THE SYMBOLICAL MEANING OF THE BREAD IN THE PASSOVER SERVICE

Around the world God's people will soon be partaking of the Passover symbols picturing the sacrifice Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God, made for mankind.  In general, Church members have had no problem understanding what the small amount of wine symbolizes in the Passover service.  However, a problem has developed for some in the Church about the symbolic meaning of the morsel of bread.

The Passover ceremony was changed in the Worldwide Church of God shortly after the death of Mr. Armstrong, and one of those alterations changed the symbolic meaning of the bread.  Rather than maintaining the separate and special meaning of the broken bread symbolizing Christ's terrible beating to pay for our physical sins, the change blended the bread and wine together to represent the questionable notion of an "undivided" sacrifice.  In doing this the Church started the process of rejecting the doctrine of healing so that in time divine healing ceased to be taught by many of God's ministers.  The fallout from this horrible mistake has resulted in fewer and fewer of God's people being supernaturally healed today, and tragically, abandonment of the truth regarding divine healing has carried over into the split-off corporate Churches of God of which I am familiar.

PHYSICAL SIN

The term "physical sin" simply means a transgression of one of God's physical laws.  By turning away from this most important understanding and basing their belief on the idea there is no such thing as physical sin, many who once looked for divine supernatural healing from God have lost much of their faith.  It is claimed by some of their leaders they still believe in physical healing, but there is no direct association made with it to the bread that is broken and eaten during the Passover service.  Further, in the Worldwide Church of God we ministers were instructed from the very top leadership that while praying for and anointing members we were no longer to ask God that the broken body of Jesus Christ be applied to them for their healing.  By disassociating the piece of bread eaten in the Passover Service from the beaten body of Jesus Christ the dismantling of members' faith was assured.

THE PASSOVER CEREMONY

The apostle Paul makes a distinct difference between the symbols of the bread and the wine in his writings to the Corinthians:

"... the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread.  And when he had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (I Corinthians 11:23-26).

Observe carefully that Paul introduced the wine in connection to the New Covenant.  He mentioned the bread in its relationship to Christ's broken body.  Clearly, he made a distinction between the two necessary symbols, one physical and the other spiritual.  He makes the distinction clear regarding the separate meaning of the bread later on in the same chapter:

"Whosoever shall eat this bread ... unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord ... For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."  That is, not UNDERSTANDING that Jesus body was broken FOR OUR HEALING! Now continue: "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep"-that is, are DEAD! (Verses 29-30)  Because they do not understand Jesus' body was broken for our HEALING-because they take this bread unworthily (that is, not trusting in Jesus' stripes for healing), many are suffering sickness, many have died-the penalty of physical transgression!  Paul is referring here to physical health - the lack of it, and even death resulting from NOT properly discerning the Lord's beaten and broken body.  Isaiah comments about it in this way: (HWA, Does God Heal Today, 1952 edition)

"Surely He has borne our griefs (lit. 'pains'), yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.  The chastisement for our peace (welfare) was upon Him, and by His stripes (margin - 'blows that cut in') we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5).

The following Scriptures prove what God was saying through Isaiah had a later fulfillment in the ministry of Jesus Christ through PHYSICAL HEALING - not spiritual healing!  Jesus Christ explained in these scriptures the miracles of healing He was performing were a fulfillment of what Isaiah wrote in the verses above quoted:

"And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and HEALED all who were sick, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'" (Matt. 8:17).

Putting these scriptures together, they make the clear point the bread used in the Passover service is symbolic of Christ's broken body and they also show He took upon Himself the penalty for our breaking physical laws that brings sickness and infirmity upon us.  The apostle Peter summarized both symbols in his writing:

"Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins (spiritual forgiveness), might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed" (physical healing - I Peter 2:24).

The difference between physical and spiritual sin should be understood.  To catch a cold is not a spiritual sin, and to be unrepentant is not a physical sin.  Rebellion is not caught like a germ or virus.  A right relationship with God is brought about by real, genuine, heart-felt repentance, not by some sort of nebulous spiritual healing as is being taught by those falling into error (Psalm 51).  It is our spiritual sins that separate us from God, not our physical sins! (Isaiah 59:1-2)

HEALING IS PHYSICAL

Healing IS physical!  In his booklet on the subject of healing, Mr. Armstrong made it very plain the BROKEN BREAD of the Passover service DOES represent the actual BROKEN BODY of Jesus Christ, which indeed was broken FOR US so that we might have access to physical healing (See Isaiah 53:4-5; I Peter 2:22-24; Matthew 8:17; etc., and read Mr. Armstrong's booklet on healing, 1979 edition, pages 27-28).  It is incumbent upon all of God's people to not let this knowledge slip away from them through false teaching.

As this article has stated the Passover symbols have to do with two different types of sin - physical and spiritual.  The shed blood that resulted in Christ's death represented by the wine is required for the forgiveness of our spiritual sins and satisfies the death penalty for mankind.  The terrible scourging Christ suffered makes available our needed physical healing.

In making the sacrifice he did, Christ reached out to his creation with incredible love and compassion.  He well knew what we human beings would bring on ourselves through our physical transgressions of physical laws in this life.  Therefore Christ provided for our forgiveness through His miraculous intervention with divine healing (Matthew 9:2,5) just as He had promised our forefathers when he said:

"... If you will heed the LORD your God diligently doing what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments, and keep all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of these diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I THE LORD AM YOUR HEALER" (YHVH ROPHEKA - lit. 'thy Physician' Exodus 15:25-26 NKJV).

While the point has been made that physical sin and spiritual sin differ, Christ made very plain in his word, the Bible that sin and sickness are connected.  You can read this in the following verses:

"And the inhabitant will not say, 'I am sick', the people who dwell in it will be FORGIVEN their iniquity" (Isaiah 33:24).

"Who forgives all your iniquities (spiritual).  Who heals all your diseases (physical - Psalm 103:3).

"And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, 'Son, be of good cheer; YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN YOU'" (Matthew 9:2).

Further, Jesus said to the sick man who had been healed at the pool of Bethesda:

"... See you have been made well.  SIN NO MORE, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14).  The word for sin used here simply means to "Miss the Mark" or fall short of obeying the physical laws necessary for health.

SIN REQUIRES A PENALTY

Mr. Armstrong taught us SIN requires a penalty to be paid - whether spiritual or physical.  Both result from broken laws.  And even though we can circumvent some of the physical suffering brought on due to illness by taking medicines or seeing doctors, no doctor can heal (see The Plain Truth About Healing, pages 28-29).  Doctors can only aid the process of natural healing God has placed within the body.  This type of healing is often very slow and sometimes leaves us with scars and other problems.  We still pay a penalty!  Miraculous healing, on the other hand, is the forgiveness of sin (broken law) and can bring the sufferer instant and total healing.  This is made plain by what Jesus said to the scribes in the following Scriptures:

"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you'" (Mark 2:5).  "But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sin but God alone?'...  He [Jesus] said to them, 'Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?" (Mark 2:6-9).

As these scriptures show, physical sin requires forgiveness of broken laws for divine healing.  It is God's will to heal us (Matthew 8:1-3).  And in that regard it is important for us to remember God never changes (Malachi 3:6).  He is the same today as He was yesterday and will be forever (Hebrews 13:8).

In many cases people have not PERSONALLY sinned at all to bring on their health problems.  Often their afflictions have been brought about through inheriting the result of the sins of their forefathers.  Read Exodus 20:5 where it speaks of "passing the iniquities of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations."  This Scripture has to apply to physical sins for the prophet Ezekiel was led by God to write: "... the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: ..." (Ezekiel 18:19-20, KJV).

In James 5:14-15 where sin is mentioned in connection with healing, James is not speaking about repentance.  In regard to sins being involved, James says, "IF" we have committed sins.  He leaves it open to the possibility someone else may have been responsible for our illness, but we are the ones to suffer (verse 15).  Therefore it was proper to add "IF" in this verse. Someone, sometime, somewhere, had MISSED THE MARK, or fallen short of obeying God's physical laws.  Mr. Armstrong made this clear when he said: "God has set in motion laws which regulate and produce good health.  The transgression of these laws produces sickness and disease" (and that is the result of physical sin!).

SPIRITUAL SIN AND GUILT

Always, spiritual sins involve guilt and require repentance for our needed forgiveness.  We are not responsible for the spiritual sins of others, only ours.  In contrast, when it comes to physical sins there is not always the need for repentance on the part of a sick person.  It has been scientifically proven that we humans sometimes have to bear the result of the sins of our fathers. Some of our physical problems are inherited; some result from birth defects, and so on.

The Bible speaks of how Christ was moved with compassion and performed miracle after miracle to heal people of all kinds of diseases and problems.  In His awesome, incredible and caring love for mankind Jesus Christ made possible the blessing of physical healing that did NOT require the personal repentance and forgiveness that is necessary for spiritual sin.

When we are forgiven of our spiritual sins, baptized, and receive God's Holy Spirit, we are rarely ever healed physically at that time.  In order to be healed physically, it is usually necessary for us to obey God's instructions in James 5:14 which involves being prayed for by the ministry.  Upon fulfilling this injunction, we should have the confidence our physical sins will also be forgiven and we will be physically healed, miraculously.

THE PASSOVER SERVICE

In the Passover service healing must be mentioned in connection with the bread.  If this connection is not made clear, the service is not correct.  A mere mention of healing is not adequate.  It must be healing directly connected with the bread.  Listen carefully to the service you participate in.  If this connection is not properly mentioned, you must make the correction in your own mind as you partake of this most important and meaningful symbol.  You should pause briefly before you eat the bread praying silently telling God you do understand the meaning of this symbol.  In this way God will know you are correctly discerning the purpose for his son's terrible beating.

Healing is, and brings about, a personal and intimate relationship with our God that rarely can be experienced in any other way.  Mr. Armstrong worded it this way in a letter that went out with anointed cloths: "Healing expresses a deeply personal relationship between an individual and his God."

MISLEADING QUOTES

It is my sincere belief that we were lied to when we were told Mr. Armstrong said before he died he had missed something regarding healing and that he no longer believed in physical sin.  In this regard, let me put to rest these untrue statements by quoting from two of his last letters (Refer to his Autobiography, volume II, pages 637, 640; and to a coworker letter dated September 12, 1985 written 4 months and 4 days before his death, January 16, 1986):

"... Since last December I have been working diligently on the largest and most important book of my life.  In real fact I feel I did not myself write it.  Rather, I believe God used me in writing it.  I candidly feel it may be the most important book since the Bible...The book is...the Mystery of the Ages.  Actually it might be called a synopsis of the Bible in the most plain and understandable language..."

Please read what he wrote in that book on pages 211-212 detailing the scourging Jesus Christ suffered in order that we might be healed.  Here is a quote from that writing:

"The unbelievable scourging was ENDURED that BELIEVERS might be HEALED from physical transgression, sicknesses or disease (Isaiah 53:5, I Peter 2:24).  What a terrible price our own very MAKER paid that we might, BY BELIEVING, be HEALED.  Yet nearly all professing believers totally ignore what their SAVIOR provided for them, and instead of RELYING on Him, put their FAITH in human doctors, drugs, medicines and knives."

Mr. Armstrong said in a sermon about the time of the writing of this book that there seemed to be a voice inside of him urging him to, "WRITE, WRITE!"  God knew in advance the deception that would be coming on His Church after Mr. Armstrong's death.  He knew Satan would be attacking the Church by using leaders from within to dismantle this teaching!  Foreseeing this, God brought about the writings of that book to help keep our minds clear of the false teachings that did materialize!

Less than two months before Mr. Armstrong died he still felt the same way about this book: On November 25, 1985 (his death came 52 days later, January 16, 1985) he wrote:

"With the writing of the new book Mystery of the Ages God has helped me this year to do the best work of my ninety-three years of life ..." (page 641).

Did he change his mind during those last few remaining days of his life?  Some would have you to believe that he did.  But it is absurd to believe he changed his mind within the last two months of his life about doctrines he had taught over the many years of his ministry!

Here is one last quote from Mr. Armstrong's booklet on healing, printed 1979, page 57:

"I have been frankly aroused to indignation to learn of this false, faith-shattering teaching ... wherein ministers were literally instructed to encourage God's people to TRUST IN MAN - in the 'advanced expertise' of the medical profession - and to discourage them from having faith in God."

Paraphrasing Mr. Armstrong I want to say, I realize that Satan is the real culprit, and that those who taught these things did not intend harm - and were misled and deceived into supposing they were teaching truth.  But Jesus Christ, through His apostle, teaches ministers to ENCOURAGE RELIANCE ON THE LIVING CHRIST, rather than on men.

Toward the end of his 1979 booklet on healing, Mr. Armstrong taught balance on the subject of healing and being under the care of medical science.  I would encourage the reader to read the complete booklet to have a good understanding on the subject.

A FINAL APPEAL

I have continued to feel a great need to present the truth regarding the true understanding of the symbolism of the bread in the Passover service.  For this reason I appeal to all God's people to return to THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED by God through His apostles of the early Church and restored by His late apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (please read Jude 3; Malachi 4:4-6; Matthew 17:11).

To help you approach the Passover with confidence, we will make available to those who request it a copy of the Passover ceremony as written and used by Mr. Armstrong.