Jesus said to them, ”I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger.”
John 6.35
The ‘bread of life' is a person who completely satisfies our spiritual hunger.
If you were going camping for a while, what would be the most important things to take along? After God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He sent them camping for about forty years! He didn’t send them to a sheltered area by a river with fields of berries. God sent them to a desert. There was no food there.
Why would God lead His people to where they couldn’t find food for themselves? God wanted them to know He could be trusted to care for them. The Israelites should have already learned this lesson. But even after seeing God’s awe-inspiring power when He saved them at the Passover and the Sea, they seemed to forget God’s goodness and greatness in the blink of an eye.
In the desert, the Israelites got hungry and quickly complained. God heard them. He decided to give the Israelites bread each day, so they could rely on Him. The next morning, they woke up to see flakes of something all over the ground. The people were so surprised! “What is it?” they asked. It was manna, a sweet flake-like bread from heaven.
Now they did not have to work hard for their food by planting seeds, weeding the gardens, harvesting the crop, grinding the grain, kneading the dough, or baking the bread. All they had to do was gather it! It was the perfect gift of God for people “on the go” in a desert land. God provided in one food all the things their bodies needed for life and health, and it tasted sweet too!
Jesus is called the “Bread of Life.” The bread in the desert provided a way for God’s people to survive physically. Jesus provides a way for God’s people to live spiritually. When we trust Jesus, He softly, invisibly fills up our hearts with Himself. Then we will be fulfilled and happy because we will be close to God now on earth and we will be close to God one day in heaven forever.
Like the bread in the desert, our “Bread of Life” is sweet, filling, and all we need! We do not have to work to fill our hungry hearts. Jesus gives Himself freely to us so we can learn to be sure of Him.
When your heart feels hungry with loneliness, Jesus can fill it with His friendship. When your heart feels hungry with sadness, Jesus can fill it with His joy. When your heart feels hungry with fear, Jesus can fill it with His peace. Jesus is our true Bread of Life.
This is what it was like the first time manna appeared. Exodus 16.14-15
Manna was the Israelites' main food for a long, long time. They were amazed by the miracle of manna at first, but before too long, it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore. What are some ways God has provided for you or your family that are a big deal? (That you might not really notice anymore)
When your heart feels hungry for something, what do you think about Jesus calling Himself the bread of life?
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