The Bread Of Christ

The Bread of Christ

I am the bread of life. - John 6:48

The first electric toaster appeared in 1909. It toasted one side at a time and required you to pull the plug once it was done. The first automatic electric toaster was designed in 1919 by Charles Strite, a man sick and tired of burned toast. Americans were skeptical at first, but from 1922 to 1930 sales tripled thanks to the introduction of sliced bread by Wonder. Before this, bread was sold in whole loaves. If you are going to enjoy your new toaster, you need the convenience of sliced bread. Many people in America thought that pre-sliced bread was about the best thing they had ever heard of. Thus came the phrase: "That's the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Let us mediate today about bread, but not just any simple, physical bread. I would like to meditate on the living bread of life, far greater than sliced bread we can buy at a store. Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." John 6:51. John devotes the entire sixth chapter of his Gospel to this one theme: Christ is the bread of life. He is nourishment for our hungry souls.

An Armenian Christian said that Westerners do not understand what Jesus was saying when he said, "I am the Bread of Life." You see, in the Middle East, bread is not just something extra in a meal. It is the heart of every meal. Jesus was illustrating that the only way you can come to life is through him. Jesus used many metaphors to define his ministry. Let's consider this one metaphor, bread, for a few moments to discover the unique message it has to convey.

I. The Bread of Christ is Universal

Jesus said, " I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” -John 6:51.

No one is excluded, form the bread of life of the whole world. There is no restriction to the kind of person Christ invites to His table. It makes no difference who you are or what you've done. It makes no difference where you're from or how you got here. There is no official language at Christ's table except the language of the heart.

A respected mission organization sent a group of translators to a small and remote tribe in South America. When the translators reached the Gospel of John chapter 6, the translators realized that there was no such thing as bread in that culture. The tribe did, however, have a specific kind of banana which they used like bread. Thus, for their purposes the translation became: Jesus said, "I am the banana of life." Centuries back in Indian culture also there was no such thing as bread.

However, it makes no difference whether you say Christ is the bread of life or that Christ is the banana of life. Because we worship a universal Christ. We serve a God whose name is known and worshiped all around the world. John the Baptist says in John 1:29, “Behold ! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world.” Of course, that which is most universal is also most personal.

II. The Bread of Christ is Personal

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. - John 6:54

A communion is an intimate connection. If all are welcomed at Christ's table, then we are all precious to Christ. There are no second class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Every individual heart is precious to God. Communion is connecting and talking to each and every person. We can call it an interpersonal relationship with Christ. Therefore, Paul the Apostle tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:28, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

Pastor Lloyd Ogilvie once had a serious accident which resulted in a year-long period of recovery. While he was in bed, wondering if he could ever walk again, a friend sent him a photograph which she had found. It was a picture she had taken of the large sign board on the corner of their church, where Ogilvie's sermon titles were displayed. She had taken the picture years before on a Sunday. The board read: "The Lord Never Forgets." The custodian who had arranged the letters on the sign that week had put Ogilvie's name immediately below it. There were no quotation marks, so the sign read: THE LORD NEVER FORGETS LLOYD OGILVIE.