Communion: Salt, Oil, and the Lamb

What is the origin of the Lord's Supper, aka Communion? Why isn't Jesus called “the Kid of God That Takes Away Sin” in the NT? What is unleavened bread? What is the recipe for the Communion?

1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

Jesus authorized the Communion while observing the Passover Feast with His Twelve Apostles during the night of His betrayal by Judas. He predicted that He would not observe the Communion any more until He participated in it with them in the Kingdom (Matthew 26:29). Of course, Jesus knew that within hours He was to be crucified. The Kingdom was established 40 days later (Acts 2; compare with Jesus' statement in Acts 1:6-8).

COMMUNION BREAD. When God originally commanded the Passover through Moses, unleavened bread was authorized as part of the sacrificial offering. It was during the obedient observance of this OT Law that Jesus instituted the Communion which became a part of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:26f; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17ff; 10:16). Hence, a knowledge of the observance will inform us of what the Communion consists.

SIGNIFIES THE NEW COVENANT. 'And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom” (Matthew 26:26-29).

ORIGIN OF PASSOVER. In the Book of Exodus (chapter 12), the Pharaoh would not let his slaves Israel leave bondage until God sent ten plagues to punish Egypt. The tenth plague was the death of the first-born in Egypt. For immunity, Israel's families had to kill a lamb and place its blood on the doorposts of their houses. Seeing the blood the Lord would pass over the first-born in that home. Hence, the English appellation Passover.

LAMB (sheep) OR KID (goat). From the first, the command has been either a lamb or a kid for the observance of the Passover. Exodus 12: 5...`The lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year, you will take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.` “The Hebrew seh [for lamb in this passage] is quite a neutral word and should be translated ‘head of (small) stock’, applying equally to sheep and goats of any age" (Cole).ⁱ Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries definition of "seh^H7716: “the idea of pushing out to graze; a member of a flock, that is, a sheep or goat.” The Greek LXX translation of Exodus 12:5 uses a generic word also and is according to Strong's:ⁱⁱ “something that walks forward (a quadruped), that is, (specifically) a sheep (literally or figuratively).”

JESUS IS COMPARED TO A LAMB (NOT A KID). Sheep behave differently than goats. The sheep appear to be meek, gentle, a follower, and therefore, can be led while generally staying with the flock.ⁱⁱⁱ On the other hand, a goat is an individualist and Jesus uses it to represent a uncaring disciple (Matthew 25:31-46). ^iv Prophesying of the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah (53:7) uses the neutral word^v in both Hebrew and Greek. That is, He represents the sacrificial animal. Then, His manner is specific. "He is brought as a lamb (râchêl^H7716, definitely a sheep and not goat) to the slaughter.” But in the Greek LXX (which is how the passage is quoted in the NT) the New Testament's chief word amnos^G286 for a small lamb is used.

THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB. Jesus then is the antitype of the sacrificial lamb amnos^G286
o, i.e., Passover Lamb; i.e., the lamb of Isaiah 53:7. His is the specific characteristic of the sacrificial (young) lamb. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb [amnos] of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; see also, verse 36,^vi 1 Peter 1:19; Acts 8:32).

JESUS IS OUR PASSOVER (LAMB). "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” (1 Corinthians 10:18). The apostle compares our observance of the Communion to the sacrificial feast that accompanies an actual animal sacrifice. "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

NO LEAVEN. "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus chose for us the Passover bread to represent His body that was sacrificed for us. Therefore, in order to be a good sheep for Jesus (Matthew 25) and obedient to our leader, should we not eat of the same as the Passover bread specified by Moses and eaten by our Lord?

NON-LEVETO. The bread cannot contain any leaven. Due to the injunction not to eat chametz (leaven) during Passover (Exodus 12:15) the Israelite was to remove any leaven from their houses (Exodus 12:15) during the holy days. In the Navy on our six month duty in the Med, the ship's chaplain gave me a list of all members of the church of Christ aboard our ship. In keeping with Acts 20:7, upon the first day of each week, we came together to partake of the communion. Friends back home sent me the bread and grape juice. One time on shore in Naples I entered a bakery and asked for “non-leveto pane”^vii; the baker didn't understand English nor my Italian. At any rate, I should have known that a bakery only deals with “swollen” tasty treats and not unleavened.

OIL AND SALT. On social media I noticed some recipes for unleavened bread for families during the social distancing period (during the pandemic) had oil and salt. The oil and salt was challenged by a well intentioned person.

UNLEAVENED BREAD CONTENT. Specific addition for oil and salt are given for certain uses. A separate list, for example, given for the bread for consecrating priests: "unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour)" (Exodus 29:2). But this is stipulated for the priests. Various sacrificial offerings called for unleavened bread and the ingredients listed are: fine wheat flour, oil, frankincense and salt (Leviticus 2:1-13; 6:14-17; 7:11-12). Frankincense was an oil available later in Canaan. In fact, the only thing specified through Moses was the unleavened bread. The lamb's preparation is inconsequential to the NT believer. Leavening agents such as yeast, baking powder and baking soda produce added gases and should not be used. In fact, if the plain kneaded dough is not baked within about twenty minutes, the flour with water can “accidentally” leaven from the yeast in the air.^viii

What was specified then was the omission of leaven and later honey (Leviticus 2:11). However, salt is required for the grain (food) offerings. These offerings were not shared or eaten by the worshipper. "And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt" (Leviticus 2:13)." The Passover offering is the lamb and not the bread. Offerings of bread were burned to God and given to the priests.

To someone on a ship at sea or marooned on an island, unleavened bread as flour and water, if available, will suffice for a Scriptural Lord's Supper. The authority of the Scripture is respected by refusing what the Scriptures forbid: leaven. Grocery markets sometimes have Passover matzah^ix available and it will be unleavened. Walmart stores online have communion wafers that should meet the requirements.

Fellow minister Tommy Thornhill shared this recipe from a tract by Doris Davis: Preheat oven to 250 - 275 degrees. For less than 100 people, 1/3 cup of plain flour, 2 pinches of salt, 3 teaspoon of vegetable oil or shortening, 5 tablespoons of ice water. Mix flour, salt and oil After blended, press out on wax paper, roll out very thin, and cut into desired shape. Prick the rolled out dough to keep air out, Then bake until the bread is soft, but not brown. The baking time may vary from 30 to 50 minutes.

THE CUP. Some one has commented on unleavened bread to which I obviously disagree, "Yeast and fermentation are not themselves forbidden (?) as seen for example by wine, which is required, rather than merely permitted." Actually, wine is not required but the "fruit of the vine" is (Matthew 26:29). Apparently, wine is called "fruit of the vine" in later Jewish Passover instruction which leads some to say that that's what Jesus meant. But it is humbly pointed out that Jesus was not acquainted with these post-Jerusalem (after destruction of, in 70 AD) instructions and He followed only the Torah. The Pharisaic teachings of the elders, for example, taught during the first century, were rejected by Jesus (Matthew 15:2). Since wine is a product of fermentation, it would follow that such would not be available in the home during Passover (Exodus 13:7). Therefore, the drink would have been closer to just plain grape juice (depending on preservation techniques known then).^x

SUMMARY. The Passover is related to the origin of Communion. Jesus is our Passover, the true humble sacrificial lamb of God. Jesus' body is represented by unleavened bread.

GAYLON WEST
THROW OUT THE LIFE LINE

iii "Sheep is a meek animal. They are usually very quiet and gentle, holding themselves aloof from the world. In a herd, all the sheep tend to listen to their leaders and show esteem to them. Because of the obedient character, sheep are among the most popular animals beloved by mankind." https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/sheep/

iv "The male goat represents strong-mindedness, singleness of purpose, and leadership rather than following. Interestingly, Scripture does not view the goat in nearly as good a light as a sheep." https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/505/Goats- Characteristics-of.htm

vi Vine's: ἀμνός (Strong's #286 — Noun Masculine — amnos — am-nos' )

"a lamb," is used figuratively of Christ, in John 1:29,36 , with the article, pointing Him out as the expected One, the One to be well known as the personal fulfilment and embodiment of all that had been indicated in the OT, the One by whose sacrifice deliverance from Divine judgment was to be obtained; in Acts 8:32 (from the Sept. of Is. 53:7) and 1 Peter 1:19 , the absence of the article stresses the nature and character of His sacrifice as set forth in the symbolism. The reference in each case is to the lamb of God's providing, Genesis 22:8 , and the Paschal lamb of God's appointment for sacrifice in Israel, e.g., Exodus 12:5,14,27 (cp. 1 Corinthians 5:7 ).

viii “To start a culture, mix two cups of flour and two cups of water in a glass or pottery bowl (in the old days, a baker probably had a special clay crock for starter). Lay a cloth over the top and let it sit on the kitchen counter. It turns out that there is yeast floating in the air all around us all the time, and some of this yeast will make its way to your flour/water mixture. It will then start growing and dividing. https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible- innovations/sourdough2.htm

ix matzo: “unleavened bread in the form of large crackers, typically square and corrugated, eaten by Jews during Passover.” https://www.dictionary.com/browse/matzo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzo

x “Yeast is added to most wines—winemakers will inoculate with a strain of commercial yeast (as opposed to native yeast) that is efficient or emphasizes flavors or aromas they desire. But some winemakers prefer to use native yeasts (sometimes called “wild” or “indigenous”), which means they don’t add any commercial yeasts. Rather, they let ambient strains of yeast that are already naturally present in the vineyard or winery go to work. It can be risky, however, as wild yeast fermentations can be unpredictable.