There are many occasions in the study of Bible Prophecy where there are dual fulfillments of a single verse. In the 9th Old Testament Prophecy that Jesus fulfilled, we find that this is the case.
Genesis 14:18 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.”
As in our study of the 8th Prophecy that Jesus fulfilled here in Genesis 14:8, we see that from the beginning God was seeking to show us a picture of the future sacrifice of Jesus in the Old Testament.
What is the significance of Melchizedek bringing Abraham bread and wine and pronouncing a blessing upon Abraham, if not to foreshadow the future event of Jesus sacrifice for us?
Jesus said that not a single “Jot” or “Tittle” in the scripture is there by accident:
Matthew 5:18 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.“
The Jot and Tittle are the smallest artifact in the Hebrew language. Represented by a dot above a letter or a hook below a letter, these seemingly insignificant parts of words are said by Jesus, to be just as important as the words they highlight. Jesus is giving us a hint that we should be paying attention to every minute detail of the Bible and search out their deeper meaning.
There are two purposes of the text of the Bible:
First: The clear and plain meaning of each text, meant to be read and understood by anyone.
Second: The deeper meaning and purpose that can only be understood by those who search and dig to discover it.
Jesus gave an example of this when He taught by the use of Parables:
Matthew 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
The Parables that Jesus spoke were illustrations of greater truths hidden beneath the surface of the story. For the casual listener these stories were simply stories. To the diligent listener and sincere seeker of God’s truth, they were a treasure chest of eternal information.
When we arrive at the New Testament, we see that the intent of the Holy Spirit in writing the words of the Old Testament was to point the way to a greater understanding of who Jesus is.
Paul revealed that every single word of the Bible is about Jesus and for the purpose of revealing who He is:
Hebrews 10:7 “Then I said, “Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”
When we read the text of Genesis 14:18 and see Melchizedek bringing bread and wine, the wise student of the Word of God should go immediately to the New Testament and try to find a parallel. As we study the Gospels, we discover that Jesus is found breaking bread and drinking wine as symbols of His death and resurrection.
Mark 14:22 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’”
The parallel between this event in Mark and the bringing of Bread by Melchizedek is obviously not a coincidence. There are no coincidences in the Bible. Everything is placed where it is for a specific purpose by the Holy Spirit.
Later Jesus said to His disciples something that both shocked and horrified them:
John 6:53 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’ “
Was Jesus saying that we must literally eat His flesh and drink His blood? Or was there a deeper spiritual meaning behind these words?
Whenever we hear the word “Bread” in the New Testament, we should immediately go back to that place in the Old Testament book of Exodus, chapter 16 where Manna is given to God’s people in response to their hunger.
Exodus 16:35 “And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.”
Later in the New Testament, Jesus reveals that this Manna in the Book of Exodus was really a picture of Himself who was the “Bread of Life” for anyone who would eat of Him:
John 6:49-51 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
The intended purpose of the Manna in the Book of Exodus was to point the way to the New Testament where Jesus would give His Body as the “Bread of Life”. Those in the book of Exodus who wanted to live, had to partake of the Bread that God gave them. There was no hope of life without this bread and each person had to willingly partake of it themselves.
What did Jesus mean by saying: “… unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.“?
The Jewish leadership in Israel also wondered at Jesus statement. Was Jesus commanding us to literally eat His flesh in order to have eternal life?
John 6:52 “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’ ”
The Jewish leadership did not understand what Jesus was saying because they were not really seeking spiritual truth, they heard only the surface of Jesus words, but did not perceive its deeper meaning,
The question is: Why doesn’t Jesus just clearly explain to these men what He really wanted them to understand? Why does He hide the spiritual truth of His words under the illustration of eating His flesh and drinking His blood?
Most people have only a surface awareness of God. Many will say that they know who Jesus is but upon further examination of their life, it is apparent that they do not know Him intimately. If a person comes into a sincere relationship with Jesus, it will affect every aspect of their life. It will be apparent to anyone who observes, whether someone really knows Jesus.
Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.“
By Jesus telling the Jews that they must “eat His flesh and drink His blood”, one of two things would happen:
One: They would hear the story and not understand it because their hearts were not really seeking spiritual truth.
Two: They would hear the story and not understand it, but be driven to dig deeper and ask “What is Jesus really saying? Surely He is not asking me to eat His literal flesh and drink His actual blood, what does He mean by this statement?”
A relationship with God does not come by a casual hearing and a surface understanding. God only reveals Himself to those who are diligently seeking Him with all of their heart:
Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.“
Jesus wants for all men to know Him and have a relationship with God, but the person who comes to God must be seeking to know Him with every fiber of their being.
John 6:53 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’ “
If Jesus is not telling us to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood, what is He saying?
As the children of Israel had to take the Manna and eat it in order to live, so also must everyone who is sincerely seeking a relationship with the Living God. As we take bread into our bodies and digest it, the elements of the bread become a part of every cell of our body.
So also must each one do if they want to obtain eternal life. Jesus must be taken into every fiber of your life and become a part of you. He must become your life and the reason that you live.
John 6:54-56 ” Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.“
In response to Jesus’ statement, many of those who heard Him were offended. The gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to many people because it reminds them that they are a sinner and that they need a Savior. Many people do not want to accept this truth about themselves. People want to believe that they are basically good with a few bad attributes. The truth is that all of us are morally corrupt because of our fallen nature and there is no cure for this genetic fault except that our old life should die and we are given a brand new life by God.
John 6:61 “When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’ “
The purpose of Melchizedek bringing bread and wine in Genesis 14:8, was to point the way for Jesus who would come in the New Testament and show us the significance of the Bread and Wine.. The Bread is Jesus’ body which was broken for all of us. The Wine represented His Blood that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
When Jesus said that we must “Eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood”, He was speaking a spiritual example of the fact that a relationship with Jesus must be deep and personal and become a part of every cell of our life. It is not by a casual knowledge of Jesus that a person is saved, but by complete and utter surrender to Him as Lord (Master) and Savior (The method for removing our sins).
Jesus words: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”, were meant to drive a person to find the deeper spiritual meaning of those words.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
“The words that I speak to you are Spiritual…”
Matthew 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.’ ”
Matthew 26:27 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 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.’ ”
Jesus fulfilled this 9th Old Testament Prophecy by becoming the Bread and Wine that Melchizedek brought to Abraham, the one to whom Jesus ultimately came from. All who eat of this bread and drink this wine have eternal life.
