Content
- The Word of God became flesh and communicated to humanity divine and eternal life and his victory over evil and death.
- It is by inviting humanity to a meal that God offers his covenant to humanity. The meal is a sign of fellowship among the guests. To access the meal, we must be reconciled with God and with each other.
- It is God himself who will help people reconcile with each other by communicating his spirit in the sacraments, that is, in the gestures that express the covenant, where God welcomes and communicates his life.
- The meal to which God invites reconciled humanity is a wedding banquet, and the bride is humanity itself, which unites herself with Christ. By becoming one with him, she contemplates the Father in the action of grace.
- As the grains of wheat form one bread, so men are united in Christ, as members of the same body, of which Christ is the head.
- Jesus’ last meal with the apostles took place during the Passover feast, which celebrates the passage from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. So, as Jesus passes from this world to his Father, he unites humanity to himself. By giving his body and blood to eat, he brings together in one moment his passion on the cross, where he offers his life and forgiveness, where his blood is poured out; his burial, where he joins human nature in death; and his resurrection, for it is by sitting with the Father in eternity that he can be present to all and make humanity partaker of his resurrected flesh and blood.
Related articles
The multiplication of the breads
The bread that came down from heaven
The miracle of the multiplication of the breads played an important role in announcing the Eucharistic meal that Jesus would institute on the evening of the Last Supper with the apostles. Indeed, this miracle was an opportunity for Jesus to introduce the theme of bread that came down from heaven, of heavenly food provided for humanity, which “will not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). (See John 6:1-15 The multiplication of the breads).
Now, the word spoken by God, the word that manifests his being and will to us, has united with human nature, has become flesh, has made God visible to humans in the person of Jesus Christ. This mystery is at the heart of the Christian faith professed by the councils of the fourth and fifth centuries, especially the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which proclaimed that human nature and divine nature are united in the person of Christ. Thus, the word of God is at the origin of life. The life that is offered to human nature is eternal life, the life of God himself; the human being is animated by the divine breath, by his spirit. When human nature is united with God in the person of Jesus Christ, all human beings are offered a place with God. Human nature finds a place with God and is led by Jesus Christ to the eternal contemplation of the Father. The vision of God, of his infinite love, implies a permanent transformation of human nature, which will in turn be filled with this love, will be like him because it will see him as he is (1 John 3:2). Then perfect love will also reign among human beings, too.
The earthly image of this heavenly happiness is that of a wedding banquet, when all are gathered together in the name of the bonds of love that unite them to one another. The Bible speaks of a heavenly meal, an eternal wedding banquet. (See Luke 14:15-24 Those invited to the meal). This is the banquet where God invites all humanity to the wedding, where humanity is not only invited, but is itself the bride adorned for the wedding day, clothed by God in the wedding garment (see Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Garment). The bride is led to the bridal chamber, humanity is united with divinity, to become one. Humanity, united by God’s love, will contemplate every human being in him and love him with the same love with which God loves each of his children. God’s love will be all in all.
Humanity, unified as the members of the same body, humanity regaining its harmony, will be united with God by the love that comes from God himself and that each one will have welcomed personally. This explains Jesus’ insistence on welcoming: we have to welcome this invitation to lunch, we have to welcome our neighbor in the name of Jesus, that is, we have to welcome every creature as a child of God, in the love that God has for them. We have to put on the wedding garment, prepare ourselves for this meeting, open our hearts to our brothers and sisters of the whole world. If we do not welcome the whole of humanity into our hearts as God welcomes his children, we cannot experience the infinite joy of being united, among human beings and with God.
The earthly meal is a sign of union, of covenant. Jesus will bring his guests to the table; it is he who feeds and serves (Revelation 3:20). He also serves through his envoys, the apostles and their successors. He invites everyone to the table, and his words always mean that there is room for everyone and that no one should be excluded. Sadly, not everyone responds to the invitation, but God will never stop inviting them to open their hearts to meet their brothers and sisters, to come and share the meal even with those who have offended them, because human beings are all brothers and sisters and are called to be reconciled with one another (cf. Luke 14:15-24 Those invited to the Meal). It is in humility that we can find a place at this meal, making it possible to meet with others. By offering forgiveness to those who have offended, but also by recognizing that each of us, as human beings, needs to be forgiven, by God and by our brothers and sisters. Hence the words of Jesus, who invites us to seek reconciliation before offering a sacrifice (Matthew 5:23), that is, before we can participate in this heavenly and eternal covenant meal, in which the union of humanity with God is realized. A humanity transformed by this heavenly food that unifies body and spirit, a humanity transformed by the love that God infuses into hearts and that leads to perfect unity. (Cf. John 6:22-59 The bread that came down from heaven).
This is the meaning of the Eucharistic meal, that is, a meal of thanksgiving, in which humanity responds to the invitation, allows itself to be purified by God before taking its place at the table, acknowledging its faults, recognizing them before one another. This is the meaning of the gesture Jesus performs at the Last Supper with the apostles: before seating them at the table, he washes their feet (Jn 13:1-17 The washing of the feet). This action of washing was understood as a necessary purification before sitting at the table. Acknowledging one’s faults is a necessary condition for walking together toward unity, toward deeper fellowship. All the apostles had to allow their feet to be washed, recognizing the fact that as human beings we all share responsibility for division, as St. Paul says (Romans 5:8), “Christ died for us while we were all still sinners.”
Jesus’ last meal with the apostles takes place during the Jewish feast of Passover, which commemorates the Jewish people’s exit from Egypt, their liberation from slavery. The Jewish people were subjected to increasingly harsh slavery in Egypt, until the day God delivered them through his prophet Moses. It was by miraculously crossing the sea that they were able to escape the pursuing army. The Passover meal commemorates this hasty departure: unleavened bread is eaten, because the dough could not rise in the rush, and a lamb is sacrificed, because it was the blood of the lamb that marked the doors of the Jewish families’ homes and saved them from death. It is also the blood of a spotless lamb that is sacrificed in the temple for the forgiveness of sins.
At home, the key moments of this celebration are the blessing of the bread and the cup. And it is to these blessings that Jesus will give their full meaning: in giving thanks to God for the bread, he gives it to the apostles saying that this bread is his own body, offered as a sacrifice, and in giving thanks for the wine, he says that the cup of wine is the cup of his blood, shed for the multitude for the forgiveness of sins. Actually, the bread and wine are separated at this moment, just as the shed blood will be separated from Jesus’ body when it is pierced on the cross.
The blood of Jesus shed for the forgiveness of sins. The price of blood must be paid to conclude a new covenant, to right the wrong, when the previous covenant ha been broken, betrayed. A victim has been sacrificed; it is this one who bears the burden of humanity’s sins. Just as the sacrifice of Isaac and the book of Isaiah prophesied that God’s servant would offer his life for the forgiveness of sins (Isaiah 53:1-12). The price of blood for the slain innocents must be paid. As with the first murder, that of righteous Abel, killed by Cain, when sin entered the human race. Cain was afraid of those who would demand the price of blood by demanding his life. Human beings are still indebted, and the blood of animals offered as victims does not in itself wash away humanity’s sins. A contrite, broken and crushed spirit is needed, as Psalm 50:19 says. But all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant prefigure the sacrifice of Christ, the innocent victim who reveals humanity’s error, who takes on the consequences, accepts them by assuming the human condition, without retaining the rank that made him equal to God, but lowering himself, making himself a slave and victim of sin, as Paul says in his letter to the Philippians 2:6-8. But this is how he paid the price of blood: because he offered himself for all, in reparation, he redeemed humanity with the sacrifice of his own life. Therefore, if humanity wants to accept his for-giveness, the renewal of the covenant, the gift of God’s life offered to humanity, it must ask to be cleansed, by a bath that sanctifies because it transmits grace, the spirit of God that dispels darkness and fills with his light. (John 3:1-36). It is simply a matter of acknowledging one’s faults and accepting God’s salvation. Jesus’ name, which is also God’s name, means: God saves, Ye-hoshua in hebrew. By simply asking for forgiveness, we can accept the sanctification offered by God. The blood of the victim is the life of God offered to humanity, for the multitude, sins are forgiven and new life is given, the life of Christ, the life of God, his spirit that sanctifies those who partake of his meal.
Thus Christ is the victim offered for the sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world; he is the Passover lamb, who entered Jerusalem, according to Jewish ritual, a week before Passover, without spot or blemish, because he himself was without sin. At the same time, it is his own blood, his life offered in the cup of the covenant, that gives life and renews humanity. The covenant is again possible for humanity that had transgressed the alliance; to drink the cup, to drink his blood, is to seal the covenant anew. The diners eat a meal together because they have been cleansed of their faults. He has also redeemed them from the bondage of evil into which humanity has fallen. He accomplishes the exit from Egypt because his forgiveness frees from the evil that shackles humanity. If he, who is innocent, forgives offenses and allows mankind to share a meal with him, this meal, which unites mankind to him in body and spirit, strengthens and enlivens it again so that it can also forgive those who have offended it. Not only the fault erased, but this covenant meal is also a remedy, a source of salvation, because it makes those who partake of it in turn victorious over evil and death.
It is therefore necessary to allow oneself to be purified and sanctified in order to partake of this meal, to be nourished by the life of God. To do this, Jesus invites mankind to be born again from water and the spirit, as he explains to Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1-36). Indeed, the Passover meal that takes place on the Thursday of Holy Week, the week of Easter, anticipates what Jesus will experience in the following three days. In fact, the Eucharistic meal celebrates and contains the entire Paschal mystery, which in Latin is called the Paschal Triduum, the passing of Jesus from this world to his Father. In the Paschal Triduum we remember Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. It was during this passage that he led all humanity to contemplation of the Father, reconciling people and making them sharers in his love. Each Eucharistic meal thus recalls these three stages through which Christ leads humanity to the Father.
On Good Friday, in his passion, Jesus dies on the cross and offers his forgiveness to humanity. Blood and water flow from his open side, and this is where baptism and the other sacraments through which humanity is reconciled and united with God originate.
On Holy Saturday, Christ is in the tomb. By his death, Christ takes on human nature to the fullest and thus leads it, through his own death, to resurrection.
On Easter Sunday, Christ rises again, so humanity can participate in God’s eternal life, victorious over evil and death.
Commentary:
Biblical texts
Genesis 26:28-31: the covenant meal between Isaac and King Abimelech
28 וַיֹּאמְרוּ רָאֹו רָאִינוּ כִּי-הָיָה יְהוָה ׀ עִמָּךְ וַנֹּאמֶר תְּהִי נָא אָלָה בֵּינֹותֵינוּ וּבֵינֶךָ וְנִכְרְתָה בְרִית עִמָּךְ׃
28 And they said, “See, we have seen that the Lord is with you, and we say, ‘Let there be an oath between us, between us and you, let’s cut [the flesh of] the covenant with you.
In Hebrew they say cut a covenant (karat berit) in the sense of cutting the meat of the covenant sacrifice that will then be eaten in the covenant meal that will seal the bond between the parties.
29 אִם-תַּעֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ רָעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא נְגַעֲנוּךָ וְכַאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂינוּ עִמְּךָ רַק-טֹוב וַנְּשַׁלֵּחֲךָ בְּשָׁלֹום אַתָּה בְּרוּךְ יְהוָה׃ יְהוָה׃
29 You will not harm us as we have not touched you, and as we have only done you good and sent you in peace, now bless the Lord.
30 וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם מִשְׁתֶּה וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ׃
30 And he made them a banquet and they ate and drank.
31 וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ אִישׁ לְאָחִיו וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם יִצְחָק וַיֵּלְכוּ מֵאִתֹּו בְּשָׁלֹום׃
31 Then they charged [to depart early in the morning] and they swore an oath to each other, and Isaac sent them and they departed from his house in peace.
Genesis 31:54: covenant meal between Jacob and Laban.
וַיִּזְבַּח יַעֲקֹב זֶבַח בָּהָר וַיִּקְרָא לְאֶחָיו לֶאֱכָל-לָחֶם וַיֹּאכלוּ לֶחֶם וַיָּלִינוּ בָּהָר׃
Jacob made a sacrifice on the mountain and called his brothers to eat bread, and they ate bread and spent the night on the mountain.
akal leḥem: literally eating bread, but the word bread is often used to refer to food in general and so here the expression eating bread can also be understood in the sense of eating a meal.
Exodus 24:1-11 The covenant with Moses, sealed by the blood and the meal
1 וְאֶל-מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל-יְהוָה אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם מֵרָחֹק׃
1 And he [god] said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you, Aharon, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel, and prostrate yourselves from afar.”
2 וְנִגַּשׁ מֹשֶׁה לְבַדֹּו אֶל-יְהוָה וְהֵם לֹא יִגָּ֑שׁוּ לֹ֥א יַעֲלוּ עִמֹּו׃
2 And Moses alone shall draw near to the Lord, and they shall not draw near, nor shall the people come up with him.”
3 וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיְסַפֵּר לָעָם אֵת כָּל-דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וְאֵת כָּל-הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וַיַּעַן כָּל-הָעָם קֹול אֶחָד וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ כָּל-הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה׃
3 Moses came and reported all the words and decisions to the people, and all the people answered in unison and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will execute.”
4 וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֵ֚ת כָּל-דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וַיַּשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּבֶן מִזְבֵּחַ תַּחַת הָהָר וּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מַצֵּבָה לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord, charged [to leave early in the morning] and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve stelae for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶֽת-נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּֽעֲלוּ עֹלֹת וַֽיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים לַיהוָה פָּרִים׃
5 And he sent the young sons of Israel to bring up [the smoke of the sacrifice of] burnt offerings and to sacrifice oxen as a peace offering to the Lord.
6 וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה חֲצִי הַדָּם וַיָּשֶׂם בָּאַגָּנֹת וַחֲצִי זָרַק עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ׃
6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it into bowls, and with half the blood he sprinkled the altar.
7 וַיִּקַּח סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית וַיִּקְרָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע׃
7 He took the covenant story and read it to the ears of the people, who said, “Everything the Lord has said we will do and we will listen.”
8 וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת-הַדָּם וַיִּזְרֹק עַל-הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה דַם-הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם עַל כָּל-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃
8 Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has cut [in the sense of concluded] with you over all these words.”
9 וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the seventy elders of Israel went up.
10 וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְתַחַת רַגְלָ֗יו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָטֹהַר׃
10 And they saw the God of Israel and under his feet as a work of sapphire plates and as the deepest heaven for purity.
11 וְאֶל-אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדֹו וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ׃
11 And he did not send his hand [against] these ancestors [heads of lineage, patriarchs, nobles] of the children of Israel, and they contemplated God and ate and drank.
Exodus 12 (verse selection): The Passover memorial: the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
1 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר׃
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם, רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים: רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם, לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה׃
2 “This month is for you the head of the months, it is for you the first of the months of the year.”
3 דַּדַּבְּרוּ, אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר, בֶּעָשֹׂר, לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה: וְיִקְחוּ לָהֶם, אִישׁ שֶׂה לְבֵית-אָבֹת שֶׂה לַבָּיִת׃
3 Speak to the whole community of Israel, saying, “On the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves, every man one lamb for the house of the fathers, a lamb for the house.
…
7 וְלָקְחוּ, מִן-הַדָּם, וְנָתְנוּ עַל-שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת, וְעַל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף עַל, הַבָּתִּים, אֲשֶׁר-יֹאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ, בָּהֶם׃
7 They will take blood and put it on the two posts and on the lintel [of the door] of the houses where they will eat it.
8 וְאָכְלוּ אֶת-הַבָּשָׂר, בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה: צְלִי-אֵשׁ וּמַצּוֹת, עַל-מְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ׃
8 On that night they shall eat meat, roasted by fire, and they shall eat flatbreads [matzot of unleavened bread] and bitter herbs.
…
1 1 וְכָכָה, תֹּאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ חֲגֻרִים, נַעֲלֵיכֶם בְּרַגְלֵיכֶם וּמַקֶּלְכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם; וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּחִפָּזוֹן, פֶּסַח הוּא לַיהוָה׃
11 And so you shall eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste; this is the Passover (pesaḥ) for the Lord.
Deuteronomy 8:3: The manna
וַיְעַנְּךָ, וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ, וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת-הַמָּן אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַעְתָּ, וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ: לְמַעַן הוֹדִיעֲךָ, כִּי לֹא עַל-הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם עַל-כָּל-מוֹצָא פִי-יְהוָה, יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם׃
He has afflicted, he star de you and made you eat the manna which you did not know and which your fathers did not know, so that you may know that not of bread alone shall man live, for of everything that comes out of the mouth of God shall man live.
Isaiah 25:6-9
6 וְעָשָׂה יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת לְכָל-הָעַמִּים, בָּהָר הַזֶּה, מִשְׁתֵּה שְׁמָנִים, מִשְׁתֵּה שְׁמָרִים: שְׁמָנִים, מְמֻחָיִם, שְׁמָרִים, מְזֻקָּקִים׃
6 The Lord of hosts will make for all the people on this mountain a banquet of fatty meats, a banquet of fine wines, savory fatty meats (literally: with marrow) and fine wine (literally: refined on lees).
7 וּבִלַּע בָּהָר הַזֶּה, פְּנֵי-הַלּוֹט הַלּוֹט עַל-כָּל-הָעַמִּים; וְהַמַּסֵּכָה הַנְּסוּכָה, עַל-כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם׃
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the veil of the face that envelops all the peoples [Jews] and the mold [of metal] poured out on all the nations.
The Lord will reveal Himself to all, to those of Judaism whose vision was partial, veiled, and to those of other nations who were as if covered by a thick layer, like molten metal poured into a mold, or He will swallow up the molten metal idols they have made, such as the golden calf that is designated by the same Hebrew word מַּסֵּכָה masseca. Alternatively, other traditions interpret the veil as a mourning veil and the layer covering the nations as a shroud that also evokes death and laments over the dead.
8 בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח, וּמָחָה אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה דִּמְעָה מֵעַל כָּל-פָּנִים; וְחֶרְפַּת עַמּוֹ, יָסִיר מֵעַל כָּל-הָאָרֶץ כִּי יְהוָה, דִּבֵּר׃
8 He will swallow up death forever, the Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and the mockery [or humiliation, the insults brought] against his people will remove from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
9 וְאָמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, הִנֵּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ זֶה וְיוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ; זֶה קִוִּינוּ לוֹ, נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ׃
9 And on that day it will be said, “This is our God, in whom we have hoped and who has saved us, the Lord; we have hoped in him; let us rejoice in his salvation.”
Jeremiah 31:31-35: The New Covenant
31 הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים, נְאֻם-יְהוָה; וְכָרַתִּי, אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת-בֵּית יְהוּדָה בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה׃
31 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Literally the Bible says “to cut a covenant” referring to the meat cut for the sacrifice, this is usually translated as “to conclude a covenant.”
32 לֹא כַבְּרִית, אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת-אֲבוֹתָם, בְּיוֹם הֶחֱזִיקִי בְיָדָם, לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲשֶׁר-הֵמָּה הֵפֵרוּ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי, וְאָנֹכִי בָּעַלְתִּי בָם נְאֻם-יְהוָה׃
32 Not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; they have broken my covenant, and I have ruled over them, says the Lord.
33 כִּי זֹאת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר אֶכְרֹת אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַיָּמִים הָהֵם, נְאֻם-יְהוָה, נָתַתִּי אֶת-תּוֹרָתִי בְּקִרְבָּם, וְעַל-לִבָּם אֶכְתְּבֶנָּה; וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ-לִי לְעָם׃
33 For this is the covenant that I will cut [I will make] with the house of Israel after these days, affirmation of the Lord: I will put my teaching (תּוֹרָתִי torati) within them and I will write it in their hearts, and I will be to them a god and they will be to me a people.
God will put his teaching within them, in Hebrew the word used is torah, which comes from the root iarah, meaning first to guide and then to teach.
34 וְלֹא יְלַמְּדוּ עוֹד, אִישׁ אֶת-רֵעֵהוּ וְאִישׁ אֶת-אָחִיו לֵאמֹר, דְּעוּ, אֶת-יְהוָה: כִּי-כוּלָּם יֵדְעוּ אוֹתִי לְמִקְּטַנָּם וְעַד-גְּדוֹלָם, נְאֻם-יְהוָה כִּי אֶסְלַח לַעֲוֹנָם, וּלְחַטָּאתָם לֹא אֶזְכָּר-עוֹד׃
34 And no one shall teach his neighbor (רֵעֵה re’eh) any more, nor a man to his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for all shall know me from the least to the greatest, affirmation of the Lord, for I will forgive their transgression and their iniquity, I will remember them no more.
re‘eh: the term re’eh is important because it is found in the famous passage in Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמֹ֑וךָ). Now, this passage from Leviticus is translated in the Greek version of the Bible, the Septuagint, with the Greek word πλησίος plēsíos, which means one who is near. The same word citation is found several times in the Gospels (Mark 12:31) and also in the letters of the apostles (Galatians 5:14). But the Hebrew word, which is used in the sense of friend, companion (and thus also close friend), is derived from the root ra’a , which means to shepherd the flock and thus to care for, to guard, to cherish with care. In the relationship with one’s neighbor, this emphasizes not only a bond of companionship, but also a care, a regard, toward the other, a responsibility. However, the Letter to the Hebrews 8:11, in the passage reproduced later in this article and quoting these same verses from Jeremiah, does not translate re’eh as plēsíos neighbor, but as polítēs citizen or fellow citizen. This could be explained by thinking that re’eh does not necessarily mean the shepherd but those whom the shepherd cares for and thus the body of men who are under divine care or government, the flock of God.
35 כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, נֹתֵן שֶׁמֶשׁ לְאוֹר יוֹמָם, חֻקֹּת יָרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים, לְאוֹר לָיְלָה; רֹגַע הַיָּם וַיֶּהֱמוּ גַלָּיו, יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ׃
35 Thus said the Lord, who gives the sun for the light of their day and the rules of the moon and the stars for the light of the night, the one who touches the sea and its waves are stirred up, the Lord of hosts is his name.
Matthew 26:26-30: The Last Supper (parallel in Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:14-20).
26 Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν λαβὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον καὶ εὐλογήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ δοὺς τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἶπεν Λάβετε φάγετε- τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου.
26 While they were eating, Jesus took the bread and gave thanks, broke it, and having given it to the disciples, he said, “Take, eat: this is my body.”
27 καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες-
27 Then, having taken a cup and given thanks, [he] gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
28 τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.
28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπ’ ἄρτι ἐκ τούτου τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ὅταν αὐτὸ πίνω μεθ’ ὑμῶν καινὸν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρός μου.
29 Therefore I tell you that from now on I will not drink of that which is begotten of the vine, until that day, when I will drink a new one with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 Καὶ ὑμνήσαντες ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν.
30 And after singing the hymns, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The hymns referred to are probably the Hallel psalms that closed the Passover meal. They include Psalms 113 through 118.
Luke 22:14-20: The Last Supper
14 Καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἡ ὥρα, ἀνέπεσεν, καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι σὺν αὐτῷ.
14 And when it was the hour, he reclined [at the table], and the apostles with him.
15 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς Ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν μεθ’ ὑμῶν πρὸ τοῦ μεθεῖν-
15 And he said to them, “With longing I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffered.”
16 λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ φάγω αὐτὸ ἕως ὅτου πληρωθῇ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.
16 Indeed, I say to you, I will eat no more of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 καὶ δεξάμενος ποτήριον εὐχαριστήσας εἶπεν Λάβετε τοῦτο καὶ διαμερίσατε εἰς ἑαυτούς-.
17 And having received a cup, and given thanks, he said, “Take and divide among yourselves:
18 λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ πίω ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀπὸ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου ἕως οὗ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔλθῃ.
18 I tell you that from now on I will not drink of that which is begotten by the vine, until the kingdom of God has come.”
19 καὶ λαβὼν ἄρτον εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διδόμενον- τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν.
19 And having taken bread and given thanks, [he] broke [it] and [gave] it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me.”
20 καὶ τὸ ποτήριον ὡσαύτως μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι, λέγων Τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχυννόμενον.
20 And so the cup in the same way after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23 ἐγὼ γὰρ παρέλαβον ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃ καὶ παρέδωκα ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ᾗ παρεδίδετο ἔλαβεν ἄρτον
23 For I have received from the Lord what I have also conveyed to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread
24 καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ εἶπεν Τοῦτό μού ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν- τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν.
24 And after he had given thanks, [he] broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you: do this in remembrance of me.”
25 ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ ποτήριον μετὰ δειπνῆσαι, λέγων Τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ αἵματι- τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, ὁσάκις ἐὰν πίνητε, εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν.
25 Likewise also the cup, after taking the meal, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood: do this every time you drink, in remembrance of me.”
26 ὁσάκις γὰρ ἐὰν ἐσθίητε τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον καὶ τὸ ποτήριον πίνητε, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κυρίου καταγγέλλετε, ἄχρι οὗ ἔλθῃ.
26 For every time you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death, until he comes.
Letter to the Hebrews 8:1-13: Jesus high priest of the new covenant.
1 Κεφάλαιον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις, τοιοῦτον ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα, ὃς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς Μεγαλωσύνης ἐν οὐρανοῖς,
1 This is the main thing about what is said: we have a high priest who sat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργὸς καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ Κύριος, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος.
2 officiant of the [holy places] and of the true tent, the one the Lord has pitched, not man.
It is about the “tent of meeting,” God’s dwelling among men. When God accompanied the Hebrew people in the desert, leading them through Moses, a cloud manifested the divine presence and this cloud rested on the sanctuary that God told Moses to build. According to the account in Exodus 25:9, God showed Moses the models for the construction of the tent of meeting. This tent would accompany the people on their journeys through the desert and would be the place where God would speak to Moses (Exodus 33:7-11). Inside the tent is the “Holy of Holies,” the tabernacle containing the ark of the covenant, in which is deposited the testimony of God’s word given to men. When the Jewish people settled in the Promised Land, Solomon had a temple built in place of the movable tent. In Solomon’s temple and later in the second temple in Jerusalem, during Yom Kippur, only the high priest could enter behind the veil that gave access to the tabernacle, where the ark of the covenant was kept.
From an earlier passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews 5:1, we are reminded of the role of the high priest: to intervene on behalf of men in their dealings with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
3 Πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰς τὸ προσφέρειν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας καθίσταται- ὅθεν ἀναγκαῖον ἔχειν τι καὶ τοῦτον ὃ προσενέγκῃ.
3 For every high priest is charged with offering gifts and also sacrifices; therefore it is necessary for him also to have something to offer.
4 εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδ’ ἂν ἦν ἱερεύς, ὄντων τῶν προσφερόντων κατὰ νόμον τὰ-
4 But, therefore, if he were on earth he would not even be a priest, for there are those who offer gifts according to the law:
5 οἵτινες ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ λατρεύουσιν τῶν ἐπουρανίων, καθὼς κεχρημάτισται Μωϋσῆς μέλλων ἐπιτελεῖν τὴν σκηνήν. Ὅρα γάρ φησίν, ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει-.
5 these worship in imitation and in the shadow of those in heaven, as Moses received revelation when he was about to complete the tent; for [God’s word] says, “Look, do everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.”
6 νῦν δὲ διαφορωτέρας τέτυχεν λειτουργίας, ὅσῳ καὶ κρείτονός ἐστιν διαθήκης μεσίτης, ἥτις ἐπὶ κρείτοσιν ἐπαγγελίαις νενομοθέτηται.
6 He, on the other hand, has obtained an office that surpasses [the previous one], in that he is the mediator of a higher covenant, made on higher promises.
7 εἰ γὰρ ἡ πρώτη ἐκείνη ἦν ἄμεμπτος, οὐκ ἂν δευτέρας ἐζητεῖτο τόπος.
7 For if this first covenant were blameless, there would be no need to seek a second one.
8 μεμφόμενος γὰρ αὐτοὺς λέγει Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ συνελέσω ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ οἶκον Ἰούδα διαθήκην καινήν,
8 Indeed, rebuking them, he said, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will bring to fulfillment a covenant concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
9 οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν ἐποίησα τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, κἀγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριος.
9 Not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the days when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not remain in my covenant and I forsook them, says the LORD.
10 ὅτι αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη ἣν διαθήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐκείνας, λέγει Κύριος, διδοὺς νόμους μου εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίας αὐτῶν ἐπιγράψω αὐτούς, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόν καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν.
10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, giving my laws, I will write them in their minds and on their hearts, and I will be to them God, and they shall be to me a people.
11 καὶ οὐ μὴ διδάξωσιν ἕκαστος τὸν πολίτην αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος ἀδελφὸν, λέγων Γνῶθι τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι πάντες εἰδήσουσίν με ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου αὐτῶν.
11 And let them no longer instruct every fellow citizen and every brother, saying, “Know the Lord, for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest among them.”
polítēs: the fellow citizen. Verses 8-13, presented here, are a quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34, quoted above. They thus represent a translation and interpretation of this ancient passage of the prophet written in Hebrew. Now, one might expect to find here the Greek word plēsíon, which usually translates the word “neighbor” the one who is near. Here, however, the word polítēs is used, which evokes, yes, closeness, but that of people who are governed by common laws and who are also under the common government of God. See in this connection the note on the Hebrew term re’eh found in the original text of the prophet Jeremiah 31:34 reproduced earlier in this same article.
12 ὅτι ἵλεως ἔσομαι ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι.
12 I will be merciful toward their injustices, and their mistakes I will remember no more.
13 ἐν τῷ λέγειν Καινὴν πεαλαίωκεν τὴν πρώτην- τὸ δὲ παλαιούμενον καὶ γηράσκον ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ.
13 By saying “new,” he made the former old; that which becomes old and grows old is about to disappear.
Hebrew 13:10-16
10 Ἔχομεν θυσιαστήριον ἐξ οὗ φαγεῖν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ τῇ σκηνῇ λατρεύοντες.
10 We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent [of meeting] have no power not eat.
11 ὧν γὰρ εἰσφέρεται ζῴων τὸ αἷμα περὶ ἁμαρτίας εἰς τὰ ἅγια διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, τούτων τὰ σώματα κατακαίεται ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς.
11 For the blood of the animals [sacrificed] for faults is carried by the high priest to the holy [places]; their bodies are burned outside the camp.
12 διὸ καὶ Ἰησοῦς, ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος τὸν λαν, ἔξω τῆς πύλης ἔπαθεν.
12 Therefore Jesus, in order to sanctify the people by his own blood, suffered outside the city.
13 τοίνυν ἐξερχώμεθα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς, τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ φέροντες-.
13 Let us therefore go out toward him outside the camp, bearing the insult [brought] against him.
14 οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἀλλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιζητοῦμεν.
14 For we do not have here a city that remains, but we seek that which is to be.
15 δι’ αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀναφέρωμεν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως διὰ παντὸς τῷ Θεῷ, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν καρπὸν χειλέων ὁμολογούντων τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ.
15 Through him, therefore, we offer to God a sacrifice of praise in every circumstance; this is the fruit of the lips that proclaim his name.
16 τῆς δὲ εὐποιΐας καὶ κοινωνίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε- τοιαύταις γὰρ θυσσίαις εὐαρεστεῖται ὁ Θεός.
16 Do not forget good deeds and sharing: for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Didakhē 9:4
ὥσπερ ἦν τοῦτο τὸ κλάσμα διεσκορπισμένον ἐπάνω τῶν ὀρέων καὶ συναχθὲν ἐγένετο ἕν, οὕτω συναχθήτω σου ἐκκλησία ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς τὴν σὴν βασιλείαν.
Just as this broken bread that was scattered on the hills, after being gathered has become one, so may Your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth to Your Kingdom.
The Didakhē or Teaching of the Lord to the peoples through the twelve apostles is a text that dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. The passage above is an excerpt from the prayer used in those days during the celebration of the Eucharist. When bread was offered, it was remembered that bread is a sign of unity because of the multitude of grains of wheat gathered in its dough. These were initially scattered over the hills, but then united into one bread became a sign of unity. This is the work of Christ, to bring people together through his body and blood, so that, enlivened by his spirit of love, they may form one body, united in peace. This is the realization of the kingdom of heaven, a reality that Jesus invites us to experience already on earth by seeking unity and fraternal bonds. This image is also very present in the texts of the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine’s Sermons 227 and 272.