Breaking Bread

And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.

--Acts 27:35  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on March 28, 2013 of Psalm 65; Acts 27:27-28:10; Numbers 34:16-35.

Paul was being taken to Rome from Caesarea because he had appealed to Caesar rather than return to face charges from the Jews in Jerusalem who plotted to kill him along the route.  It was already a little late in the year when they set out and the weather was turning against them, making travel very difficult and dangerous. The wind changed direction, forcing them to alter their route.  Paul cautioned them not to go on lest they all perish, but the ship owner and captain didn't want to lose their profits so they pushed on.  And now they find themselves in what seems a hopeless situation, off course and nearly lost in a horrible storm.  But then God told Paul that he would indeed speak before Caesar in Rome, so if they all stick together they will be saved from the storm but the ship would be lost.  The sailors tried to escape in the skiff but the Roman guard stopped them because of what Paul had said.  It is night time, pitch dark with the moon and all the stars blotted out by the storm clouds and driving rain.  The winds and torrents swept across the decks.  The ship groaned and creaked under the constant battering, threatening to break apart at any time even while strengthened by ropes run underneath the keel.  They had not even eaten in fourteen days when Paul finally told them they must eat something to nourish them and keep their strength up.  So Paul took some bread, gave thanks to God, broke it and began to eat.  Encouraged by Paul, the others ate also.

When Jesus fed five thousand men (and perhaps an equal number of women and children) with nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fishes, He first gave thanks to the Father and then broke the bread before handing it to the disciples to pass out among the masses.  The situation appeared utterly hopeless, feeding so many people with so little food.  We would probably say the idea of even trying this is totally absurd if a human proposed it.  But nothing is hopeless when God is involved.  In a seemingly hopeless situation, Paul took some bread, broke it, and gave thanks to the Father.  In his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul exhorts us to give thanks in everything, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  Faced with the humanly impossible task of feeding thousands of people with what would barely make a decent meal for a couple, Jesus gave thanks and God made it happen.  Against a raging storm with humanly impossible odds of survival, Paul gave thanks and God delivered over two hundred men from the tempest.  Paul did not say to give thanks for all things, for unfortunately bad things do happen, but in all things.  We can always find something to be thankful for no matter how wild the storm that batters our life.  In both these cases, after first giving thanks, bread was broken, just as we do when we observe Holy Communion.  Just as the bread is broken before we use it for food, we must be broken before Christ can use us in His service.  Thanks to God.  In all things, give thanks.  Amen.

Heavenly Father, we are the bread in Your Son's hands.  We give You thanks for breaking us to Your use.  Please forgive us when we get caught up in our own situations and forget to thank You for all the many blessings You give us each day.  And forgive us when we take those blessings for granted when life is going good for us.  May we remember Paul and give thanks in all things.  In the mighty name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.