Jesus: The Bread of Life

 

 

Central thought:  Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven.

 

 

Text: John 6; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

 

 

God created man and gave him an appetite for physical food which is satisfied by eating various kinds of food including bread.  Bread is a major staple food among the Jews even in the time of Jesus Christ.  Thus when Jesus performed the miracles of feeding five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes, the people saw an answer to their food needs.  Consequently, the people followed Him wherever He went in large numbers not to listen to Him but to be fed with the miracle bread.  Thus when Jesus made it known to them that He is the Bread of life who they must eat to have life, they took offense.  But this is the truth!  The spiritual life can only be satisfied and sustained by eating the Bread of life.  The scripture expressly declare that Jesus is the Bread of life.  He is the Bread that came down from Heaven to make the will of God known to man.  This Bread of life is received by believing on Him, coming to Him with all our cares and identifying with Him.  Jesus as the Word must be eaten daily by reading, studying and meditating on the Word.  Life without the Bread of life is hopeless and set to ruin.  This Bread of life gives eternal life as he who eats of the flesh of Jesus and drinks of His blood receives eternal life.  The sharing of bread and the wine at communion commemorate His death till He comes.

 

 

1. What is the place of bread in human nourishment?

Bread as a product of wheat flour is one of the major food items in quite a number of urban homes.  It is easy to handle, prepare and even consume.  It can be eaten by both the young and the elderly.  Because of its role in the human diet, food is often referred to as bread.  On a casual form, people at times refer to money as ‘bread’.  This underscores the importance of bread in hum existence of bread in human existence.  God in creating man gave him an appetite for food which can only be satisfied by taking in food substances (bread).  Life is uncomfortable once this appetite is not satisfied.  Persistent hunger which is not adequately satisfied results in malnutrition, disease and even death.  Thus no life can exist without food (bread).  This is because it serves both to nourish and build up the body of man.  The food we take produces the energy which keeps the body system functioning.  Hence without the taking in of food the body system will stop functioning and man is said to be dead.  Thus ‘bread’ helps to keep the human body functioning.

 

2. Who is the bread of life?

When God formed man out of the dust, he was a lifeless object until God breathed into his nostril the breath of life, Genesis 2:7.  Thus the life in man is that of God.  Hence only God can give and sustain this life.  The breath of God also imparted to man His nature and spirit.  Consequently, it is by the spirit we relate with God for the scriptures say “God is Spirit; and they what worship in spirit and in truth”, John 4:24.

Until the fall of man in the Garden of Eden the spirit of man could relate easily with the Spirit of God.  However, this fellowship was broken by sin and man could no longer have direct access to God’s Spirit to feed his spirit.  What this means is that man will live without the spiritual food to sustain him spiritually.  Just as man needs the physical bread (food) to sustain his physical body so also does he need the spiritual food to sustain his spiritual life.  This ‘food’ or ‘bread’ must come from Him who made and gave life to man.  Therefore, any good nourishing spiritual bread for man’s spirit must have its source from God.

The scriptures make us understand that God’s word is food to the soul, Psalm 119:103; Jerimiah 15:16; 1 Peter 2:2.  If we must grow spiritually we must earnestly desire the word of God.  This word of God gives knowledge and understanding which is what the soul desires to live.  Jesus in response to one of the questions by the tempter stated, “. . . man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”, Matthew 4:4.  What is significant about this statement is that fact that there is a sustaining power in the word of God.  Thus the word of God satisfies the spiritual life just as the physical (natural) bread satisfies the physical body.

In John 1:1 and 1:14, the scriptures declare that Jesus is both the written and spoken Word of God.  He is the Word made flesh who came and dwelt among us.  He is also the Word that bears record in Heaven, 1 John 5:7.

Jesus as the Word of God has the power to sustain the life of man.  Since life is form God, only that which is from God above can sustain life.  He was only stating the obvious when He said, “For the Bread of God is He who cometh down from Heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread form Heaven.  I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven”, John 6:33, 51.  Anyone who eats this bread of life -shall never die but shall have everlasting life, John 6:50, 54, 57-58.

This must be a wonderful and unique Bread that all must desire and should eat as it gives eternal life.  Thus, when one eats this Bread, he will never die because he has eaten the life sustaining power.  It is therefore necessary for us to feed on this Bread on a daily basis.

 

3. How is the Bread of Life received?

It must be stated that this Bread of life is not physical bread but spiritual bread which has to be handled spiritually.  It does not satisfy mere physical hunger but it does satisfy spiritual hunger.  It is not taken through the mouth, chewed and swallowed.  Thus as in all spiritual matters we receive this bread by faith.  We neither can see nor handle Him.  It is a faith venture.  By faith we believe that He is the One sent by the Father to man to give us life.  We receive Him by believing in Him as the Son of God that came down from God unto man on earth.  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life”, John 6:47.  The Bible also states, “As many as receive (believe) Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on His name.”,  John 1:12.  Thus in receiving this Bread of life we must believe in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must believe (receive) Him as the Son of God who came and shed His blood for man’s redemption.  We must believe that He is the one who has come to make God known unto us.  We must have full confidence and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

Another way by which we take this Bread of life is by identifying our lives with His.  We must come to Him for He says, “I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger. . .”, John 6:35.  We must allow His life to affect ours and follow in His steps.  We come to Him to receive grace, truth and understanding.  In coming to Him, we identify with his desires, aspirations and the work He came to perform on earth.  We come to Him to be fed with spiritual food and be satisfied.  Only those who the Father draws close (gives spiritual illumination and understanding) can fully appreciate His message and purpose.  When we come to Him, we yield our lives to Him to be the Lord and Master.  He becomes enthroned as the King and Ruler of all the affairs of our lives.

Furthermore, we receive the Bread of life by studying and meditating upon His eternal Word.  This is because we can only believe and come to Him when we know Him, His purpose and mission.  “And they shall be all taught of God.  Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me”, John 6:45.  We learn of the Father by giving ourselves to reading, studying and meditating on the scriptures.  For only the scriptures have full-proof revelations of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  We thus eat, chew, swallow and digest the Word when we spend adequate time on them.  Consequently, they become integral parts of our lives.  In such ways they have bearing on the type of lives we live.

 

4. What is the significance of ‘eating’ the Bread of life?

In the discussion of the lesson text, Jesus confronted the people of His days for their wrong motives for seeking Him.  It is learned from verse 27 that the people misunderstood His purpose as what He has is not just for the now but more valuable and long lasting.  They asked for signs like that of continuous manna of Moses in the wilderness which their fathers fed on daily.  The Samaritan woman also understood naturally the quest for water.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God”.  Jesus’ body and blood is food and drink, v. 55, that can sustain the spiritual life now and in eternity.  In verse 53-56 of our text, Jesus discusses the significance of eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood.  When we eat of His flesh and drink of His blood we receive eternal life.  Also those that partake of it will He raise on the last day unto life everlasting.  Furthermore, He dwells in them, and they in Him.  Thus they are united together with Him.  Eating of the Bread of life ensures that the life we live is that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, to ensure that believers eat of His flesh and drink of His blood regularly, instituted the sacrament of the Holy Communion.  The Bible says that in the night in which he was betrayed He took bread and broke it and commanded all the disciples to eat of it for this is His body which was broken for us.  Similarly, He took the cup of the wine signifying His blood shed for us by His death.  We are to do this, remembering His sacrificial death on our behalf, Luke 22:15-20.

Paul in His letter to the Corinthian church counseled that they should break bread often and that whilst doing this we are showing His death till He comes back again, 1 Corinthians 11:23-31.  Furthermore, the eating of the ‘bread’ and drinking of the ‘wine’ offers us the opportunity for self-examination, repentance and cleansing.  In doing this, we are properly discerning the Lord’s body and we do not suffer the consequences of sin and sickness.

Every Christian should therefore partake of the Holy Communion as often as possible in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bread and wine must be spiritually received as Jesus Christ’s body and blood respectively.  When we do this in righteousness, we give great value to that which has been done for us by Him.  We must come to the table always, believing to receive newness and refreshing for our souls.  It assures us of being in union with Him; His body in us and His blood which is His life is in us; for that which we take is no more ordinary bread and wine bought from the market.

 

5. What are the consequences of not having the Bread of life?

Anyone who does not take in bread (food) faces imminent death.  The body is undernourished, becomes emaciated and eventually dies.  This same pattern holds for spiritual life.  The consequences of not having the Bread of life are grievous.

Except a man has the lifer of Christ in him, he has no life at all.  Though he is exists there is no manifestation of the life of God in him.  He is living a hopeless life devoid of any eternal reward.  All he is living for is the now.  He is spiritually unsatisfied, blind and lost.  There is no connection between him and the source of life.  He is not able to appreciate or appropriate the finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary.  Consequently, he is still in his sins awaiting the wrath and judgment of God which he will visit on all sinners.  There is no meaningful living without the Bread of life.  The absence of the sustaining power of life in any person means that person will be dominated by wicked spiritual forces emanating from the devil.

The believer who does not partake of the Holy Communion does not share of the communion of the saints of God.  He is missing out one of the sacraments of Christ of having intimate fellowship with Him.  He might be living an unrighteous life and does not avail himself of the opportunity of self-examination.  His life is not fully yielded to the only Master and Savior of mankind.  He will be lacking in the spiritual strength which he needs to live a victorious Christian life.

Daily living application:

We take in physical food (bread) to satisfy the desire for physical food or hunger and to keep soul and body together.  The spiritual life can only be sustained by taking spiritual food or bread.  The scriptures reveal to us that Jesus is the Bread of life.  Without Him, no man has life.  He is the expressed Word of God which we all must feed upon.

We take the Bread of life by believing on Him, His life, death and resurrection.  We must draw near to Christ and identify with all that pertain to Him and His work.  Our lives must be fully yielded to Him all aspects.  We must live our lives in obedience to Him at all times for in doing this we share in His live, grace and truth.  We must eat the Bread of life daily by reading, studying and meditating upon the word of God.  We partake of the Holy Communion to share and have fellowship with Christ and remind ourselves of the cross of Calvary and its significance.

Our spiritual wellbeing is as important as our physical wellbeing which is sustained by eating bread (food).  Thus we must daily feed on the spiritual food – the Bread of life, so as to sustain our spiritual life.

 

 

Memory verse

John 6:35 – “Jesus said unto them: I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”