The Bread of Life

A Lenten Reflection on Jesus' I Am Statements

The late afternoon dims—subdued by opaque particles of white drifting through the air. My mind wanders like the snow.

Winter’s austere beauty leaves its impression, yet I long for spring. For awakening. For the appearance of buds peeking shyly from the ground, bursting in joyous array on branches now shivering in the cold. My heart yearns for Life. For the one who called Himself the Bread of Life.

Jesus Identifies Himself as the Bread of Life

Barricaded by the invisible walls of a desert existence, God’s chosen traveled the wasteland between Egypt and the Promised Land. Despite the miraculous events that released them from the cruel hand of slavery, words of complaint ascended to heaven.

The desire for sated appetites tempted Israel to forget their misery and meditate on lack. “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full…” (Exodus 16:3)

In His mercy, God showered manna upon the barren desert floor, filling His people with bread from heaven.

Hundreds of years later, the Godhead responded to the lament of those desperate for relief from another type of enslavement—bondage to sin.

The Word, who reigned with the Father in heavenly places before time began, moved from beyond eternity’s beginning to rescue the hungry and hurting. To save the spiritually famished and fallen. And through His birth to a virgin, Jesus emitted His first cry in a town called Bethlehem—the “House of Bread”.

As an adult, “Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.‘” (John 6:35 NASB) The One born in the “House of Bread” expressed sameness with that which nourished Israel as they traversed the wild lands.

Why Did the Bread of Life Declaration Upend the Religious?

The first of seven I Am declarations, Christ’s statement upended the Jewish community.

Why?

When we break down John 6:35, two truths become apparent.

• Jesus proclaimed equality with God. The first two words of Jesus’ statement rattled most of the religious crowd. I am.

  I is translated from the emphatic word egó, and am comes from eimi which means self-existent. Here, Christ declares oneness with Yahweh when he references an exchange recorded in Exodus 3:14 (NASB), “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”

• Jesus proclaimed He is the bread of life. The day before Christ shared His message, He stunned a crowd of 5,000 famished people when He transformed a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish into a feast. Baskets overflowed as men, women, and children sighed in satisfaction.

  The lesson? The crowd hoped for a meal ticket, but the Son of God promised eternal fulfillment. Rescue from sin. Abundant hope that surpasses physical need and satisfies the soul.

Applying the Bread of Life to Our Lives

Some in the throng recognized Christ as Lord—the Bread of Life. Yet faith required a shift in four areas.

• Spiritual humility- Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore^, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

  Christ’s influence is unlike any other in the world, but many refuse to recognize Him as Lord. Even within the church, syncretism threatens to discredit Biblical teaching as woke viewpoints (and others) infiltrate the pulpit.

  As George Barna points out, “…we have a nation where almost seven out of 10 adults call themselves Christian, but only six out of every 100 try to think like Jesus so that they can live like Jesus.”

  As 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 reminds us, spiritual humility leads to blessing.

• Recognition of Need- The Israelites depended on God for forty years as they traversed a barren wilderness. During that time, their clothes never wore out, their shoes never wore through, and their stomachs never remained empty.

  Without the Bread of Life, we waste away—neither receiving the hope of everlasting eternality nor continuing in the abundance of the day-to-day. But in conceding our poverty? Jesus fills us with Himself, and we experience everlasting life. Joy. Daily renewal.

• Expectation of holy provision- In the dry places, the Lord provided for every need. We, too, can look to Christ for daily sustenance—both physically and spiritually—as we pray “give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NASB).

• Continual feasting on the Word- Scripture confirms “we are saved by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) and, once we believe and confess (Romans 10:10), our salvation is secure.

  Like the Israelites searching for and storing honeyed wafers, we must seek His presence. Consume the Word.

A Prayer for You

Jesus,

I praise you—the marvelous I AM. Lord, I confess you are the manna for which I long, the Bread of Life I desperately need. Nothing else satisfies my heart, but too often, I allow the day’s demands to dictate my schedule. Help me to seek You first. To make time for you. Jesus, help me remember to feast on you—the One who offers abundant life.

Amen

Peace and grace to you,

Tammy

P.S. Please let me know if I can pray for you. It would be an honor.