As a carb-rich food, bread is vital to our physical health. Yet what Jesus taught is that it won’t sustain us forever. However, He will sustain us through His Word, which is more vital and life-sustaining than anything we can partake of physically. His Word is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. When we partake of it daily we will grow into mature followers, ready and eager to fulfill His will for us. Amen!
Eternal Perspectives by Sally Bair
Living Bread
During my teenage years, I often came home from school to the appealing aroma of my mom’s homemade bread. Oh, how I loved and feasted on that special treat! Back then, when wheat hadn’t been genetically modified to today’s extent, the white bread Mom baked tasted good and was nutritious.
Today we’re warned by many professionals to eat whole wheat containing the bran, germ, and endosperm. Such a habit is hard to learn since we’re bombarded with the sight of unhealthy foods. If you’re like I am, you still keep eating tempting foods that contain little nutritional value because our taste buds have gotten so used to them.
Jesus taught about wheat and bread during His time on earth. After He miraculously fed 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and fish, some questioned Him, referring to the manna, or bread-like food, that God fed the wandering Israelites. Jesus set them straight, saying that Moses didn’t give them “the bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33)
Where could the people get such bread, they asked Him? “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst,” Jesus told them. (John 6:35) Jesus’ audience, however, heard His words in the physical context and wondered how anyone could eat His flesh. Jesus spoke in spiritual terms as He did often during His teachings. Such metaphors are meant to teach us that we can depend on Him to provide for our spiritual and physical needs. In essence, He tells us if we partake of Him spiritually we will receive eternal life.
The life-sustaining bread that I ate as a teenager lasted only so many hours. Jesus, however, satisfies my spiritual need forever. The words “bread of life” mean “bread which supplies life.” In my efforts to maintain good health by eating well, I’m always reminded of Jesus’ words that He spoke to the devil while enduring His 40-day temptation: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Lord, thank You for being our true Bread of Life. Forgive us when we trust in and partake of too much food for our bodies, hoping to be filled. Cause us to remember daily that only You can fill us with the joy and peace that comes through Your life-sustaining Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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