in the communion service, why is the bread first
- Great question! The Bible doesn't say specifically why it's in that order, but we can understand a couple of things. First, the Passover meal is what was being celebrated on the night Jesus was betrayed. The order given for that was the bread first, though wine isn't even mentioned originally as the Israelites left Egypt and was a later development as part of the Passover Seder in the 2nd Century A.D. The point here is that Jesus would have been following the order of elements initially from the Passover meal. But also, logically, Jesus' body would have to be broken first, whipped and nailed, before blood was poured out. So, in that sense, it's the natural progression of what He did on the cross. Besides these things, the Bible doesn't ever say why they are given in that specific order, but the Lord's example has been followed that way since the early church times. I hope that helps. Blessings!
- There is also the very practical issue of "washing down" what you've eaten. Jesus, though divine, was also very practical. For example, render unto God that which is God's and unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, or: does anyone condemn you?. No Lord. Then neither do I.
