The Bread of Life
John 6:26-40
Have you ever been so hungry that you thought you were going to die?
In our prosperous country, odds are that you haven’t. But you have likely felt hunger before, whether it was just an uncomfortable emptiness in your stomach, lightheaded weakness, or something more serious - sharp pain that overwhelms any other thought.
The crowd in this story is preoccupied with their stomachs, and Jesus points it out. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). They hadn’t followed Jesus to the other side of the sea because they “saw signs”, that is, they didn’t understand Jesus’s miracles as signs of his divinity as the Son of God. Rather, they wanted more of what He had given them: food.
On a certain level, who can blame them? Don’t we act like this all the time? So often we seek God because we want what He can give us - food to eat, clothes to wear, money for rent, a car to drive, security for our futures. We are so afraid of those sharp hunger pains (or whatever earthly pains you have) that they can become our greatest focus.
While wanting earthly things is not inherently bad, Jesus points us to more. “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6: 27). He implores the crowd to shift their attention away from something temporary to something that will last for all eternity. Don’t you see there is more to life than eating, drinking, sleeping, and amassing wealth? We will feel hunger and need again, but there is a satisfaction that will last forever. It is greater than any miracle or sign, and we do not need to work for it. What is this eternal satisfaction?
Jesus makes it clear that He is our satisfaction when He says “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
Imagine how good it feels to eat a sandwich when you haven’t had food all day. Or a freshly grilled burger and fries. A crisp, cool glass of water on a hot day. How much more delight can come from the one who claims to be the bread of life when we go to Him? That is fulfillment deeper than from any food, drink, or good thing we could ever have on this earth, and it makes our fleshly desires pale in comparison. Though our stomachs will always groan with the pains of hunger, because of Jesus our souls no longer do.
Jesus invites us into a relationship with Him, to come, eat and drink our fill. He promises that those who the Lord gives to Him he will never lose (John 6:39).
Are there earthly things in your life that are holding you back from going to Jesus and delighting in the eternal bread of life?
