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Between Babel and Beast
(America and Empires in Biblical Perspective)
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Leviticus 2:4: When you bring an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
The Lord’s Supper fulfills the feasts and sacrifices of the Old Testament. Long ago, Israel offered tribute offerings of grain on the altar. Now God shares the final tribute offering, Jesus the Living Bread, with us.
God doesn’t want raw plants on His table. The grain of tribute offerings had to be roasted, or milled into flour and baked into bread or cakes. We don’t eat grapes or raw grain either. Someone had to put time and effort into making this bread. Wine is the product of enormous skill and patience.
Like food itself, cooking gives a clue to what it means to be human. We beautify and adorn what we eat. Food is an art, not merely fuel. As Samuel Johnson said, animals think and feel and reason; but no beast is a cook.
At His table, God gives our bread and wine back to us. This can only mean that the things we make are from God. Even our bread is food that God spreads out before us with his open, infinitely generous hand. Even wine we prepare is His gift, to be received with Eucharist, with thanksgiving.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 7:11 am
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