THE PASSOVER
Page17
THE PASSOVER
Jewish wine drinking was not part of the original Passover feast given by God to Moses . The OT never mentions a cup for Passover , only the lamb , unleavened bread and bitter herbs . The ancient Jews had been instructed to search their houses carefully before eating the Passover supper , to make sure that there was not even a particle of leavened bread in their homes .
[ Ex 12:19 ] They had been taught to regard it as a type of sin . Jesus linked leavened bread to sin , warning His disciples of the crafty Pharisees : “ Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees .”
[ Mat 16:11 ]
Paul writes , “ 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 : Therefore let us keep the feast , not with old leaven of malice and wickedness ; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth .” [ 1 Cor 5:7,8 ] Strong ‟ s Concordance defines leavening as “ swelling by fermentation .” Thus , the communion table bread should be unleavened , or unfermented .
“ All alcoholic beverages contain a certain portion of ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide . This substance is produced by a variety of yeasts or microscopic fungi acting as a leavening agent on the sugar molecule of fruit juice . They decompose fruit glucose in a process known as alcoholic fermentation .” [ Encyc of Foods , v1 , 376 ] Fermentation turns juice , or other wholesome products , into dangerous liquor . In the Hebrew language , from which our Bible is derived , there are multiple words for wine , some nonfermented , others , fermented . Fermented wine is aptly described : “ Behold , my belly is as wine which hath no vent [ is not opened , margin ]; it is ready to burst like new bottles .” [ Job 32:19 ] During Jesus ministry , when all Jews were partaking of the traditional Passover Feast , He set the stage for Communion in the new Christian dispensation . Immediately after the miracle of the loaves and fishes , Jesus declared to the questioning multitude looking for a sign equal to that of the manna from heaven : “ I am the bread of life .” [ John 6:35 ] While the Jews mulled over this perceived blasphemy , Jesus followed by stating : “ Except ye drink [ the Son of man „ s ] blood , ye have no life in you . Whoso drinketh My blood , hath eternal life . He that drinketh My blood , dwelleth in Me , and I in him .” [ John 6:53-56 ] The stage was now set for the Christian Passover , now known as the Communion Service . At the end of the Last Supper , Jesus surprised His disciples : “ And He took the cup , and gave thanks , and gave it to them , saying , “ Drink all of it ; For this is My blood of the new testament , which is shed for many for the remission of sins .” [ Mat 26:28 ] “ He took the cup , when He had supped , saying , This cup is the new testament in My blood : this do ye , as oft as ye drink it , in remembrance of Me . For as often as ye ... drink this cup , ye do shew the Lord ‟ s death till He come .” [ 1 Cor 11:25,26 ] Paul asks , “ The cup of blessing which we bless , is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ?” [ 1 Cor 10:16 ] Symbolically , Christ ‟ s blood must be pure because to drink fermented wine is to drink what Jesus became for us - sin itself . We drink the grape in symbol of what He was - pure and holy - and Jesus became what we are - impure and unholy . We accept His awesome righteousness in exchange for our terrible sinfulness . Therefore , in the Communion Service we should never partake of fermented wine , for it distorts the very sacrifice of Jesus . Fermented wine represents Christ being made sin , as presented in the Old Testament sanctuary service . The mystery of Christ being made flesh and bearing our sins in His own body on the tree , while never yielding to temptation , is revealed in the Communion Service . Let this service be pure and holy , not an alcoholic mockery . Fermented wine is used 28 times in the NT ( oinos - Greek ) but never in conjunction with the