Abraham was having a difficult time. He was locked in a curious struggle against four worldly kings. And the king of Jerusalem came out to bless him (for this king was also a priest). The king brought with him bread and wine. The king's name was Melchizedek, and you can read about the episode in Genesis 14.
Bread and wine were the staple food of travellers. The bread was nutritious, and the wine provided refreshment without the danger of illness from contaminated water. Just as bread was important for survival, so wine was also a significant part of life. Each fortified city had strategic stocks of food, oil and wine.
Wine has the disadvantage of impairing our judgement if we drink too much of it. For this reason, people in authority were advised to avoid it, while people in trouble were advised to get drunk and forget their misery (Prov.31:4-7: a definite case where we should remember that the Bible does not always give good advice to us today!!). In the society of the time, wine was valued as an aid to relaxation and enjoyment.
Because it made hearts merry, wine was also used in worship. Pilgrims could buy it in the temple, where it was offered to God. And when people brought their tithes in cash, they were to use the cash to buy "whatever you desire: oxen, or sheep, or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves; and you shall eat before the Lord your God and rejoice." By Jesus' time, people were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, when heaven would rejoice in a great banquet.
As a counterpart, people who were not supposed to be merry had to abstain from wine. People who had taken special vows, or priests offering sacrifice, were forbidden it (Num.6:3, Lev.10:9). One of the complaints against Jesus was that he was "a glutton and a drunkard". How could he be anything else, since it was he who was bringing in the joy of God's heavenly kingdom?
But there is a lot more to the episode of Melchizedek and Abraham than a simple picnic. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews takes up the theme of Psalm 110, and sees Jesus as "high priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek". And the church has seen, in the offering of bread and wine, a forerunner of our own eucharist, which in its turn recalls to us the heavenly banquet.
The celebrant pours not only wine into the chalice, but also water. This very ancient custom goes back to at least the second century. It may be that water and wine were mixed at the Last Supper itself, but in any case, the mixing of water and wine recalls the moment on the cross when a soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear "and there flowed out blood and water" (John 19:34).
For the wine recalls also the agony of the cross, recalls Jesus' blood, shed for us. By sharing in the wine at the eucharist, we share also in the events of Calvary. But the work of Calvary is complete, and through the bread and the wine, we share in the delights of God's risen life.
HD