount: “Give us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11). We are to rely daily on God for our physical and spiritual wellness and recognize that it is He who provides by being thankful.
- And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children, (Matthew 14:19-21).
Jesus used bread as an integral part in this miracle to feed over 5000 people. He provided so much for the multitude that 12 baskets full remained. Jesus abundantly provides for us.
- And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me, (Luke 22:19).
At the Last Supper, where Jesus and His disciples observed the Passover together, they ate the unleavened bread as commanded by God in remembrance of their ancestors and what God had done for them. Jesus now gives a new command, to do it in remembrance of Him. It would not be until later that the disciples would understand His words, but as Christians today live on this side of the cross, we see what Jesus meant when He said, “This is my body which is given for you.” Jesus gave his life for us. He paid the price of atonement for us. He gave His body for us.
As the lamb’s blood was placed on the door posts of Hebrew dwellings to let the Angel of Death pass over them, Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed His blood for us and so began the new covenant between God and His people. No more do we have to wait for the Day of Atonement and the sacrificing of animals for our sins to be forgiven. No more does the veil separate us from the presence of God. Jesus changed it all. When we partake in the Lord’s Supper, the bread reminds us of the body of Christ and what He did to redeem us.
Final Thoughts
In the Bible, bread is significant. It’s used in bringing people together in communal fellowship, serves as a reminder of God’s presence and provision, shows the power of the Word of God, and sustains us.
I love bread. I love working the dough with my hands. I love how the smell of it baking in the oven permeates the entire house. I love eating it and how satisfying it is. I hope that the next time you bake bread or eat it you allow that aroma to remind you of God.
Let us break bread together!
What are some other Bible verses about bread that come to your mind? If you don’t know any, I encourage you to search the scriptures.
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