CONNECTION

Is there anything more ordinary than bread? Everywhere you go in the world, there is some version of bread. The French have baguettes and croissants; Latin countries have tortillas; Indians have naan; Chinese cultures have doughy buns. And Americans have sliced white bread.

It is the building block of a meal, a staple in every diet. It was this way in the world of the Bible too. Bread was a common, ordinary meal.

It is the very commonness of bread that makes it the perfect metaphor for our lives. If we’re honest, most of what we do is ordinary. We get up, go to work—paid or unpaid—tinker at our hobbies, and try to do our best. We shuttle kids around, mow the lawn, and shop for groceries. For the most part, nothing about our daily lives sets us apart from the people around us. It’s just life. Like bread, it’s ordinary.

Maybe that’s how you see yourself. Maybe you’ve settled for a life that may not matter that much; or you’re living with an unsustainable manic drive, grasping and grabbing for something that always feels just out of reach. Maybe you’re wrestling with an unkind voice—the one that says that you just don’t matter, that you’re “less than” and “never enough.”

I have good news for you. There is more to this life than what you see.

Throughout Scripture, we discover that nothing is as common as it seems, not even bread. Bread fell from heaven as a sign of God’s provision; bread became a metaphor for the law of the Lord. Jesus fed the multitudes with loaves of bread, and referred to himself as “the bread of life.” Then, on the night that He was handed over to suffering and death, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples as a picture of His body being given for the life of the world.

Luke records three stories in his gospel about Jesus taking bread in His hands, blessing it, breaking it, and giving it. I want us to look at the first of those stories today.

It is the very commonness of bread that makes it the perfect metaphor for our lives.

TEXT

Luke 9:10-12 (CEB) ‘When the apostles returned, they described for Jesus what they had done. Taking them with him, Jesus withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds figured it out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s kingdom, and healed those who were sick. 12 When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place.” ’

We observe several things here. First of all, the needs of the people are overwhelming. Secondly, resources are in short supply. The impulse to send the people away is not entirely uncompassionate; it is also practical.

If we’re honest, this is how we feel when we see the needs of our friends, family, and neighbors. It can all feel overwhelming. Turn on the news, and we’re bombarded by more tragedies and hardships. Scroll through Facebook, and you see the difficult doctor’s diagnoses or unexpected losses that people you know are dealing with. A simple ‘sad face’ emoji won’t cut it. You may reply and say you’re praying for them, but what can you really do? It’s just too much. And on top of that, you’ve got your stuff to deal with. Your own life is no walk in the park.

“Send them away, Jesus”, we want to say.

But Jesus won’t let them—or us—off the hook.

Luke 9:13-17 (CEB) ‘He replied, “You give them something to eat.” But they said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (They said this because about five thousand men were present.) Jesus said to his disciples, “Seat them in groups of about fifty.” 15 They did so, and everyone was seated. 16 He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate until they were full, and the disciples filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.’

Jesus blessed the bread. Jesus broke the bread. Jesus gave the bread.

Those three actions changed the whole story. A “desolate place” became a place of abundance. A desert became a banquet. A story that began with “not enough” ended with there being more than enough.

This is what happens when Jesus takes something that we think is just ordinary—bread!—and blesses it, breaks it, and gives it.

I think those three words can change the story for you too.

Jesus took bread, blessed it by giving thanks to the Father, broke it, and gave it ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium