I AM the Bread of Life
(first in the Easter Series I AM, and a pre-Communion Sermon delivered on April 3, 2011).
EOLS: Jesus offers His body as bread for spiritual hunger; the source and sustenance of our spiritual being.
John 6:25-35
Preliminary thought/context-this is first in the I AM series. The Apostle John uses several metaphors which link Jesus Christ as the I AM to the Old Testament, showing his Deity and equality with God. Today we examine I AM The Bread of Life.
Have you ever been hungry? I mean really hungry. Go with me in your mind’s eye back to a time recent or past when you felt like you could “eat a horse.” Perhaps you were on a restrictive diet, or maybe you just hadn’t had an opportunity to eat for some number hours. Some of you may have practiced the spiritual discipline of fasting, and have voluntarily gone without food for a time.
Different people seem to have differing tolerances for hunger. I know people who if they go three hours without food they are on the very edge of sanity and looking to hurt someone! Other people can go much longer periods of time without any apparent discomfort. I would guess I fall somewhere in the middle of that range.
Let me ask-do you ever remember a meal that stands out in your mind, maybe from years past , that was prepared for you and you came to the table ravenously hungry? Is there one meal that comes to mind?
Bottom line, I’m not sure any of us have ever experienced real hunger in the truest sense, that is to say hunger from lack of resources. Now granted we may not have always had steak and fresh vegetables to our heart’s delight, but I would venture a guess that none of us have ever gone truly hungry for lack of resources. I’ve seen the day when my pockets were mighty lean and payday was a couple of weeks away. You just shift your expectations!
One thing you can always count on, is bread. It’s a staple food that provides a certain amount of nutrition for our bodies, it is very filling and a ready remedy for hunger. It’s almost always affordable and in abundant supply, and most people have it as a big part of their daily diet. My family were the type folks who believe bread should be served with every meal. My mom would almost always make biscuits or cornbread (and often both), but if she ran out of time she’d put the loaf bread on the table and we’d eat that with out meals!
One way to tell a good barbecue place is when you walk in and see the loaf bread on the table. Nothing soaks up the barbecue juice like a good old lily white piece of Sunbeam loaf bread!
From the basic loaf of bread at the grocery store to cat head biscuits and buttery cornbread, to gourmet dinner rolls made for elegant feasts, bread is a cornerstone, a staple. It’s something that is not just delicious, it sustains. It can fill out a sparse meal and make you full, it can serve as a stand-alone meal.
In Biblical days, bread was a very important part of the diet. We have to remember that we live in a generation that is truly wealthy with food and resources. In Biblical days, and really for most of mankind’s history, food was hit or miss. Most of the day was spent not on personally entertaining or intellectually fulfilling activities, but on pure survival! Each day was a struggle. Most anyone who heard Jesus speak truly knew what hunger was about. Most assuredly his own disciples, common fishermen who pulled a living out of a large lake, knew hunger in a most intimate way.
In John 6, the discussion centers around bread. Jesus has performed the very well known miracle of feeding a crowd of five thousand, using the offering of a young boy: five loaves of bread and two fishes. Every person in the crowd has been filled to satisfaction, and twelve baskets of left-overs have been gathered up. In verse 15, Jesus literally had to run from the crowd because they were coming for him to make him a king by force! The people had never seen anyone who could literally make bread from nothing. This man was a true bread machine! If he were in charge, all the problems of hunger would be over with!
So Jesus slipped away by himself. The Disciples gathered their things and launched the boat without him. It seems that Jesus would often retreat to spend some time alone and this didn’t seem to surprise them. They knew they’d hook up with him again soon. But that night, another very well known miracle occurred: Jesus came walking to them on the water, in the middle of a storm.
It’s the same story we know from the other Gospels, except John doesn’t mention that Peter got out of the boat to meet him as do Matthew Mark and Luke. You see John is different, his purpose in writing was different. The Peter story would have distracted from the spiritual principle he is teaching and developing here.
After the Disciples had been absolutely overwhelmed by this friend of theirs who walks on water, and who is an unlimited supply of food with the ability to create huge amounts of food out of a small lunch, as they try to assimilate it all, they begin to talk with him.
Jesus then explains what these miracles are all about. The crowd had been searching frantically for Jesus following the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples had been looking for him as well. Jesus told them
John 6:26
(26) Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
In other words, they were looking for the food. They wanted the buffet. They may have been stuffed to satisfaction on that mountain, for that day, but in a few hours the hunger pangs had returned. Where was Jesus? Do you think he could set up another big meal for us? Who knows? We may never have to worry about our food again with Him on our side!
Wait just a moment. Jesus punctuates the moment and says:
John 6:27
(27) Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."
He then takes them way back to Moses. Remember the Manna that came from Heaven? The people followed after that Manna for some forty years and it provided for their physical needs. “Bread from Heaven” they called it, and it was through Moses’ leadership and prayers that God provided.
But Jesus has something else in mind:
John 6:34-35
(34) They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
(35) Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
So, remember the hunger, but also remember what it feels like to be satisfied.
How would it feel to know that you will never be hungry again? How would it be to forget having to budget for groceries, forget laboring in your garden or growing cattle to feed your family? The grocery store is a by-gone memory and you can walk in any restaurant, eat any type of food your heart desires and it goes on an endless tab that you’ll never have to pay. Food is no longer an issue for you or the ones who depend on you. Wouldn’t it be nice? How free you would be!
Maybe in heaven, but it’s not going to happen here on this earth! No matter how much money you make, you’ll only be as good as your next meal, and it will have to come from somewhere. Your maid will have to fix it, you’ll have to go to a restaurant or have it brought in, and even if you are Bill Gates or Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey you’ll have to slap down a credit card and sign your name for it. And, no matter how wealthy you are there will always be at least the thought : this could all run dry at some point.
But let’s look at what Jesus is saying here; let’s take it away from the physical for a moment and link to the spiritual man.
How would it be to know that your sins are forgiven and that your eternal destiny is sure? How would it be to understand that the life you have received is not just a ticket to Heaven, but that the Son of God has given you an abundant earthly life, no matter what your circumstances? How would it feel to know that in the middle of life’s greatest disappointments, challenges and defeats that you can have peace, and that Jesus himself will never leave you or forsake you?
How would it be to truly understand that what we see around us in a world filled with sin, chaos, fear and injustice, is only for a moment and will pass like a vapor? Will it change our perspective when we understand that there is a place being prepared for us where we will never be hungry again?
It’s here, bought and paid for. All you gotta do is eat!
As World War II was drawing to a close, the Allied armies gathered up many hungry orphans. They were placed in camps where they were well-fed. Despite excellent care, they slept poorly. They seemed nervous and afraid. Finally, a psychologist came up with the solution. Each child was given a piece of bread to hold after he was put to bed. This particular piece of bread was just to be held—not eaten. The piece of bread produced wonderful results. The children went to bed knowing instinctively they would have food to eat the next day. That guarantee gave the children a restful and contented sleep (God’s Psychology, Charles Colton).
Jesus is the Bread of Life, that has come down from Heaven. Eat with me!
Communion
