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Q&A Home > P > Passover In the Old Testament, the Israelites were required to celebrate the Passover Supper by eating the lamb whole, and without eating anything that has yeast in it. They ate unleavened bread (feteer without yeast). How come our Lord Jesus Christ after Supper (I'm assuming the second Supper, which is the Passover Supper), took bread,...broke, and gave to His disciples. We too, during the Liturgy eat Communion, which is bread that is baked with yeast. If yeast is a symbol of sin, and the Israelites were not permitted to eat yeasted bread during the Passover, how come Jesus and the disciples ate, and we also eat yeasted bread during Communion? The memorial of the Passover events and meal has had the greatest significance for the Jewish people, even until now, because they recall how God saved the Israelites from the oppression of the Egyptians. Today, the Jewish people still observe this occasion with the same reverence and in as much detail as possible to the point of completely cleaning out their homes from any leavened bread whatsoever before the week begins.
The Holy Scripture does not tell us from where Christ took the bread to institute the Holy Eucharist. The Passover lamb was symbolic and prophetic of the true Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. After completing the rites and rituals of the Old Covenant, Christ instituted the Holy Sacrament of the New Covenant for the remission of sins. According to the order of Melchizedek, Christ the High Priest offered this bloodless Sacrifice (bread and wine) which would become His Holy Body and Precious Blood. He, being the Lamb of God, would only be sacrificed once for the entire world, from the beginning to the end. Thus, on Covenant (Maundy) Thursday, Christ gave the world the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist.
The making of the holy bread (Eulogia) which may be chosen to be the Lamb of the Eucharist must be pure wheat made from unsalted flour. Yeast is used to represent sin which Christ bore for us in His flesh. Thus, the pain, suffering, and death which He endured in His flesh were aimed at our sins for He was sinless. Being the real Salt in the world, the flour is not salted. The heat of the oven represents His death, the death of our sins in Him, and His victory over death for our sakes, and the rising of the bread represents His Resurrection.
Please see the attached link. This Catholic-based page actually uses the Coptic Orthodox explanation of the Holy Eucharist which is on the SUS Diocese website.
Excerpt: Catholic Champion - Because Truth is a Matter of Life and Death:
"An excellent explanation of the Eucharist by the Coptic Church. I thought it is well worth putting this article up on this site to show once again that the Eucharist is not something unique to the Catholic church. In fact the Coptic Church, which is the ancient church of Egypt, still holds the age old doctrine of the Real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ being present in the Holy Eucharist. Although, as their article says, we are not as Catholics in full communion with them, we do acknowledge the fact that they hold valid sacraments, and hold to many of the same teachings as the Catholic Church. Please visit their website for great articles. Matthew Bellisario."
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