Turning Stones into Bread

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Turn stones to bread.  Turn our stony hearts to bread that can
be shared with other people.

Mat 4:3  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are
the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

Mat 4:4  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from
the mouth of God.'"

	How many of you have contemplated this act of Jesus as He began
His ministry?  I'm sure that all of us have thought on it at
least a little.  

	As I was considering the communion service, the thought came to
me that Jesus came to do for others what he refused to do for
himself.  

	In Ezek 36:26, 27, the prophet shares with us what the greatest
desire of the Godhead is on our behalf when the Spirit led  him
to write ,"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh.  (27) I will put My Spirit within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My
judgments and do them."

	Jesus offered the people the bread of life.  I is interesting
that Jesus made bread for others from nothing on at least 2
occasions, but he would not make it for himself from stones,
when he just as surely could have! 

	Mat 7:7  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will
find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Mat 7:8  "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks
finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Mat 7:9  "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks
for bread, will give him a stone?

Mat 7:10  "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Mat 7:11  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in
heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

	Here we find the stone/bread them again as Jesus relates an
improbable situation to his disciples.  Perhaps in this he was
trying to convey a truth:  The Jewish rulers only offered the
people stony obligations. Jesus wanted to offer them the
fullness of the Spirit 

	Stones break the spirit, but they can never soften the heart. 
Eat lots of bread and it makes you soft!

	We find the bread/stone theme in the events surrounding the
institution of the communion service.

Mat 26:18  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and
say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep
the Passover at your house with My disciples."' "

Mat 26:19  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and
they prepared the Passover.

Mat 26:20  When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

Mat 26:21  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say
to you, one of you will betray Me."

Mat 26:22  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them
began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"

Mat 26:23  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me
in the dish will betray Me.

Mat 26:24  "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of
Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It
would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

Mat 26:25  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said,
"Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."

Mat 26:26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed
and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat;
this is My body."

Mat 26:27  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.

Mat 26:28  "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mat 26:29  "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of
the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you
in My Father's kingdom."

Mat 26:30  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the
Mount of Olives.

	Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and then offered the
bread symbolizing His body to all of the disciples.  Most of
those there were softened in their hearts at this action.  But
one was hardened, and his heart of stone led him to be even more
determined to betray his master.

	In Jesus we find both the bread of life and the rock of our
salvation, the human and the divine.  We can receive the divine
only by partaking of the human.  

	Mark 7:27  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled
first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw
it to the little dogs."

Mark 7:28  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet
even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's
crumbs."

Mark 7:29  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way;
the demon has gone out of your daughter."

	Even the gentiles were to partake of this bread of life which
destroys stony hearts.  	

	At the communion table, Christ gave of himself. Today, we, too
are privileged to partake of some of the crumbs off of the
table.  I thank God for that privilege