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.”
John 6:35
This is the first of
seven “I am” sayings in the gospel of John1. It reflects back to God’s statement to Moses
in Exodus 3:14 that “I AM who I AM” and shines a light on Christ’s deity.
Just the day before Jesus had fed a multitude of people with
5 fishes and 2 loaves of bread. While
following Him and hearing His teaching they no doubt had become hungry again
and may have been hoping for another meal.
When Christ spoke of being bread and that they would never go hungry or
thirsty again they didn’t equate that to spiritual hunger and thirst; however,
that is exactly what He was referring to.
Bread is seen as a basic necessity of life. Back in the 1960’s Wonder Bread had an
advertising slogan that said “Helps build
strong bodies 12 ways” speaking of the number of added nutrients they put
in each loaf. However, this wasn’t the
bread Jesus was speaking of. He was
referring to Himself as being the most basic necessity of Life.
Even today people are seeking material goods to strengthen
them or see them through the day. Now
more than ever man seems to shift his gaze to the next big thing in an effort
to enhance his or her life. True life
comes in the form of Jesus Christ.
Without Him there is no hope of eternal life. Living in the here and now is all well and
good, but what happens when your life is over.
Firmly ensconced in our little lives, we fail to see the big picture
until it is too late. Far too often the
afterlife only becomes important when we are faced with our own mortality.
Jesus met the physical AND spiritual needs of the masses in
His day and is still doing it today. It
requires submission on our part. Are you
willing to allow Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to have His way in your
life? Your spiritual health and
well-being are just as important as the physical. It needn’t be so difficult to serve God. He is not a tough taskmaster. He loves us all and wishes us to live with
Him for all eternity. Surrender to Him
now. Until next time, walk with the King
and be a blessing!
1 (John 8:12; 9:5; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6;
15:1, 5).
