I am: The Bread of Life
John 6:25-35
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.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires? 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 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.
As we begin our new series for Lent exploring the I Am sayings of Jesus in John’s gospel. We thought that for Lent this year we would focus less on what we’re going to take up or give up and instead would take a bit of time to focus on who Jesus is. There are many ways in which we can do that but the way we’ve chosen to is by paying attention to what Jesus says about himself through the I Am sayings in John’s gospel. There are seven of these sayings and the one we’re beginning with is the saying ‘I am the bread of life.’
What do you hunger for? What do you thirst for? What is it that you really want to see happen, achieve or have people say about you? The truth is, we’re all hungry for something. For some, it might be financial security. For others it might be professional success. For others it might be the perfect relationship. For others, popularity.
I could go on but you get the point. We all have something we want. Something we’re centred on. Something we’re aiming towards. These things could be good or they could be bad depending on what they are. All I really want to acknowledge is that we all hunger for something.
In light of this, it’s interesting what Jesus says at the end of our passage today. He says he is the bread of life and that those who come to him will never hunger or thirst. It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t say here that he a bread of life or that he’s your bread of life. He says that he is the bread of life. It’s exclusive. There’s only one bread of life and it’s him. It’s only him that fully satisfies and sustains us. By extension, if he’s the only one who does that, it means all those things I’ve mentioned at the start don’t do that. Fame, fortune, wealth, success or popularity can’t satisfy. They might feel good for a time but we will always eventually find that these things run dry and end up leaving us dissatisfied. If you want to feel fullness, wholeness and a satisfying of your hunger, it is Jesus that we need to come to.
Be encouraged to take the opportunity in Lent to really take stock and think about that question of what are you hungry for. Don’t settle for the first answer or even for the answer you think you should give. Instead, take the time to really figure out what your deepest hunger is? And as you do that, ask yourself, is it something that can satisfy you as Jesus can. Remember, according to Jesus, he is the bread of life. It’s only in coming to him that we find our hunger met.
Richard Barber
