Why did Jesus use symbols of food?

Answer 1

At the Last Supper Jesus and his disciples partook in the traditional Passover Meal for the Jews. At this meal the various items all have symbolic meaning, and still do to modern Jews today. The 'passover' represents the time when the Israelites were freed from Egypt after many plagues sent to the Egyptians by God. The last of them, the plague that caused the deaths of all the firstborn in Egypt was the final straw for the Pharaoh who sent the Israelites away. However, the Israelites were saved by smearing Lambs blood over their door frames as a signal that they were Jews and not Egyptians. As a result, the so-called 'Angel of Death', bearing the disease, "passed over' their houses - hence the name given to the time of passover. Among the things eaten are lamb (symbolising the sign on the doorframes) and the bread (symbolising the manna - the 'bread from heaven' sent from God while the Jews were wandering in the desert). All together, the symbols remember the Covenant made between God and the Israelites way back at the time of Moses. However, when Jesus broke the bread (symbolising the new 'bread sent from heaven', he symbolised the old Covenant now being replaced with a New Covenant - the sacrifice of his body on the Cross for all people, for all time. Thus, this new Covenant, in the broken bread, symbolised Christ's body broken for us. The wine of the passover meal then symbolised Christ's blood shed for us on the Cross. This is the reason why The Bible is split into two sections - the Old Testament ('Testament' is another word for 'Covenant') which concentrates on the Jewish Covenant with God, and the New Testament, which tells of the new Covenant with God, through Jesus.

Answer 2

Another answer from our community"

Short answer is - Jesus used food as symbols because things like bread, wine, grain were everyday things of those times.

For example Jesus said "I am the bread of life." People of those days depended on bread as their staple food to nourish their bodies. Jesus also gives life - spiritual life, people are born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Christ, the true bread gives spiritual life.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

Answer 3

Bread and wine were 'representative'. It was NOT intented to actually literally eat flesh and to drink literal blood. The bread represents Christ's body, which he used while on earth to fulfill his special assignment here. Jesus kept himself sinless. He used his body to serve God, and mankind, not himself.

The wine represents Christ's blood. This he sacrificially poured out in behalf of mankind. God has designated that 'blood' be an 'atoner' for sins.

Partaking of the bread and wine indicate that we recognize the significance of many aspects of Christ's life and his sacrifice.

Answer 4

The most prominent place where Jesus uses symbolism of food is in Mark 6:33-8:21, which forms an integrated set of passages with at least ten references or allusions to food, including a summary by Jesus of the two feasts in 8:19-21. This has a consistent theme of food, with the reader understanding Jesus but the disciples not understanding:

• Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so they went into a desert place
• Feeding the 5000
• When Jesus walked on water the disciples were amazed, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves
• Pharisees complain about the disciples eating with unwashed hands
• Discourse - what goes into a man goes into his belly and does not defile
• Jesus tells the Greek woman that he must first feed the children (the Jews), to which she metaphorically begs for crumbs from the table
• Feeding the 4000
• Disciples are hungry and have only one loaf of bread
• Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and they reason, "It is because we have no bread," showing they do not understand
• Summary by Jesus of the two feasts, asking, "How is it that ye do not understand?"

These important references and allusions to food are linked to the Last Supper, through Mark's parallel structure, a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another set of events that mirrors the first (pair R-R'):A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Jesus used the references and allusions to food in Mark 6:33-8:21 (event R) to show that the disciples did not understand. The parallel structure then links these symbols and the disciples' lack of understanding, to the Last Supper (event R') so that the reader realises that the disciples still do not understand what is happening around them.

Answer 5

Bread looks like flesh, Kind of, and red wine would be the color of blood. That is what they are meant to symbolize . Jesus's body and blood.

Answer 6

Bread was the staple food for the body, Jesus was saying He is the staple food for the soul. People hunger and thirst for spiritual food and this can only be found in "the bread of life".