Benching and the Early Christian Meal
by Douglas H. Wheeler, Ph.D.

Benching is a cultural tradition of the early church which has by and large been lost to the modern Christian. When we, who have a Western mindset, sit down to an evening meal, it is common for us to say "grace" before we eat. Our prayer is usually something very short, such as, "Dear Lord, thank You for this food. We pray that You will bless it to the nourishment of our bodies and our bodies to Your service." If we ask our children to pray, they may pray something simple like "God is great; God is good. Let us thank Him for our food."

We approach the meal much differently than did those of the early church period, who were mostly Jews. In our culture, the evening meal has become just that, the evening meal. It is something that most of us rush through because of the fast pace in which we live our lives. The evening meal has lost its atmosphere as a time for family, fellowship, and the Lord. Many of our family tables have become a come-and-go buffet table, rather than an altar before the Lord.

Our family members are busy with jobs, school, entertainment, and complex scheduling problems, as both husband and wife work outside the home in order to make ends meet. Most American families can be divided into three distinct groups--those who do not eat together at all, those who eat at the same time but not around the table, and those who eat around the table but usually in the company of the television.

The average American family spends approximately twenty minutes eating the evening meal together, and then it's off to watch TV, do homework, work in the yard, or catch up on work brought home from the office. For those who have teenagers in the home, the time spent around the table together dramatically drops. Even when we have guests in our home, we quickly eat the meal and retire to the living room to drink our coffee and visit about the job, children, or the upcoming week's activities.

The Home is the Center for Spiritual Growth

The Bible is very clear in reference to the home's being the center for fellowship, Biblical education, and spiritual growth. There is a great movement today away from church buildings and into cell churches, as we begin to realize more fully that we the people, not the buildings, are the "church."

As this movement grows, there is greater awareness that the home is the center for spiritual growth and pure ministry. We need to see the dinner table not only as place to eat a meal, but also as a place where family fellowship, praise, worship and instruction in the Word of God take place. We are told in Deuteronomy 4:8,9: "And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I have set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy son's son." The dinner table affords an excellent opportunity to share spiritual insights and experiences with our families. It provides a time away from the press of the world where our families can be taught things concerning Yeshua the Messiah.

The Early Christian Home

The early Christian (Jewish) dinner table was more than just a place to eat. It was a place to recline and to enjoy family and friends. It was, in essence, an altar before God. Unlike the American counterpart, the early Christian table was dedicated not only to good and wholesome food, but also to the realization of spiritual goals. Around the table, the father led the family in the instruction of the Torah (Word of God), in the singing of zimrot (songs), in the application of the Torah to the individual life and in prayer. The meal literally became a time of eating, fellowship, teaching and singing. The early believers not only knew, but also applied the Biblical injunction that "man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3). The Talmud says: "Before a man eats and drinks, he has two hearts, after he has eaten and drank, he has but one heart. An empty stomach has a disturbing effect on the mind and interferes with the concentration of thought" (BB 12b). Thus, the evening meal was not something to be rushed through, but a time to be enjoyed by the whole family, for indeed, man does not live by bread alone.

Mealtime was a time when something spiritual, something special was produced. How different from our mealtime today. The fact remains that there is no greater opportunity to teach children about Christian values and the love of Jesus than around the dinner table.

Hospitality

Mealtime was also a great opportunity to demonstrate the hospitality of the home. To the Hebraic mind, hospitality is of the utmost importance because Scripture teaches them to "let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2).

Every member of the family was taught the art of hospitality. When Paul instructed the saints in Rome to have an attitude and a lifestyle of hospitality, he was simply building upon Old Testament ideas of hospitality. The art of hospitality would naturally include time reclining around the dinner table. Hospitality was even extended to the goyim (members of a different nation). Around the dinner table, the "alien" would be exposed to the Torah and the teachings about the Lord God of Israel.

We in the church community have all but lost the art of hospitality. We do not mind opening our homes to those of like faith and mind from our churches because we can feel comfortable and at ease with them as we share things about our relationship with Jesus. In so doing, although we enjoy it immensely, we are practicing hospitality with discrimination.

Our homes should be open to all types and races of people, both believers and nonbelievers alike. To the Hebraic mind who practices hospitality without discrimination, the dinner table becomes not only a place of fellowship, but a place of evangelism. What an opportunity for ministry to take place!

As we regain the Biblical custom of hospitality, we do not need to worry whether or not our churches have a "program" of evangelism, because we "the church" can become involved in one-on-one, face-to-face lifestyle evangelism around our dinner table.

Staples on the Jewish Table

Noticeable on all Jewish tables of the early church were bread, salt, and wine. Each of these staples immediately brought into focus some aspect of the Torah.

Bread: Bread was a constant reminder that the children of Israel were fed manna during their years in the wilderness. It brought a memory of God's provision for them. It served as a reminder to first century Christians that food is a gift from God. It also kept them in constant awareness that man does not live by bread alone.

For the Sabbath meal, two loaves of bread (challah) are covered with a colored linen cloth and placed on the table. Two loaves, rather than one, are placed on the table to illustrate visually that each day the children of Israel gathered enough manna to feed them for one day. On the sixth day, however, each person gathered twice as much manna as necessary, since they could gather no manna on the Sabbath.

Bread on the table was also symbolic of God's continual presence among them. Jewish tradition likens the Sabbath to a bride of Israel. Just as the bride wore a veil over her face until she was married and the blessing was pronounced, so the bread (challah) is covered with the bright linen cloth until the blessing is pronounced over the bread.

Perhaps bread should be a staple on our table to remind us of two things: (l) that God will supply all our needs, according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:l9), and (2) that Jesus' body was broken for us.

In I Corinthians ll we read: "The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread and when He had blessed it, He broke it and said, take, eat: this is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." Every time we eat bread at the table, we should be reminded of the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He was the bread of Life. Is there any wonder why He was born in Bethlehem, which means "house of bread" in Hebrew. Jesus is our Bread and our Provision.

Salt: Salt was also an everyday staple on the table of the early Christians. It was one of the main parts of the table setting. Salt served as a reminder of the fall of Adam and the results of sin and rebellion against God. In Genesis 3:l7-l9 we read: "And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, 'thou shalt not eat of it:' cursed is the ground for thy sakes; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground . . . "

Salt also served as a reminder of the offerings made for sin before the altar in the Temple. Salt was added to all sacrifices. It is also interesting that the Hebrew word for salt, as well as bread, contains the same three Hebrew letters. By rearranging the letters of the word for salt, we have the word for bread.

Perhaps salt should always be on our table to remind us that Jesus has become our sacrifice for sin and that He buys back for us all that Adam lost. He is the second Adam. Jesus tells us in Mark 9:49,50: "For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another." Salt on our table should remind us that we are the salt of the earth and that we are called to lifestyle of love and evangelism. What better place to practice these than
around our own table?

Wine: The third staple that is always on a Jewish table is wine. This wine is a symbol of great joy. Wine is drank at weddings, bar mitzvahs, Sabbath meals, holidays and circumcisions. Early Christianity did not consider the drinking of wine to be bad in and of itself simply because it would intoxicate an individual who drank too much. It was believed that the drinking of wine in moderation was good for the body, good for a merry heart. Out of the traditional blessings is "Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Meleck Ha-olam, Bo-ray P'ree Ha-gawfen" ("Blessed art thou, O Lord, King of the Universe, who bringeth forth the fruits of the vine"). If not wine, maybe a little grape juice should be a constant on our table to remind us that in the serving of Jesus there is great joy. It could also remind us of the blood sacrifice that He made to establish for us a New Covenant. "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 you drink it, in remembrance of me" (I Corinthians 11:25).

Benching

Unlike our American tradition of blessing the meal before we eat, benching is a custom that the early church enjoyed and engaged in following the meal. In Acts 2:42, we read: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking the bread, and in prayers."

One aspect of the prayers that they continued in was that of "benching." Remembering that the evening meal was not something that was rushed through and that the early church viewed eating as not only a physical endeavor but also one that had spiritual implications, the practice of benching found its roots in Deuteronomy 8:l0-l4: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thous hast is multiplied: then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

Benching is the name of a formal Hebrew prayer called the "Bircath Hamazon" or the "blessing of the food." The Bircath Hamazon is a full length Hebraic prayer that is broken into four parts. It is recited following an evening meal in which bread is included and served. The four parts of the benching prayer are:
l. The acknowledgment that God is the provider of all that is necessary for life. He takes care of His creation.
2. The acknowledgment that God delivered the Jews from Egypt and gave them the Torah and the land of Israel.
3. The acknowledgment of and prayer to God to restore the Temple in Israel and deal kindly with the Jewish people.
4. The acknowledgment that all good comes from God, followed by a time of prayer for specific needs.

The benching prayer follows not only the meal, but also all that has been done during the meal. It follows the fellowship of the family, the teaching and application of the Torah, and the singing of the Zimrot -- the songs of praise.

In the early church, according to Acts 2:42, there was time spent in the breaking of bread. There was time spent in the apostle's doctrine (the Word of God). Following this was a time of prayer (benching). Notice the order in Acts 2:42. First there is fellowship in and around the beginning of the meal, then there is the study of the Word of God, and finally, there was a time of prayer that probably incorporated these four areas of the "benching" prayer.

No wonder the early church was so strong and so vibrant. The center for spiritual growth was the home, with the father as the priest of the home. The evening meal was a time of fun, food, fellowship, and instruction. In short, it was a spiritual act, a time when specific spiritual goals were accomplished. The evening meal was not something to be rushed through, but rather a time when families sat down together and put into practice all of those things necessary to keep them from "forgetting the Lord their God."

We, as today's church, can learn much from the culture of the Jewish meal and from benching. In the fast-paced society in which we live, it is not possible to "bench" at every meal; however, for any family in which the father wishes to be the priest of the home, where the parents want to instruct their children in the Word of God and Christian ethics, where parents desire to be a family given to hospitality and evangelism, benching should be practiced at least once per week or twice per month. Let the Lord be your guide.

Benching can quickly and easily be adapted to one of your evening meals. Select one night during the week to sit down and eat together as a family. Do not use the time to discuss problems, school, the office or events for next week. Let it be a meal that is unto the Lord. For those who are interested in this practice, the following could serve as a general guide for benching:
(l) Make sure that bread, salt and wine (grape juice if preferred) are set out at the beginning of the meal.
(2) During the meal, discuss the importance of the bread. Discuss how the Lord provides for us. Spend time discussing the significance of Jesus, the Bread of Life, and his being broken for us.
(3) Talk about the salt, and how we are called to a lifestyle of love.
Spend a few moments discussing why it is important that we, as believers, be the salt of the world and what happens to us and those around us if we lose our savor.
(4) Take some time during the meal to talk about the wine or juice and how Jesus shed His own blood as an atonement for our sin. Talk about the joy that is ours because we are believers. You may want to discuss some special times that you have had as a family while serving the Lord.
(5) Use the time during the meal to talk about the Word of God with your family and enter into the "benching" time of prayer in the following order:
(a) Acknowledge the Lord Jesus as Jehovah Jireh--the God who provides for you.
(b) Give thanks that you have been freed form the bondage of sin and death, that you have been given the Word of God so that you might receive all of the benefits that come from its study. "Thy
Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee."
(c) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and that the Lord might have His way among the Jewish people.
(d) Spend some time thanking the Lord for His goodness, and then the benching period with a time of prayer for specific needs.

What a time of fellowship you will have! Your mealtimes will cease being something that you do not meet the physical need, and it will become a spiritual exercise. You will transform your table into an altar before the Lord.
Shalom, and good benching!

Dr. Douglas Wheeler is founder and president of Mended Wings, a ministry to families in the Bossier City, LA area. He has an extensive background in Biblical Hebrew, which he uses to enlighten believers as to the deeper meanings of Holy Scripture. He also teaches with great insight on the Hebrew foundations of Christian faith in seminars and other events. Doug, his wife Joyce and their sons Samuel and Benjamin live in Garland, Texas where they also pastor a church. His homepage is located at http://www.haydid.org/wings.htm

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