When we go to a restaurant we usually decide first what kind of meat we want and then build our meal around the meat dish. To our western culture meat is the main factor in a meal.
In Jesus’ day however, meat was simply a side dish, but bread represented the major part of the meal, everything was built around it. We would think it strange to be served a meal that consisted of only a starch and vegetable, but in Christ’s day it would have been an insult to serve a meal and not include bread as the main ingredient.
This sets the stage for the importance of Jesus’ words, “I am the Bread of Life.” What Jesus is saying is that he is the most important part of life! He is the "main" dish that everything else should revolve around. He is the most important part of our sustenance. It is for this reason that JESUS OFFERS BREAD FROM HEAVEN. He gives us 1) More Than Just A Taste. And this sustenance sticks with you. This bread is 2) Ours to Take Home.
1) More than just a Taste
Bread in Jesus’ day was the very symbol of “Life.” Hence it was often used to symbolize spiritual blessings. In the Old Testament bread was placed every day in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and temple as a symbol of God’s provision for his people. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the only source of real life, there can be no spiritual life without him in the same way there can be no physical life without natural bread.
The problem Jesus faced was that people were shortsighted. Jesus had just left this same crowd after feeding them miraculously with bread and fish. They had followed him to the other side of the lake after he had fed over 5,000 people. These people weren’t following Jesus because of his teaching as much as they were the hope of an easier lifestyle. Jesus had given them a starting point with this first flow of bread and fish, and perhaps they followed him to the other side of the lake to see now if it would continue.
It was Jewish popular belief that when the Messiah came, he would once again start the flow of Manna from heaven like Moses had done for Israel. They were looking for someone would provide physical bread for Israel again like in the desert. Essentially they were asking here for Jesus to prove He is the promised Messiah by starting up the MANNA again and meeting their physical needs in a greater way than Moses had done for Israel in the past.
Moses provided bread for 3½ million Jews, Jesus had only fed 5,000 men plus women and children. Moses provided bread for 40 years; Jesus had only given them bread once. Moses had given them bread from heaven. Jesus had used only earthly bread and multiplied it.
The trouble was, they were focused on physical bread, a return to what they thought of as an easier lifestyle where God simply took care of their physical needs. They were only looking to satisfy their immediate physical needs, they couldn’t even see how empty their souls were! It is tragic when people spend their lives just getting the stuff of this world and don’t think about satisfying their spiritual needs. Too many people just keep taking in the stuff of this world and don’t realize how empty it will prove in the end. Severed from our soul, the things of this world will never fulfill us!
Author George Orwell once described the human nature in this way. He wrote of a wasp that was sucking a spot of jam on his plate, when he took a butter knife and cut the insect in half. The wasp paid no attention, though. He merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he realize what had happened to him.
Many people have a lot in common with that wasp. It seems the majority of people in life could care less about spiritual things. They refuse to take such things seriously. It is not a popular notion to believe in the Bible. Too many people are too focused on greed and are unaware of it, so they selfishly continue to consume life’s sweetness. Only when it’s time to fly away will they grasp their condition.
When we think of our relationship with God in terms of material things we will find it very unsatisfying in the long run. Even Christians fall into this way of thinking. Many churches fall into this trap. You may have heard someone try to tell you that if you really believe in Jesus, then your life will be blessed with prosperity and wealth.
That’s just not true. Our Lord never promises fat bank accounts to his faithful family. Now, it is true he will provide for our physical needs, but Jesus more interested in feeding our souls rather than our stomachs. The problem is we can’t see that priority. We have a tendency to desire bread for the stomach rather than the soul. Christ doesn’t offer us a sample of this world’s sweetness, though. He offers us true sustenance and nourishment. Jesus simply asks us to trust him to give us what we need. Namely, he gives himself to us. He came as fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation. Jesus entered this world to live for us, to die for us. He came to ensure forgiveness for sins. He came to give himself wholly to us, so that we might receive him completely; so that we can feast on his love, enjoy his freedom and goodness now and forever.
Indeed the MANNA from heaven had fallen; the secret is out! Jesus uses the expression that he had come "from heaven” in this chapter at least 10 times!!! It is clear he is showing them he is the MANNA in the ultimate sense! Moses had provided bread for 3½ million Jews, Jesus was providing bread for ALL humankind; his provision IS greater than Moses’! Moses had provided bread (in their way of thinking) for 40 years, Jesus is the ETERNAL bread, and his provision will last forever, so it is greater than Moses’. Moses had given them bread from heaven, but that MANNA perished, along with their forefathers! Jesus IS the bread from heaven, and he will never perish and those who partake of him in faith will never perish either.
2) Ours to Take Home
Jesus is the Bread – the nourishment – from God. He is the one who offers forgiveness. He offers peace and freedom from guilt and shame. And this is nourishment we need to partake of daily. Sadly, our sinful hearts are tempted to leave this living bread on the table as a leftover. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and gotten an order of bread with dinner? When the breadbasket arrives everyone is excited at first. People will munch down one or two pieces in a matter of minutes. That’s until the main course comes, though. And the rest of the bread remains untouched. At the end of the meal, people don’t even want to look at the bread, and ask a the server to take it away, let alone wrap it up in a take home box.
We are tempted to treat Christ – the Living Bread – in the same way. At times, we welcome him until something better comes along. People may come to church simply to please somebody else, or because their tap into this world’s sweets has gone dry. People may have come to church simply because that’s what you do on Sunday, but there’s the temptation not to take Christ home with you. We need to take Jesus home with us. We must continue to feed upon his Word. It is necessary that we nourish our souls on his gospel – the good news of forgiveness and salvation.
This is why we have Sunday school and Bible study. Sometimes we think that one hour with Christ and one nourishing bite from the Bread of Life is expected to last at least seven days. Somewhere along the way, it seems too many of us have become detached from the purpose, privilege, and responsibility we’ve been given. It is our blessed opportunity to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. What we learn here can be taken home.
Think of the others who sit around you, especially, the children. You know, when we have our parents and all our adults making Bible study a priority, it will rub off on the children. When children are young, they learn proper eating habits mainly by observing the family as it eats. A child learns how to use silverware by watching mom and dad. A child knows how to manage a cup by learning from an older sibling. The same is true of our family here. Our younger members will take notice of the activities of the older ones. If our children see us all speeding ways in our cars as soon as the coffee is all gone, what does that tell them? Just imagine for a moment, that they see us taking our coffee and gathering around the Bread of Life one more time!
On a practical note, many of our Sunday school lessons are meant to be taken home. Each student is given a sheet, which tells the Bible story, offers prayers and suggestions for parents to share God’s Word in the home, as well as ideas to share and learn together. When your children bring these home, don’t just throw it on the counter or in the trash. Put it on the refrigerator and use it as an opportunity to gather around the Bread of Life again. All of our mid-week Bible study opportunities come equipped with enough ‘bread’ to take home and use during the week.
Let’s continue to encourage one another as we gather around God’s Word often and regularly. The Lord will continue to feed us with his grace. He will not leave us hankering for more. God’s Word satisfies spiritual appetites. Don’t be afraid to feed it. Amen.
