Why Do We Bless Our Food?

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

THE LAST SUPPER that Jesus shared with his disciples was a Passover Seder. Though
some contemporar !ew Testament scholars "uestion this# the evidence o$ %atthew#
%ar& and Lu&e is compelling.
As an e'ample# consider that all three snoptic gospels preserve an o(scure He(rew
idiom $ound in ancient Ra((inic literature: )eat the Passover* +%t ,-:./0 %& .1:.,0 L&
,,:..2# a shorthand wa o$ re$erring to a Seder# including eating the Passover lam(. )And
when the hour came# he sat at ta(le# and the apostles with him. And he said to them# 34
have earnestl desired to eat the Passover with ou (e$ore 4 su$$er5* +L& ,,:.12.
At that memora(le meal# Jesus spo&e words that have (ecome institutionali6ed in
7hristian settings:
)And as the were eating# Jesus too& (read# and (lessed it# and (ra&e it# and gave it to the
disciples# and said# 3Ta&e# eat0 this is m (od5* +%t ,-:,- 8J9# itals original2.
Three important "uestions can (e as&ed a(out this passage: .: ;hat was the (i(lical (asis
$or Jesus reciting a (lessing (e$ore eating< ,: ;h is the word it italici6ed in the original
8ing James translation< =: How might this in$luence the 7hristian custom o$ )(lessing
the $ood*<
>4RST# i$ we search Jesus5 ?i(le +the He(rew scriptures2 we $ind not a single command
to give than&s (e$ore a meal. The closest parallel is $ound in @euteronom A:.B: And
you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he
has given you. !otice however that the command stipulates a (lessing after the meal#
not (e$ore C a custom still honored toda ( o(servant Jews# in the Birkat a!a"on
+Drace A$ter %eals2.
4n $act# the (asis o$ Jesus5 (lessing (e$ore the meal is not (i(lical (ut e'traE(i(lical. He
honors a tradition started ( the Sages and preserved ( the Pharisees. Their thin&ing
was: 4$ we are commanded to give than&s a$terwards# let us go (eond the letter o$ the
Law and in our gratitude also give than&s (e$ore a meal.
SE7F!@# notice that the (lessing commanded is directed toward Dod and not the meal
itsel$. This DodE$ocus is preserved in the (lessing (e$ore the meal as well: Blessed art
#hou O Lord our God, $ing of the %niverse& 'ho brings forth bread fro! the earth.
The seventeenthEcentur English translators were not priv to $irstEcentur Jewish
traditions. @rawing instead upon the sacramental traditions o$ the 7hurch o$ England and
the Roman 7atholic 7hurch (e$ore it# the assumed that Jesus too& the (read and (lessed
it, and too& the cup and (lessed it.
The word it is italici6ed in %atthew ,-:,- 8J9 (ecause )it* is not in the original Dree&
(ut is an interpolation o$ the translators. Literall# )Jesus too& (read and he (lessed# he
(ro&e# and he distri(uted to the disciples.* The Dree& te't o$ this passage preserves the
authentic He(raic custom o$ our Lord C to (less or give than&s to the Lord $or the $ood
He has (rought $orth $rom the good earth.
;e see this pattern paralleled in a num(er o$ !T passages. Acts ,/:=G $or instance: And
'hen he had said this, (Paul) took bread, and giving thanks to God in the *resen+e of all
he broke it and began to eat.
>4!ALLH# the Jewish perspective that in$ormed the !ew Testament should guide us as
well. ;hen we sa grace (e$ore a meal we are in $act $ollowing a Jewish tradition +even a
Pharisaic oneI2 that was commended to us ( Jesus o$ !a6areth. As in the (est o$ Jewish
traditions let us (e DodEminded and 8ingEcentered in all that we do. 4ndeed the Sages
recommend $inding at least one hundred occasions dail in which to (less Dod as Lord
and 8ing. This mindset is re$lected in the Apostle Paul5s admonition: ,hatever you do,
in 'ord or deed, do everything in the na!e of the Lord -esus, giving thanks to God the
.ather through hi! +7ol =:./2.
4n our customar (lessings (e$ore meals there$ore let the $ocus (e not on the provision
(ut upon the Source. Let5s not )(less the $ood* (ut )(less the Lord* who supplies all our
needs. There( we consecrate the meal and (ring even mundane actions under the
gracious sovereignt o$ the )8ing o$ the Universe.*
J ,B.1 The 7enter $or JudaicE7hristian Studies.
All rights reserved.