Bread, Alone
John 6:27-40
Last night for dinner, all I had was bread, Indian bread.
Photo by Victoria Shes on Unsplash
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” - John 6:27-40
Sometimes I think I can live on bread alone. Well, maybe not alone. Butter makes bread taste better. So does olive oil and ground pepper.
Breads of all kinds play an important role in most cultures. It is easy to make with flour and water as two of the main ingredients, so it can be found wherever grains are grown. You can add yeast, but some breads don’t require it.
Today, breads are even made from other types of flour, from rice to cauliflower.
So, when Jesus talks about bread, people understand its value and importance in their lives.
Everyone needs bread to live.
You would think that offering people bread and then telling them you are talking about the work of God would anger them. It sounds like a bait-and-switch technique that a slick salesperson would use to get attention.
Is that what Jesus is doing?
I don’t think so. Remember what he said when tempted in the desert. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.
So, he is saying God’s words are sustenance. These words give us life and keep us alive in Him forever.
Now, no nutritionist would advocate a diet of only bread. That would not be healthy, and that’s a shame since bread, especially freshly baked bread, is so good.
The aroma of bread baking is enough to whet the taste buds.
Jesus chose bread for a reason. It is the most common food. It travels well. It is quick to make and eat. Think of the Passover supper.
So, instead of saying that we don’t need to eat anything and we can live on God’s words alone, we associate bread with those words.
Whenever we take a bite of bread, we think of God’s words. That is the intent.
More to come...