What I’m Thinking: Bread of Life

In John’s Gospel, when Jesus does a sign, it leads to a declaration of who Jesus is. In this case, the feeding of 5,000 leads to his statement, “I am the bread of life.” Personally, I take comfort in a Savior whose concern is to see that human beings are fed.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m still thinking about the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, a little further on (John 6:24-35).

Jesus, after the miracle of the loaves and fishes, went up the mountain and vanished from everybody’s sight for a while. When the crowd next discovers him, he’s further away down the lake and they have to go in pursuit.

When they find him, Jesus wants to know: are they there because of his teachings, or have they followed him in order to get another meal? He goes on to encourage them to seek the bread which comes from above, that satisfies and after which people do not go hungry again.

That leads Jesus to one of his most controversial assertions: “I am the bread of life.”

Some would find this rather difficult. I, however, am truly drawn to this statement. Jesus here declares that his purpose as Savior is to see that people are fed, that their hungers are met, that their needs are addressed.

We live in a world in which people’s needs go unanswered time after time after time, due sometimes to the ignorance of human beings, and all too frequently because of their selfishness and greed. But here, Jesus stands, as a Savior, and declares, “I am the bread of life.”

And in Jesus we need not go hungry. We need not go hungry for wisdom. We need not go hungry for guidance. We need not go hungry for an experience of the love of God, and yes, indeed: in Jesus, and as Jesus’ followers helping each other, we should never go hungry for bread.

Nor should anyone else. Because we follow Jesus, and we seek to see that all the world is fed.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.