Scripture:
“Jesus said to them, ‘I assure you: Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’” (John 6:32-33)
Reading:
We are experts in stuffing ourselves. Favorite foods satisfy our bodies. Media satiates our souls. News stimulates our minds. The illustrations are endless. But these fillers are often a brief attempt to distract ourselves from spiritual hunger.
“’I am the bread of life,’ Jesus told them. ‘No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.’” (John 6:35)
Jesus was speaking to a crowd who had seen His divine power. He had miraculously multiplied a small boy’s even smaller lunch to feed five thousand men and their families.
The crowd recognized this miracle as a sign of the Messiah, a second Moses of sorts, and hoped to make Jesus king. They were hungry for another miracle, something immediately satisfying. Yet Jesus shifted their focus to what is eternal.
“’Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’” (John 6:47-51)
The living bread is not the same manna the crowd’s ancestors ate in the wilderness, but something greater! Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world who gives eternal life. He gives Himself.
As eternal spiritual beings, we need His salvation as well as His spiritual nourishment. Like a branch grafted to a vine, we are to daily draw from Christ.
The bread of this world is full of fillers that in the end leave us feeling empty. Jesus is the Source and Sustainer of life. Jesus is the miracle! Bring your hungry heart to Him and be satisfied by the living bread.
Your Turn:
1. Do you hunger for more of Jesus? Tell Him. Voice your trust that He is faithful to fill your inner hunger.
2. Ask Jesus for grace to bypass the bread of this world and teach you how to nourish yourself in His Presence through scripture, prayer, and other sacred practices.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, only You are able to take care of all my needs, physical and spiritual. Thank You for the many ways You have fed me. I confess that I tend to settle for less than what Jesus has for me. Please show me how to nourish myself in Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life. Amen.