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ELDER OYELAJA - One of my investigators ask why do we use ordinary bread for sacrament instead of unleaven bread and water instead of grape? he said can God be mocked? We have tried to resolve his concern about this matter, but is not sactisfied. we need more clarification on the subject.
JOEL - We use what we call ordinary bread because Jesus used what they called ordinary bread back then and whatever was handy to represent His blood (wine). Jesus did not specify to the world in the scriptures what had to be used to represent His body and blood; what was most important is what the items represented. At the moment He instituted the sacrament it was during the feast of the unleavened bread, so naturally that is probably what He used although the scriptures don't specifically identify it as such.
In their accounts of the institution of the Sacrament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul—the latter having received his information of the Lord Himself (1 Cor. 11:23-28) make it clear that it is the eating of the broken bread and the partaking of the common Cup that constitute the essential elements of the sacrament.
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." ((1 Cor. 11:23-28)
Notice that in the above scriptures not once are the contents of the cup identified nor is unleavened bread specified.
There is nothing sinful about leaven. In the Old Testament it was used in the worship of the Lord. In Lev. 7:13 and Lev. 23:16-17 worshippers were commanded to bring sacrifices of leavened bread to the Temple. In the New Testament, leaven was used as an analogy for the gospel and the spread of the kingdom (Matt. 13:33, Luke 13:21) The ceremonial avoidance of leaven in the Passover was one of the signs and shadows of the Old Testament and a part of the ceremonial law which Jesus fulfilled.
To Joseph Smith the Lord declared "that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the Sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins" (D&C 27:2).
Because God now forbids the use of alcoholic drinks we use water instead of wine; which according to the revelation above meets with God's approval. In fact the wine used today in other faiths is probably not the same as was used in ancient times, which may have been nothing more than grape juice.
The requirement in other Christian religions of using unleavened bread is mostly out of tradition that started centuries ago.
If your investigator is serious about joining the Church and can accept that Joseph Smith is a prophet, then he will accept what God told him in the above revelation.
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