My wife likes to eat creative and culturally diverse foods. I tend to gravitate toward eating predictable and somewhat boring foods. The way that plays out in our household looks like this; I'm on my own for lunch. When I'm at work, I can eat all the boring foods I want. But when I come home for dinner, she is going to serve me whatever creative dish she's preparing, and if I complain or make a face, bad things might happen to me.
I had this experience the other evening. When I came home for dinner, a plate of unfamiliar looking food was waiting for me. I could see that it had pieces of chicken, but I didn't know what else I was about to eat. There was a bed of little things that kind of looked like small pieces of rice, mixed with chicken and a few dark colored ingredients. Next to that was something round and flat that looked like it might have been fried. I thought it might be some kind of potato, but I was informed that it was "naan."
Oh, that makes sense. "Naan." She said that word as if I had a clue what it was. After I professed my ignorance, she explained that it was a form of bread that is popular in India and enjoyed by literally a billion people every day. Turns out, it was good.
Bread in its many forms is a food that we could say is almost universally enjoyed. I think it's interesting to observe that in His first "I AM" statement in the gospel of John, Jesus referred to Himself as, "the bread of life." What did He mean by that? Why should that revelation of His nature matter to us?
I. Jesus gives life to the world
“Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.””
Leading up to this passage, John's gospel tells us about Jesus' miraculous feeding of the five thousand. A very large crowd had gathered to hear Him speak and teach, and as could be expected, they started to grow hungry. The Apostle Andrew pointed out to Jesus that there was a boy in the group who had five loaves of bread and two fish, but obviously that couldn't feed such a large multitude.
Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks for them, and had them distributed to the people. They were all invited to eat as much as they wanted and the leftovers were gathered after everyone ate to their fill. Amazingly, after thousands had been fed, there was more left over than they started with, and the people recognized this as a miraculous sign.
The next day, they came seeking Jesus again. If you had experienced this miracle, what do you think you would be most content with; Jesus or more bread? Sadly, the people seemed to want bread more than they wanted Christ. They weren't thinking on a deeper, spiritual level. They were primarily consumed with their physical needs and filling their bellies.
So Jesus attempted to show them that they were seeking something of lesser importance when they should have been seeking Him. They considered consumable bread to be their primary source of life, but Jesus was trying to explain to them that He is the source of true life.
This wasn't a new problem for the children of Israel. During the time of their wandering in the wilderness when Moses was leading them, the Lord supplied daily bread for them in the form of manna that would fall from the sky. Jesus was trying to help them see that that was an example of foreshadowing that was meant to point their hearts toward Him. Jesus explained that He was the bread from heaven that they needed when He said, "For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
The people of Israel were hearing Jesus, but they weren't understanding Him. In fact, they believed they would find a meaningful life through what they consumed. That also makes me wonder how many times we've been convinced that we'll find life through what we consume. Every day, people kill over consumable things. Every day, people leave their families, betray trust, and go to war over things that can be consumed. Why? Because we're convinced we'll find life through that kind of "bread." But that's not where life is found. True life is only found in Christ.
II. Jesus satisfies the deepest hunger of our souls
“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” ”
About ten years ago, I volunteered to take a hike with some friends. We were at a state park and there were lots of trails we could use, so we agreed to hike on a trail that was a little less than three miles long. Unfortunately, we must have been relying on incorrect information, or maybe we took a wrong turn, but when we finally made it back, we had hiked over ten miles. As you might guess, we returned hungry. In that moment, you could have served me just about anything and I think I would have eaten it.
Our souls are hungry and they definitely crave fulfillment. What are our souls hungry for and how are we trying to fulfill those cravings?
Comfort: We seek comfort in routines, familiar places, and hopeful promises.
Safety: We seek safety in forms of defense and protection.
Provision: We seek provision through resources we acquire or are given.
Significance: We seek significance through service, achievements, and approval.
Love: We seek love through relationships.
Acceptance and Belonging: We seek acceptance and belonging through the ways in which we're treated or perceived by others.
Growth: We seek growth through challenges and investments that are made in us.
Health: We seek health through the care of our body, emotions, and relationships.
It's not wrong to hunger for any one of these things, but Jesus knows that our attempts to fulfill these cravings through material means will fall short and leave us feeling dejected. He is the bread of life. He is living water. He alone can satisfy the cravings of our hearts on the deepest level possible without leaving us disappointed.
In Christ, we find ultimate comfort, safety, provision, significance, love, acceptance, belonging, growth, and health. This is what Jesus was attempting to explain to those who were speaking with Him. This is also what He's trying to convey to us right now. Our hungry and thirsty hearts will find everything we ultimately need in Him.
III. Jesus will never cast out those who truly come to Him
“But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ”
I find the words of Christ that we read in these verses particularly comforting because the concept He's explaining is so different from what we tend to experience in other relationships. In this passage, Jesus tells us that He will never cast out those who come to Him. He will never chase away or discard anyone who approaches Him with genuine faith. That concept stands in stark contrast to the ways in which we as humans tend to relate to one another.
For example, a while back I went to a Philadelphia Eagles game. I had good seats that were pretty close to the field. Several seats to my right, there was a woman who got drunk very early in the game and began acting in a way that was loud and obnoxious. She was irritating so many people in our section that eventually, security removed her from the stadium. She made a bad decision and as a result, she was cast out. I'm grateful that Jesus doesn't cast me out every time I make a bad decision.
Throughout my life, I have developed friendships with many people. Unfortunately, some of those friendships ended up being rather one-sided. It's pretty deflating when you discover that some of your friendships were conditional and primarily tied to what those friends were able to get from you. It's pretty deflating when, once they get what they wanted, they cast you aside. I'm grateful that Jesus doesn't love me because of what He hopes to get from me. I'm grateful that in this friendship, I have no fear of being cast aside. Jesus will never cast out those who truly come to Him.
IV. Jesus will raise us up from death
“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””
Jesus, the bread of life, went on to say that He would lose no one that the Father had given Him. Rather, instead of losing them, He would raise them from death. If we look to Him for life, He will grant us eternal life and raise our bodies to live in His presence forever.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4, ESV)
Consider what these Scriptures, taken together, are revealing to us. Jesus promised that death will not defeat us. He defeated death and assures us that we will be raised from death. And through His resurrection, we've been born again to a living hope. Now, through Christ, we can walk in the newness of life.
““No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.””
We don't need to adopt a dark outlook. Our minds and experiences are not chained to the culture of death that has taken hold on this earth, because our spirit is nourished by Jesus the bread of life.
© John Stange, 2019
