John 6:25-38
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus the Bread of Life
25 When they found him on the other side of the
lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you
are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but
because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do
not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal
life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father
has placed his seal of approval.”
In this passage bread is a symbol that stands for something else. Jesus
was not talking about real bread but was teaching his listeners that he was the
One who could give them spiritual food and keep them alive forever. This verse is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used
the same phrase “I AM” in seven
declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving
relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.
Jesus told his
followers, "I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never
thirst." Bread plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The
Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven
days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt. Finally, when the
Jews were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God rained down "bread from heaven" to sustain the
nation (Exodus 16:4).
When Jesus
used the term "bread of life."
He was trying to get away from the crowds to no avail. He had crossed the Sea
of Galilee, and the crowd followed Him. After some time, Jesus inquires of
Philip how they’re going to feed the crowd. Philip’s answer displays his “little faith” when he says they
don’t have enough money to give each of them the smallest morsel of food.
Finally, Andrew brings to Jesus a boy who had five small loaves of bread and
two fish. With that amount, Jesus miraculously
fed the throng with lots of food to spare.
In John 6:27, Jesus says, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but
for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to
you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” In other words, they were
so enthralled with the food, they were missing out on the fact that their
Messiah had come. Recall when they asked for physical bread, Jesus startles
them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and
whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
This is an astonishing
statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is
essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical
life, but eternal life. Jesus is
trying to get the Jews’ thinking off of the physical realm and into the
spiritual realm. He is contrasting what He brings as their Messiah with the
bread He miraculously created the day before. That was physical bread that
perishes. He is spiritual bread that brings eternal life.
Jesus is
making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM”
statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God
(Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The
phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “asity”),
which is an attribute only God possesses. It is also a phrase the Jews who were
listening would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.
Note the words
“hunger and thirst.” Again, it must
be noted that Jesus isn’t talking about alleviating physical hunger and thirst.
The key is found in another statement Jesus made, back in His Sermon on the
Mount.
In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When Jesus says those who come
to Him will never hunger and those who believe in Him will never thirst, He is
saying He will satisfy our hunger and thirst to be made righteous in the sight
of God.
Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness.
He is our Bread of Life.
In Christ,
Janet Irene Thomas
Playwright/Director/Screen
Writer
Producer/Gospel
Lyricist/Author
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre
of
Fine & Performing
Arts
In Christ,
Janet Irene Thomas
Playwright/Director/Screen
Writer
Producer/Gospel
Lyricist/Author
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre
of
Fine & Performing
Arts
No comments:
Post a Comment