breaking bread
As isolated humans formed societies, they felt protected, could trade more easily, and expanded association boosted the gene pool, but more people in a concentrated space required an expansion of food cultivation. Bread, created primarily from harvested wheat, moved to the center of the menu in ancient Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Similarly, the central staple food in the Americas was a form of bread made from a different grain: corn, and in East Asia, the grain was rice.
The primitive wheat, called Emmer, grew wild, and success in making bread from it led to genetic modifications to create the first domestically grown wheat, called Einkorn. As bread became a common food, those who grew it gained a measure of security from it. Non-society humans roamed the settlements, but they couldn’t easily steal wheat from the field or take more than a few sacks of grain. They were likely to demand tribute (some of the sacks of grain) in return for saving family and homes. Should the marauders take over an entire village, grain farmers were still needed, so why not let them ply their trade?
From ancient times to the present day, the aroma of freshly baked bread, made by loving hands, excites the senses, especially the sense of smell. As in earlier times, it is common for bread to be offered as a gift to customers, along with a menu in many restaurants. The phrase, “Let us break bread together,” means that someone has offered to share his bread with you, that you are welcomed into his home as an honored guest.
It may be that because bread was so essential to humans, Jesus mentioned it when he formed the prayer (“The Lord’s Prayer”) that he taught his disciples. One line in the sentence is “Our daily bread, give us this day.” Manna, said to have fallen from heaven for the Hebrews during their exodus from slavery in Egypt, was described as bread. Bread offered to bosses or strangers is grace. Asking God for daily bread or receiving manna from Heaven is God’s grace.
In the modern Western world, most bread is processed by a distant industrial bakery, formed into a loaf, pre-sliced for consumer convenience, functional, practical, and familiar. But it lacks the delicious aroma, the feeling of welcome when served and the grace itself. “Here’s your sandwich. Eat it.”
Jesus used the bread from his last supper to explain to his disciples how his earthly ministry would end and the need for their ministry to begin (the foundation of Christianity). Search the web for the book of Matthew 26: 17-30. Jesus broke the bread and distributed the pieces as a symbol of his grace for them and for all humanity. Broken bread is not sliced equally. Some disciples surely obtained large pieces and others small, but there too the symbolism is rich. Each person receives the grace of God. We get such grace that we need, not what we want.