The Bread Everyone Needs

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus has just finished feeding the five thousand with a few fish and the loaves. This was another sign Jesus performed to show the world who he really was. To zero in on what this sign meant Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”  If I said to you “I am the bread of life” you would think  I had lost my mind. But why does Jesus say this about himself?

1. Bread was a significant symbol in the life of the Jewish people.  When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God supplied them manna from heaven to feed them. It was a sign of God’s provision from heaven. Each day God gave them enough bread to meet their needs. No more no less. At Passover the Jews ate unleavened bread as a reminder that they had to get out of Egypt so quickly, they didn’t have time for the bread to rise.


2. Bread was common and ordinary and something which everyone needed. It was a staple in Jesus’ day. Like the people relied on bread every day Jesus would be their spiritual sustenance.  Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  In effect Jesus was saying, “I am your daily bread.”


3. Finally, Jesus says if anyone comes to me they will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty again. Jesus fills a need this world cannot meet. He quenches our thirst for why we are here and where will go when we die. Many people look to money, relationships, personal achievements or pleasure to satisfy their deepest needs. Jesus says only I can meet the deepest need which is deep down in your soul. 


Is Jesus your bread of life? Do you go to him daily to sustain your day? We usually eat three meals a day, but do you come to him at least once a day?  Jesus came to earth to meet our deepest needs in this life and prepare us for a feast in heaven that will never end. 




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