Introduction
So here we are, sitting around the dinner table preparing to enjoy a sumptuous meal and someone is asked to ‘bless the food’ before we eat. The person praying says something like this, ‘Heavenly Father, ‘bless this food’ to the nourishment of our bodies, may it strengthen us to do your work, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.’
I’m sure we’ve all heard this prayer at some point in our lives, maybe you’ve even prayed something similar before you ate your food. I was speaking with a brother just recently and asked him why he blessed ‘the food’ before eating? Jokingly he said, ‘the food might be poisoned, and we need God to make it safe to eat!’
Now he may have been joking but there’s some truth in what he said. Some Christians sadly believe, although they won’t openly say it, that they can’t or won’t eat any food unless God has somehow miraculously made it safe to eat first. It’s as though there’s something wrong with the food in the first place and so by blessing the food before eating, it somehow becomes ‘kosher’ enough to eat.
I can understand this kind of thinking, especially when you’re about to eat some food from certain fast food outlets, ‘Dear God, this food doesn’t look or smell great, so please bless it and make it edible for me to eat!’
Where Does Our Food Come From?
When we ask the question, where does our food come from? you may be forgiven for saying the local supermarket or the local farmers. As Christians we know this isn’t true, they are simply the suppliers of the food but it’s God Himself who is the real provider of food, Genesis 1:29-30 / Genesis 9:3 / Psalm 104:14.
Since it’s God who is the ultimate provider, He’s the one who provides the sun and the rain for our food to grow, it’s Him we should be thanking for our food.
James tells us that ‘every good and perfect gift is from above’, James 1:17, this would include our food. And when we pray, ‘Give us our daily bread’, Matthew 6:11, we’re acknowledging that our food is an answer to our prayers for that food.
The problem with ‘blessing the food’ is that it doesn’t acknowledge where the real source of the food comes from. When we pray before eating, should we bless the food or give thanks to God for proving that food? Paul taught that believers should receive their food with thanksgiving when he spoke of ‘Certain foods, which GOD CREATED to be received with THANKSGIVING by those who believe and who know the truth.’ 1 Timothy 4:3
Giving Thanks For The Food
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the 5000, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it.
‘Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he GAVE THANKS and broke the loaves.’ Matthew 14:19
‘Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he GAVE THANKS and broke the loaves.’ Mark 6:41
‘Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he GAVE THANKS and broke them.’ Luke 9:16
‘Jesus then took the loaves, GAVE THANKS, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.’ John 6:11
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the 4000, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice again, He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it.
‘Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.’ Matthew 15:36
‘They had a few small fish as well; he GAVE THANKS for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.’ Mark 8:7
Later in the Book of Acts, we read about the Apostle Paul, publicly and in the presence of many people, some of which were probably not Christians thanked God for the food before eating. Notice again Paul didn’t bless the actual food, He thanked God for it.
‘After he said this, he took some bread and GAVE THANKS TO GOD in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat’. Acts 27:35
Before And After A Meal
Let me share with you another interesting thought concerning giving thanks to God for our food. In the Old Testament, we see that God’s people not only gave thanks BEFORE they ate the food God provided for them, but they also gave thanks to God for the food AFTER they had eaten it, Deuteronomy 8:7-10.
Now, remember we’re to thank God or bless God for the food and that’s because we acknowledge that the food itself is already a blessing. Now notice verse 10, which tells us that God’s people were to praise or bless God AFTER they had eaten. I think it’s right that we give thanks to God BEFORE we eat, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad practice to give thanks to God AFTER we’ve eaten.
The Lord’s Supper
So here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day as a church to remember the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection at ‘The Lord’s Supper’. The presiding brother says a few words and shares a few thoughts to help us focus on Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and then the prayers come. The prayer for the bread usually goes something like this, ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this bread, which represents your Son’s body, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’
Then follows the prayer for the wine, which usually goes something like this, ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this wine, which represents your Son’s blood, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’
If you’ve been attending worship for a few years and participating in the Lord’s Supper, the chances are you’ve probably heard these prayers or something similar many times in your Christian life. Maybe you’ve prayed something similar yourself if you were presiding over the Supper.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the link between asking God to ‘bless the food’ before eating the food and asking God to bless ‘the bread and the wine’ before partaking of it. The Catholic church believes the Eucharist, the bread and the wine, actually becomes the body and blood of Christ, this is called ‘Transubstantiation’.
Now, I know most Christians don’t believe in that teaching, but again, we ask the question, why would anyone want God to bless the bread and the wine? Is there something wrong with the bread and the wine? Do they really believe that something miraculous is going to happen when they ask God to bless them both?
Notice what Jesus actually did when He instituted His Supper and notice especially, that He never once blessed the actual bread and wine.
‘While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.’ Matthew 26:26-27
‘While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.’ Mark 14:22
‘And he took bread, GAVE THANKS and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ IN THE SAME WAY, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’ Luke 22:19-20
‘When he was at the table with them, he took bread, GAVE THANKS, broke it and began to give it to them’. Luke 24:30
‘For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had GIVEN THANKS, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ IN THE SAME WAY, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
Like I mentioned earlier, you will notice what Jesus actually did, He ‘Gave Thanks’, for the bread and wine, He never blessed the actual bread and wine.
Who did He give thanks to?
Obviously, it was the Father, for providing the bread and the wine. He gave thanks to the Father or blessed the father, the word ‘bless’ is another way of expressing thanks to God.
The Jews, even to this day still declare with the entrance of the Sabbath on Friday evenings as members sip wine from a cup, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine.’
Another blessing as members break bread is, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who brings forth bread from the earth.’
Notice again, that in these ‘blessings’, God the Creator is being thanked for giving food, not the bread and wine. These would probably have been similar to the prayers that Jesus would have uttered during His ‘Last Passover Supper.’
‘After taking the cup, he GAVE THANKS and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Luke 22:17-18
What About Matthew 26:26?
‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and BLESSED IT, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, take, eat; this is my body.’ KJV
When we read the King James Version, at first glance, it reads as Jesus ‘blessed it’ i.e. ‘blessed the bread’, however when you read a Greek lexicon, you’ll discover that the word ‘IT’ isn’t in the original text. It reads as follows, ‘(as) they were eating moreover of them, having taken Jesus bread and having blessed, broke and having given to the disciples, he said eat: this is the body of me.’ Matthew 26:26
The word ‘IT’ is kind of misleading in the KJV and so we always have to remember that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, if any text appears to say the opposite of all the other related texts, it’s usually because the translators haven’t done a good job of translating it.
Conclusion
When Christians pray, I believe it’s good practice to think about what we’re actually saying in our prayers, especially when it comes to giving thanks to God for our food or giving thanks to God for providing the bread and the wine at the Supper.
Our children and any visitors often learn how to pray by listening to others and all too often they will simply repeat what they have heard time and time again until they are mature enough to share their own thoughts.
Here we are, getting ready to enjoy a sumptuous meal and someone asks you to ‘bless the food’, why not simply say, ‘the food is already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing it.’
Here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day to participate in the Lord’s Supper, someone asked you to bless the bread and the wine, why not simply say, ‘the bread and the wine is already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing them.’
