In the Bible "bread" is a common word. Bread was so basic to
the people's lives that "bread" could be used interchangeably with "food" and
was identified with life itself. Moreover, the bread that God provided the
ancient Hebrews in the wilderness had become symbolic of the life-giving power
of God. After the Resurrection the disciples recognized the life-giving power
of God in Jesus Christ, the new "Bread of Life," the staple providing genuine
life and satisfaction of the deepest of human hungers. As noted in The
Oxford Companion to the Bible, "At the last supper, he (Jesus) interpreted
the breaking of the unleavened bread of Passover as symbolizing the offering of
himself; this was commemorated by early Christians in the ceremony of the
'breaking of the bread.'" [p.95]