The Bread of Wickedness & The Wine of Violence (Prov. 4:17)

Below is today's Communion meditation.

-----

"For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence." (‭Prov.‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬).

In context "they" refers to the wicked and evil (Prov. 4:14). What if I told you that Jesus, though He wasn't wicked or evil, also ate the bread of wickedness and drank the wine of violence?

Bread and wine (or grape juice, if you prefer) are the traditional elements served at Communion.

In John 6:48, Jesus identified Himself as The Bread of Life. During His flogging and while hanging on the cross, He absorbed wickedness in His body – other people's wickedness – though He Himself never sinned (Read 2 Cor. 5:21).

In John 15:1, Jesus identified Himself as The Vine. “Vine” – that's a wine-related term. Jesus swallowed the violence of sinners and, instead of retaliating, He offered life and forgiveness (Read Heb. 12:3; Isa. 53:7). This violence and suffering was the “cup” Jesus referred to in Mt. 26:39. In John 18:11 Jesus said, “ . . . the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Because Jesus did the hard tasks of eating the bread of wickedness and drinking the wine of violence, we don't have to. Instead, we are extended a different invitation: “ . . . eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart . . .” (Eccl. 9:7).

The bread and the cup – the bread of penalty and the cup of payment – These do in remembrance of Jesus.