LORD, ALWAYS GIVE US THIS BREAD”—JOHN 6:22-35
Bread is the most common of all foods. My Mother always called it, “the staff of life.” Perhaps Leviticus 26:26 is the basis for this designation: “When I break your staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread in rationed amounts, so that you will eat and not be satisfied.”
It is because it is a source of energy and protein. Bread provides us with carbohydrates for energy; protein for growth and development; the B vitamins for good heath, steady nerves, and proper digestion; iron for healthy blood; and calcium for strong bones and teeth (“Bread Facts,” www.quia.com and “The Story Behind a Loaf of Bread,” www.botham.co.uk/bread).
In Scripture “to eat bread” or “break bread together” symbolizes fellowship and friendship. Bread is one of the elements in Holy Communion. Remember the story of “the feeding of 5,000?” Our text picks up the story on “the morning after.” What can we learn from the encounter between Jesus and this crowd, and how does that apply to our relationship with Him?
On “the morning after” the crowd “came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.” Now they knew from personal experience that Jesus could satisfy their needs. After all, they had feasted on a banquet He had provided them. They began their search for Jesus “near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks” (verse 23), but they quickly saw that “Jesus was not there.” So “they got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus (verse 24).”
Jesus is concerned about the priorities and the motives in the hearts of these seekers. Jesus first words to them are, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal (verses 26-7).” Their physical appetites had been satisfied so they came seeking Jesus, but they failed to recognize and praise God for the signs they had seen in the ministry of Jesus, who would satisfy their spiritual hunger. In John’s Gospel the signs of Jesus are the evidence He gives of God’s divine power and majesty. They are the proof that He is who He claims to be. Thus far Jesus has performed four such signs: (1.) turning water into wine at Cana in Galilee; (2.) healing of the royal official’s son who lived right here in Capernaum; (3.) healing the sick man at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem; and (4.) feeding the folks in this crowd only yesterday. John includes these and other signs: “So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name.”
But instead of believing that Jesus is the Christ and receiving spiritual life through Him, this crowd only seeks more proof: “What then do you do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?" After He fed them this crowd did acknowledge Jesus as “The Prophet who is to come into the world.” John 6:14 declares, “Therefore when then people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet Who is to come into the world.”
Crowds are so fickle; how quickly they change their minds. In the Gospel of John crowds most often refer to the common people. The term crowd by the end of the Old Testament was a term for people who did not strictly follow the demands of the law as rigorously as did the Pharisees. Jesus rebuked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and initially appealed to this crowd of common people. Yesterday they had wanted to “make Him King.” They were looking for a Messiah who would be their political liberator and overthrow the hated Roman rules. Now that Jesus appears unwilling to follow that course of action, the crowd becomes more skeptical toward Him. Some will come to believe; others will now oppose Him; some who believed at first will begin to turn away. Crowds are fickle; how quickly they change their minds; doubtless some of this same crowd one day will scream to Pilate, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! We have no King but Caesar!”
Jesus offers Himself as Saviour to this very crowd: “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father Who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” The word “Truly” in the original text is the word “AMEN.” Amen literally means “to be trustworthy, sure, dependable, certain. What Jesus is about to say is the absolute truth.
It is certain, dependable, reliable, and true that Jesus is “The Bread of Life.” He sums it all up: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will not hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” What a promise for us to claim: “. . . if you come to me, you will never go hungry, and if you believe in Me you will never thirst.” Jesus gives us a similar commandment in verse 26, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” In verses 32 and 33 He assures us, “. . . It is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life, the True Bread of Heaven. Only He can satisfy. Material possessions, physical cravings, temporal pleasures, worldly achievements can never bring us peace and contentment. They do not last; they are gone in an instant. Only Jesus can satisfy for eternity: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me, will not hunger, and whoever believes in Me you will never thirst.”
This is a sure promise, one that will never be broken. Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me, will not hunger.” In the original text that is expressed as a double negative. In English a double negative is a grammatical error, but in Greek it is an emphatic promise. When Liz was a high school cheerleading sponsor, her squad had a sideline cheer that went, “No, no, never, never uh, uh, uh. . .” That’s what Jesus is saying to us, If you come to Me, “You will never go hungry.” “No, no, never, never. . .” I will satisfy you for eternity.
By the Way of the Cross and the Empty Tomb Jesus has made the provision to be our “Bread of Life” for all eternity, but no can feed on the bread of life and remain a part of the crowd. To be His disciple requires a personal, individual commitment. All who would be a disciple of Jesus must repent of sin and accept Him as their personal Saviour and Lord. Only those individuals who make this personal commitment to Jesus receive His promise, “You will never go hungry; you’ll never be thirsty, for I give to you eternal life.”
“J. C. Penney was a man of advanced years before he committed his life fully to Jesus Christ. He had been a good man, honest, but primarily interested in becoming a success and making money. ‘When I worked for six dollars a week at Joslin’s Dry Goods Store back in Denver,’ he confessed as he looked back on his life, ‘it was my ambition in the sense of wealth in money, to be worth one hundred thousand dollars. When I reached that goal I felt a certain temporary satisfaction, but it soon wore off and my sights were set on becoming worth a million dollars.’
“Mr. and Mrs. Penney worked hard to expand the business, but one day Mrs. Penney caught cold and pneumonia developed, which claimed her life. It was then that J. C. Penney realized having money was a poor substitute for the real purposes in living. ‘When she died,’ he said, ‘my world crashed about me. To build a business, to make a success in the eyes of men, to accumulate money—what was the purpose of life? What had money meant for my wife? I felt mocked by life, even by God Himself.’
“After several more fiery trials, J. C. Penney was financially ruined and, naturally, in deep distress. That is when God could deal with his self-righteous nature and his love for money. After his spiritual conversion, he testified, ‘I had to pass through fiery ordeals before reaching glimmerings of conviction that it is not enough for me to be upright and moral. When I was brought to humility and the knowledge of dependence on God, sincerely and earnestly seeking God’s aid, it was forthcoming, and a light illumined my being. I cannot otherwise describe it than to say that it changed me as a man’ [--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988), p. 49).”
J. C. Penny came to a place in his life when he realized that uprightness, morality, honesty, success, and wealth could not satisfy. Only humility and total dependence on Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, would bring him eternal peace and joy.
The crowd that day prayed, “Lord, always give us this Bread.” When that becomes your personal prayer of faith, Jesus will satisfy your spirit so that you will never ever hunger or thirst again.
