And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take eat; this is my body.
*The world in which we live is hungry for truth; hungry for someone to offer themselves to God in order that they might be fed.
*The principle of the bread is that Jesus was willing to offer Himself to His Father so that the world could be fed.
1. Jesus Took the Bread – God will always take what is offered to Him
n This “taking” speaks of an intention to use.
n Jesus is teaching a principle here that He was willing to give Himself to God. He was there for the taking.
n God isn’t going to just pluck up an unavailable person.
n Jesus didn’t send a disciple out to get bread from somewhere else. He wasn’t looking for “Wonder”. He took what was there.
2. Jesus Blessed the Bread – God will always bless what is offered to Him
n This “blessing” speaks of consecrating something for the use of it.
n God desires to bless all who are committed to Him, but His blessing isn’t only for our benefit.
n God blesses us so that He can use us for His glory and to advance His Kingdom.
3. Jesus Broke the Bread – God will always break what is offered to Him
n The “breaking” must take place after the blessing so that pride doesn’t come in.
n As we are broken by God, He removes from us what is not usable to Him and makes us ready to be distributed to those who are hungry.
n Jesus is teaching a principle here of His body about to be broken beyond the breaking that anyone else has ever or will ever face. His example speaks to us of a willingness to endure the breaking of God to the extent necessary.
n The greater the call on your life, the greater the breaking you must endure.
n If you want to experience God’s will, you will have to get on God’s wheel.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18
4. Jesus Gave the Bread – God will always give what is offered to Him to those in need.
n This “giving” speaks of something that is bestowed as a gift.
n Jesus gave of Himself fully to those who were hungry.
n The more you give, the more you receive; this is a principle of God. Jesus gave more than anyone ever has and He received more than anyone else. (Phil 2:6-11)
n The danger of the giving before the breaking is that the flesh can steal the glory that is due unto God and God alone.
*We see this same principle at work with the little boy who brought his lunch of five loaves and two fish to Jesus. As a result, 5,000 men plus women and children were fed that day.
*Far too many people believe that what they have to offer is insignificant, but we have to realize that it is our availability and not our ability that God is looking for.
