John 6:51
” I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Yes, we probably could have lumped all of these bread comments into one batch and baked the whole thing together, but this is three minute Bible not 51 minute Bible or some such thing. So in keeping with the three minute theme, we are visiting familiar territory again.
This brings up an interesting point: Have you ever noticed that some things are repeated over and over again in the Bible? Just in the one Gospel of John, Jesus seems to be hitting on the same themes over and over again. I have heard different versions of the following bit of wisdom but they only vary in number, not in content: A man has to hear something six times before it sinks in.
Consider that for a moment… Listening is hard work. Our minds are busy places and we are easily distracted. There is hearing someone talk and then hearing what they mean.
Jesus repeats himself again and this time he adds a twist: “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Q: If you were told to condense the sacrifice the Son of God made on the cross and all that goes with it into one sentence, could you do better than what Jesus has done in verse 51? What would you say?
It is hard to do better than Jesus 🙂
There are several great one line gospel statements in Scripture. I have always liked 1 Corinthians 15: 3 – 4. But this statement of Jesus lets us know that we need Him… and the gospel is all about Jesus and our need for Him and how He alone meets that need. May I always remember that I am a man in need of a Savior.
Thanks Rich! I really appreciate the comment. Personally I was struck by the way Jesus equated his flesh to the bread he was talking about. It is hard for me to put into words, but it seems to be a shorthand way of explaining why Jesus needed to die on the cross.