Finding the Bread of Life
By Rev. Kyle Norman
Bible Reading
[Jesus said] “I am the bread of life, those who come to me will never be hungry, those who believe in me will never thirst.” – John 6:35
I once drove past a church with a large sign out front; you know the kind, the kind where you can type witty or inspiring messages for all to read. This church, however, chose a more aggressive tactic. One day the sign read “Jesus said ‘You either eat the bread of life or you’re toast!” Wait….is that, really what Jesus said? When Jesus calls himself the bread of life, was he setting up some divine criteria by which we get to judge who is right and wrong, in or out? There is a big difference between holding out an invitation to all and voicing a criterion of condemnation.
When Jesus calls himself the bread of life in John chapter 6, there is no hint of judgement. And even when he says, “unless you eat the flesh of the son of man you have no life in you”, Jesus is only reinforcing his gracious invitation to all. Jesus invites the crowds around him to receive from him the life and the grace that he so freely offers. Jesus reaches out lovingly, not judgmentally.
Of course, the crowds misunderstand what Jesus meant. They had previously been fed miraculously by five loaves and two fish, were hungry for more; they were hungry for miracles, and they were also physically hungry. Jesus knows this. Jesus says, “you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate and had your fill.” Simply put, Jesus proved he could give the crowd dinner, and now they want breakfast. Give us more bread, they say, and they would be satisfied.
See, they thought that Jesus could only provide physical bread, and physical nourishment. They were concerned with their appetite, their bodily satiation, and their earthly life. This happens a lot. In John 4 we read about the woman at the well, who believed that living water just meant and endless flowing stream.
Before we move on, let’s stop here and ask a question: is that how we treat the bread of life? Do we reduce the works of Jesus to simple actions designed to prop up our earthly existence. Do we think that the bread of life is given to us so that we can continue living our lives the way we want, pursuing what we want to pursue?
What Jesus does in this passage, what Jesus always does, is invite us to enter a deeper life. Yes, Jesus can provide for our physical needs, the feeding of the 5000 proved that – but Jesus offers us more than simply propping up our earthly life. In calling himself “the bread from heaven” Jesus was inviting the crowd to enter a deeper relationship with their Lord. Jesus wanted to them, and us, to find in him the life that truly is life. Because the life that Jesus talks about, the life that he holds out for us, isn’t the life of days and weeks, it is the life of spirit and soul. Jesus offers us true life in that part of us that can’t be satiated by physical things. It is life that is in touch with our desire for hope, for love, for joy, for peace, for forgiveness and redemption. If all those things could be filled by earthly nourishment – by the physical breads of existence, then the more you eat the happier we would be. But I think we all know that’s not the case.
Jesus knows that on the inside, at the level of soul and spirit, we often hunger for something much deeper than physical bread. And that part of ourselves, that indescribable but ultimately recognizable part of who we are, can only be filled by a connection with the one who redeems us. And so Jesus invites us to find in him everything our souls’ hunger for.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The bread of God who comes down from heaven is Jesus himself. The reason why the bread of life is eternal, the reason why we never hunger or thirst in the spiritual sense, isn’t because we have arrived at some heightened spiritual status, but because we are connected to the one who never leaves. We know that no matter what we face, the life of Jesus surrounds us and carries us. Jesus offers a love-filled invitation to come to him.
Ask yourself: Is Jesus the bread of your life? As you come to physical bread daily, do you come to Jesus on a regular basis? Do you receive from him the life he offers? Do you engage with Jesus in a deep way, digesting his presence and his word at the deepest level of spirit?
If we want to receive life he offers, the point is we need to take him deep -to allow Jesus to transform us into his likeness. Because Jesus is the only person who can fill our spiritual hunger. He is real food and real drink. Yes, Jesus is the bread of life, and all who come to him will be satisfied.
Further Reading:
John 6:24-34
Are You Feasting on the Bread of Life?
Photo Credit: Thinkstock/EwaPix
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