John 6: 35
‘Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.”’
As we have noted throughout this study so far, Jesus sees the spiritual realm very clearly. He constantly has his eyes on his Father in heaven. He knows where he came from and where he is going spiritually. He sees us as God sees us; not as physical beings that live and then die, but spiritual beings which He created to be eternal, like himself.
Jesus knows that it is hard for us as humans to focus on the spiritual. There is so much going on in this life that we are constantly struggling with; hunger, health issues, financial issues, hopes, fears, wants and needs, and not just our own, but also for those we care about. His goal is to get people to think about spiritual things and spiritual ways. God’s ways. And so he feeds thousands of people with a few barley loaves until the people are physically sated.
Knowing that their bellies would soon be hungry again, he waits for them to ask a question. It doesn’t matter what the question was because Jesus is going to speak to their need, not their wants. He says, in effect, quit looking for food that spoils, instead look for the food that endures to eternal life. At this point, Jesus drops a bombshell: “I am the bread of life.”
Q: What does it mean to be the bread of something?
The daily regular sustenance.
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