The Bread of Life

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”- John 6:32-33 New Living Translation

                  Bread is a food that nourishes our bodies. It sustains us. It is considered necessary to survive. Bread is called the staple of life. In Exodus 16 it speaks of Manna or bread sent down from heaven to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness. That was physical sustenance. Jesus is speaking of spiritual sustenance; something He provides. The Lord tells us He is “the true bread of God”. This, in a manner of speaking, is saying Jesus is all we need in this life. Nothing need be added to Jesus; He is the Alpha & Omega, the beginning & the end. Before there was time, He was. This is why throughout the Gospel of John Jesus is referred to as “I AM”.

                  I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9); I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14); I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); and I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5). We need to wrap our minds around that which we’ve just been fed. Our spiritual development comes from our belief in who Jesus is. Do we believe He is the Messiah, the Son of the One True Living God? Once we’ve embraced that truth our faith and trust will blossom.

                  Over the next several days I will take a brief look at the great “I AM” proclamations of Jesus. They are all located in John and reveal a different facet of Christ’s life. I would dare say most of us eat bread each and every day in one form or another. Bread is a perfect analogy. The notion that we take Christ into our bodies in the form of the Holy Spirit is realized in the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, where we take the bread as a token of his body and do it in remembrance of our Lord. That is followed by His blood or the wine. Symbolism. Not actual body and blood. Bread, for our physical and spiritual growth. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries