Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:51
TOPIC: Jesus likens himself to the Bread of Life.
BACKGROUND: It was the day after feeding the 5,000 and walking on the water. Again the crowd followed him so Jesus addressed a concern he had. This incident is found only in the gospel of John. In that chapter, four times Jesus says that he is the Bread of Life.
The book of John includes a series of statements made by Jesus that are grouped together in a set called the seven I AMs. Each one begins with the words I AM. The Jews knew well what the term I AM meant. It was the name God gave to himself when speaking to Moses at the burning bush. The people knew that I AM was the name of the Jehovah God. Each time Jesus used it, he was telling them “I AM the true God.”
We encounter the first I AM the day after Jesus fed the 5,000 people. The crowd followed Jesus and met him again on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This time they came with a purpose: they wanted to be miraculously fed once again. Jesus had now become their bakery. They likened Jesus to the manna God daily provided for the people in the wilderness. Six times in this chapter Jesus tells them he is the “bread that came down from heaven.”
Jesus wanted the people to refocus their desires from the physical bread to a spiritual bread. He told them he was the bread of life. Those who follow him would never be spiritually hungry again. Their souls would be satisfied with this living bread. Salvation belongs to those who feast on the life-giving bread of Jesus and his Word.
Bread is a universal food. Every culture in history has had a hunger for bread. So it is that everyone needs to be fed the heavenly bread, Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for enriching our lives with this heavenly manna, and we pray for those who still hunger for the true bread.
PRAYER THOUGHT: by T. J. Carl
Jesus, Savior, Heavenly Bread, while this earthly path we tread,
Feed, instruct, support, defend, safely lead us to the end. Amen.
PETER WRITES ABOUT JESUS: “Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.” 1 Peter 1:3 CEV
From At the Feet of Jesus by Reynold R. Kremer