Then Jesus declared, ‘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

Bread was a popular staple food during the bronze and iron ages, and particularly among the Jewish people. As referenced in the Old Testament, God often provided or directed His children to eat bread, underlining it’s importance. He asked the Israelites to eat unleavened bread during the Passover in Egypt. God rained manna (Bread) from heaven everyday during the time the Israelites were in the wilderness. Several other references have been made in the bible connoting bread as His choicest food for men.

Scripture speaks of a time when Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. While there, Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Andrew spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?.” Jesus blessed the five loaves of bread and two small fish, and he distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

The next day Jesus crossed over to the Capernaum. When the crowd realized this, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Him. Knowing their motive for coming over to Capernaum, Jesus said to them –  “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. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.“

Jesus was obviously baffled by how many of these individuals were drawn to tangible food when they had the chance to seek something considerably more important—that is, the word of God. His remark was not merely a criticism; rather, it was an appeal for the multitude to focus on his message instead of the wheat-based bread. Given how many people attend churches with a lot of materialistic prayer points but no genuine desire to get to know God or build a relationship with Him, I can only imagine how baffled He will be at us today.

By saying, “I am the bread of life,” He is emphasizing that if we pursue and consume His word, He will be able to grant us the eternal peace and fulfillment our souls long for; which is far more than physical bread. When we go to Jesus, I pray our eyes will be fixated on Him and not the bread we so desire to have. Amen.

John 6