Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The word grace has various uses, the most profound of which is applied to the Divine favour of Almighty God. In this respect the stress is on its freeness and universality, and the pleasure or joy He designs for the recipient. Another use of this word is applied by Christians before dining - i.e. saying "Grace". This custom arose and developed from the Biblical instruction of saying (a blessing) thanks to God, after a meal.
Deuteronomy 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
After the instruction was given, the rabbis found justification in this verse for saying "anything which is enjoyed requires a blessing". The general rule of interpretation which followed was that blessing was to be given to God before and after the meal, as well as on almost all other occasions. To this very day an observant Jew daily honours these obligations. Thus when he acquires anything new he blesses Him who occasioned the thing; in response to a natural calamity, he blesses the One whose strength fills the universe, etc. By His very actions, Jesus demonstrated that He didn’t have any problem with this understanding and, on a number of occasions, He also gave thanks before and after a meal.
The feeding of the five thousand provides an interesting case history. Besides the resurrection, this was the only other miracle recorded by all four Gospels. It is interesting to note that the narratives in Matthew, Mark, and John use ‘blessed’ in the same context as ‘giving thanks’, but, if read alone, Luke’s Gospel implies that Jesus ‘blessed them’ - i.e. the food or, as some would have it, the people. However, from the Jewish standpoint, it certainly appears that an accurate interpretation would be ‘He blessed for them’, or just that ‘He blessed’. One Greek manuscript actually does read ‘blessed for them’*. In any event, the mere fact that He was looking up to heaven while giving thanks implies that God was the object, and not the food or the people.
Matthew 14:19 ..... , and looking up to heaven, he blessed (eulogeo), and brake, and gave the loaves to [his] disciples, .....
Mark 6:41 ....., he looked up to heaven, and blessed (eulogeo), and brake the loaves, and gave [them] to his disciples to set before them;
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks (eucharisteo) he distributed to the disciples, .....
*Luke 9:16 ....., looking up to heaven, he blessed (eulogeo) them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Likewise, there many other instances where our Lord gave thanks to the Father before or after a meal. Notable examples are at the feeding of the four thousand and the last supper.
Matthew
15:36 ....., and gave thanks (eucharisteo), and brake [them], .....
Mark 8:6 ....., and gave thanks (eucharisteo), and brake, .....
Mark 14:22 Jesus took bread, and blessed (eulogeo), and brake [it],
Mark 14:23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks (eucharisteo),
Luke 22:19 ....., and gave thanks (eucharisteo), and brake [it], ......
1Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks (eucharisteo), he brake [it],
*1Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped,
saying, .........
*[Note: The term ‘supped’ is translated from the Greek word deipneo, (dipe-neh'-o); which means: to dine, i.e. take the principal (or evening) meal:-sup (-per). So, when Jesus had eaten, ‘He took the cup’, but, not before giving thanks to God. ‘After the same manner’ (verse 25) can only refer to ‘after having given thanks’ (verse 24).]
A very few exceptions to this understanding are encountered, but are easily explained when taken in Biblical context rather than loose, modern translations;
Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [it](eulogeo), and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, ...
Luke 24:30 ....., as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it] (eulogeo), and brake, and gave to them.
Messianic Bible scholars contend that, in accordance with Jewish interpretation of Deuteronomy 8:10, the Greek words ‘gave thanks’ (eucharisteo) and ‘blessed’ (eulogeo) have the same meaning when used in the context of appreciation or gratitude towards God. They further maintain that the verbs ‘blessed’, ‘brake’, and ‘gave’ in the accounts in Matthew and Luke did not have definite objects, and that the English translators erroneously added ‘it’ as an implied word. The body of these verses should carry these lines "...... took bread, and gave thanks [to God] (blessed), and broke it, ......". The Apostle Paul certainly demonstrated the manner and object of his benediction;
Acts 27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks (eucharisteo) to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken [it], he began to eat.
A typical example of the mis-application of the direction of blessing is when we hear expressions such as: "bless the food to our bodies" and "bless the hands that made this food". Even many sincere Christians observe the custom of blessing food and people before they eat a meal, even though it is not founded on Biblical teaching. An eminent Bible scholar, David Bivin, expresses these sentiments on this issue:
"... In the context of taking a loaf of bread before beginning a meal, the blessing can only be a blessing directed towards God. The blessing that was said in Yeshua’s time before one ate was praise and thanksgiving to God who so wondrously provides food for His children, to Him who ‘brings bread out of the earth’. One does not bless the food, nor does one even ask God to bless the food. One blesses God who provides the food."
NOTES: (The derivation of Bless - from Greek and Hebrew)
Greek Words;
eu:- (adv.) well:-good,
charizomai:- (freely) give; gratuitously, in kindness,
charis:- graciousness; the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the
life,
chairo:- (verb) to be "cheer" ful,
eucharisteo:- to be grateful, i.e. (act.) to express gratitude (towards),
logos:- something said (including the thought),
eulogeo:- to speak well of, to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon):-bless, praise.
Hebrew;
barak, (baw-rak'); a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act
of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit).
Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1Corinthians 10:31