We love bread in all its wonderful forms. Buttermilk biscuits. Naan bread. Warm tortillas. Cornbread. Dinner rolls. When we go on a low-carb diet, we dearly miss this part of the meal.
Jesus once claimed to be our bread. Was he saying that he was comfort food?
No. Much more than that.
In our world, bread is easy to take for granted. A quick drive, a grocery aisle, a café counter, and there it is. But that was not how Jesus’ first hearers understood bread. For them, bread was not a lifestyle choice or a side item. It was the food that kept a family alive.
So, when Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” he was not saying, “Add me as a complement to an already full plate.” He was saying, “You cannot live without me.”
Have you ever noticed how the idea of bread runs like a thread throughout the story of Jesus?
At the start of Jesus’s story, he was born in Bethlehem. You know that from the Christmas story. But do you know what the word “Bethlehem” means? It means “House of Bread.” So, Jesus enters into the world from Bethlehem, the House of Bread.
In the middle of his ministry, in John 6, Jesus fed physical bread to a multitude and then told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
At the end of his earthly ministry, the image of bread shows up again. The night before Jesus went to the cross, he took bread and said, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26).
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “follow the breadcrumbs.” It means to trace back or follow a series of clues, hints, or subtle signs to discover something, solve a problem, or navigate a complex situation.
When you follow the trail of breadcrumbs the Bible lays out, you’ll discover our souls can only find spiritual sustenance and deep satisfaction from Jesus.
Too many of us satisfy our physical hunger with junk food and empty calories. It’s true with our spiritual hungers, too. We try to sate our craving for significance and security by reaching for possessions, achievements, and control. It’s only when we trust fully in his love and his plans for us that we can become what God intended us to be. That’s what it means for Jesus to be your bread.
This weekend at Hillcrest, we’ll look at this wonderful image of Jesus as our bread. Read John 6:27-35 and let’s study it on campus or online at 10am this Sunday!
Tom
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Each week in this space, I provide links to articles and podcast episodes that I recommend you check out for yourself.
I’m still playing catch-up on articles from last week and, since last week was the lead-up to Independence Day, many of them relate to Christianity and the nation. Here’s one of my favorite, from Nathan Finn: “Billy Graham, Johnny Cash, and Christian Patriotism.”
Larry Sanger, the creator of Wikipedia: “Wikipedia changed the world. But its tragedy is that it grew so large that it sucked most of the air out of competing projects and, even as it grew to dominance, it was taken over by ideologues and shills who co-opted it for propaganda purposes…. The company I created may no longer uphold its own founding principles, but people still want and need the kind of knowledge Wikipedia was built to provide. They deserve more than one place to look for it.” (The Free Press, $)
What You Will Lose When You Retire. Sobering truths; practical solutions.
CT’s report of Peter Stafford, the medical missionary who contracted Ebola.
Nathanel Blake: “Same-sex marriage won by promising a more inclusive normal and has instead delivered sexual and gender radicalism, a bait-and-switch that is turning people against same-sex marriage.”
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