The Bread of Life – Soul Food
John 6:48 48 I am the bread of life. NIV
Jesus wasn’t mincing his words when he
said “I am the bread of life”. I viewed a number of power point presentations
on the internet, including various sermons, and they’re mostly all alike, with
a few exceptions. The point is, the people are wondering if he is who he says
he is? When we look at the scriptures
regarding Bread there are all kinds of various depictions and figurative illustrations
pointed out. We have mention of the “Bread of Idleness”, “The Bread of
Wickedness” “The Showbread” and the “Bread of Life”. We have the feeding of
5,000 and the feeding of 4,000, and we read about the miracles of the food multiplying
while Jesus is blessing it. We know bread
is a basic staple in our daily lives. If I had a nickel for every sandwich I
ate growing up and to this very day, I’d be very wealthy! My family of nine
(seven kids and parents) never starved for food. We always had a loaf or two of
bread in our house. We could make sandwiches when we learned how, and boy did
we lay on the jam and peanut butter! We loved sandwiches, with baloney, butter
and sugar, apple butter, marmalades, liverwurst. Well maybe not the last one
mentioned, but it was something you could use for fish bait! Let’s jump to Jesus
setting at the table with the 12. He holds up the bread and says, “Take and eat,
for this is my body”. Then he blessed the bread and gave all to take part in eating.
Before this Passover meal, He said the following in John 6:47-60 47 I
tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of
life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But
here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this
bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world." 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the
truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my
blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in
me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of
the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the
bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he
who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue
in Capernaum. 60 On hearing it, many of
his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" NIV Some
folks got all heated up over what he said about this bread being his body. If
you take this scripture literally you will miss the entire point Jesus is
making. What you will miss seeing is the Savior of the World, who can supply
all your needs. If you think he was
talking about being a cannibal you’re as crazy as the priests (See Lev 17: 10
-14). Whatever you do don’t miss the simplicity in Jesus statement. “I am the
Bread of Life who is come down from heaven!” He came to feed us words of life. so
we will never hunger for divine food! Jesus clarified his statement when he
said in John 6:63 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts
for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. NIV
If you don’t know Jesus, and have an insatiable hunger for something and you
don’t know what it is, you need to get a life with Jesus in it! God bless you! Until next time, Lord willing Pastor Dan
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