Bread

Will lives and works in Birmingham City Centre for a charity in the education sector.

John 6:35: (ESV)—

‘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.’

This week we’re looking at the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus in John’s Gospel. In these statements, God himself is telling us what we can expect of him. Each is an insight into what a life well-lived, walking with our Maker, can look like.

Jesus says he is the Bread of Life.

To us, in a place and time where such a variety of good food is available, the idea of Jesus being ‘bread’ may be slightly underwhelming. Warburtons comes to mind. Well - as nice as the ‘Cake of Life’ could have been - bread is a carefully chosen metaphor. In the diet of a first century Jew, bread was the cornerstone of life. When Jesus taught us how to pray, he again used bread as a metaphor for provision that we need daily.

He’s saying he is the nourishment that we need. He’s the lifeline, the thing that will keep us going. As bread keeps our bodies from physical hunger, Jesus saves our souls from spiritual starvation.

So, is there a hunger in you which the physical world can’t seem to satisfy? Your career’s flying, you met three different friends for brunch this week, your bank account is happy and your body is healthy - and yet, like an empty stomach, you carry a restless ache. All of those listed things could be true of your life, or something else. The point is, without the Bread of Life, we will never feel full.

So today, sit in the quiet, at the table with Jesus. Let him be the Bread of Life to you. Sit long enough to eat a meal, and don’t leave until you’re full.

Prayer - Jesus, you alone can satisfy the hunger in my soul. As I meet you now, and throughout times in my day, thank you that you will fill me.