Text: “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33).
Is there anyone present who has never eaten bread? All of have eaten bread at some time in our life. Bread is one of the staple food items and dates back to the New Stone Age which I understand is about 9500 years before Christ. Sound like bread has been around forever. Bread falls into the grain category of the food pyramid.
As you know, there are many different kinds of bread. There is white bread, whole wheat bread, potato bread, buttermilk bread, multi-grain bread, honey and honey wheat bread, sourdough bread, and the list goes on and on.
Bread is nourishment to our physical body. We can toast it, spread peanut and jelly on it, make a sandwich out of it or eat it plain. It does fill the empty space in one’s stomach for a short period of time.
Has any here ever baked bread? I remember the days when my mother would bake bread. We hardly ever bought store bread. The aroma of bread baking in the oven is almost indescribable. I really hate to admit it now, but as a little fellow, I thought store-bought bread was better.
I carried my lunch to the little two-room country school I attended and in those days, we placed our lunch boxes in the cloak room. When lunch-time came, I would trade my homemade bread sandwich with another student who had a sandwich made of store-bought bread. The store-bought bread was always sliced evenly and didn’t have a hard or thick crust on it. I would give anything if I could have mother’s homemade bread today.
Scripture tells us that Jesus fed a multitude of 5000 people with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. The people were permitted to eat as much as they wanted. Even after the meal, there were 12 baskets of fragments of bread left over. Jesus always showers us with blessing and provides more than what we need. In addition, He provides us with better and more than we could possible imagine.
Jesus took care of the physical hunger the people experienced. That was important to the people because their bodies needed nourishment. Our physical hunger is important because if we don’t eat and drink, our bodies will eventually deteriorate and we will become sick and die. Our bodies are loaned to us and it is our responsibility to take care of them. These are the bodies that are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The people were impressed with what took place and Jesus knew that. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the good which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26, 27).
The people were impressed with Jesus and continued to follow Him for their own selfish reasons. They were concerned only about their physical and worldly benefits. The same thing is going on today.
Some people look to Jesus for the wrong reasons. Some are looking to gain status or esteem for themselves. Some people are searching for Jesus from a self-centered perspective. There is no doubt that Jesus is concerned about each one of us, but His major concern is with our heart which is on a spiritual level.
When people came to Jesus individually, in groups, or in multitudes, He always tried to teach them spiritual lessons or spiritual values. When Jesus called Andrew and Peter to be disciples He said to them, “I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). They were fishermen and fishing was their livelihood. Jesus was going to teach them that there is something greater than food for the physical body. He wanted them to fish for souls nourished by Bread from Heaven that would enable them to spend eternity with Him.
The people comprising the multitude thought they had to do some special work in order to attain a right relationship with God. This same thing happens today. People are asking what kind of work they must do to please God. We have numerous religions throughout the world because people are trying to find the correct answer to what God wants them to do.
Jesus gave the people the answer when He said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (v. 29). This is the same answer He is giving us. This should not be too difficult for people to understand.
People believe in many things. We believe the sun will come up in the morning and the moon will appear at night. We believe the pilot of the huge airliner will get us to our destination 1000 miles away. When we step up into the bus, we believe the drive knows the route to take. When we get behind the wheel of our automobile, we believe in our ability to drive. When we go to the doctor, we believe he knows what he is doing and that he will take good care of us. When we have an operation or a medical procedure, we believe and trust the person doing the procedure.
Why do we believe all these things, but do not understand when Jesus says, “….believe in Him whom He sent” (v. 29). Maybe we are like the multitude and we are looking for signs or what God is doing for us. In other words we look for things happening for our benefit. Maybe we need to see something physical, something visible, or something we can relate to.
It is easier to believe in something we can see. If we can’t physically see something, we tend to think is it not present. This is where our faith comes into play. What is faith? “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
The people Jesus was physically talking to could see Him and they saw the sign of producing food for all of them from 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. Jesus was a real person and the bread He produced was also real. They knew He was different and said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14).
The people did not seem to understand that He wanted them to believe in Him and trust Him. If we do not believe Jesus and trust Him we will not have peace in our life. Jesus said, “….in Me you may have peace” (John 16:33). In the world each one of us will face trials and tribulations, but if we believe and trust Jesus we will never face any situation without Him. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
He said this a long time ago and today He says it in His Word. This is a promise and He has never broken a promise to us. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). It would be so nice if adults could believe and have the faith and trust of a child. The world would be like heaven on earth.
Story: “Mother, Is the Moon God’s Light?”
A mother and her little four-year-old daughter were preparing to retire for the night. The child was afraid of the night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, alone with the child, felt fearful also.
When the light was out, the child caught a glimpse of the moon outside the window, “Mother,” she asked, “is the moon God’s light?” “Yes,” said the mother, “God’s lights are always shining.”
The next question was, “Will God blow out His light and go to sleep?” “No, my child, God never goes to sleep.” Then, out of the simplicity of a child’s faith, the little one said that which gave reassurance to the fearful mother, “Well, as long as God is awake, I am not afraid.”
---------------------Sunday School Times
The little girl believed her mother and she believed and trusted God that He would not go to sleep, but that He would keep the light shining.
The multitude Jesus was speaking to was still in the dark. They said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?” (v. 30).
I don’t know what other sign they were looking for because Jesus had already performed 5 signs. He turned the water into wine at the wedding in Cana, He healed the nobleman’s son, He healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda, He fed five thousand and He walked on water. What other sign could one ask for?
The people did said, “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (v. 31). The manna they are talking is appeared each day on the ground. It looked like thin snowflakes. The people were able to gather and grind it into a flour to make pancakes on which they poured honey.
It is interesting to note that when Jesus fed the multitude, the bread was ready to eat. There was no work on the part of the people. All they had to do was eat.
Jesus went on to say, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (v. 32). Notice that Jesus used the word “true” when speaking of the bread from heaven.
This “true” bread will last for eternity. This “true” bread is what will bring you into a right relationship with the Father. This “true” bread is what will preserve your soul. This “true” bread is the Bread of life. This “true” bread is “….He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (v. 33).
The people said, “Lord, give us this bread always” (v. 34). Jesus got their attention, but I believe they were still looking for another sign or some visible happening to occur.
And then Jesus said, to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (v. 35). Jesus was trying to get them to understand that He would satisfy their spiritual hunger and maintain their spiritual life. This could only be done by accepting Him, believing Him and trusting Him.
In order for us to continue physical life, we must take in food on a daily basis. By the same token, in order for us to sustain spiritual life, we must take in the Bread from heaven on a daily basis. The Bread from heaven may be had just for the asking.
Story: “To Be Had for the Asking”
A few days after the Civil War had been officially ended a man was riding along a road in West Virginia. Suddenly a soldier, clad in a dirty and tattered Confederate uniform, sprang out of a thicket, seized the horses’ bridle, and with twitching face demanded, “Give me bread! Give me bread! I don’t want to hurt you, but give me bread – I’m starving.”
The man on horseback replied, “Then why don’t you go to the village and get food?”
“I don’t dare – they will shoot me,” was the soldier’s answer.
“What for?” inquired the man; “tell me your trouble.” Whereupon the Confederate soldier related that he had deserted his company several weeks before. Upon approaching the Union pickets, however, he had been informed that no fugitives from Lee’s army were to be taken in.
What was he to do? If he returned to his company, he would be shot as a deserter. In desperation he had taken to the woods and lived there on roots and berries until starvation had driven him to the point of madness.
The man on horseback listened, and then exclaimed: “Don’t you know the war is over? Lincoln has pardoned the whole Confederate army. You can have all the food you want.”
Taking a newspaper from his pocket, he showed the account of Lee’s surrender and the President’ proclamation of amnesty. With a shout of joy, the soldier dropped the bridle and ran for the village. That starving deserter did not know that the bread for which he hungered had been available to him for some time and could have been had for the asking. In his ignorance he had been self-deprived.
Thus it is with the Bread of Life and many a hungry heart. Oh, if your soul is afflicted with a gnawing emptiness, let me assure you that the Lord Jesus Christ may be had for the asking.
---------------------Dr. Vernon C. Grounds, in Our Hope
Amen.
