35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
The people that Jesus spoke these words to were of the five thousand he fed just the day before. Instead of going to him for who he is as the Savior of the World, they saw Jesus as a means to an end. Their bellies were empty and they wanted to be fed again. Why go home when Jesus can give them bagels and lox?
They missed the point that Jesus came to fulfill more than just the physical needs. He came to show them how to have life that will be completely satisfied in him. To illustrate this eternal truth, Jesus used everyday objects. In this instance, bread. He is the Bread of Life. Eat him, you will never hunger. Drink him, you’ll never thirst.
Jesus used bread another time. The night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it (just like he did before feeding the crowd!) and gave it to his disciples. He said this was his body. He invited them to eat. He also gave an ordinary cup of wine, saying it was his blood, for them to drink. He said that by eating and drinking his body and blood, they will never hunger or thirst again. This is Jesus satisfying of the hungering and thirsting after righteousness that he taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Have you found yourself lacking in your own life? Do you feel it in your being that there is a level of hunger and thirst that hasn’t been satisfied in a while?
Kellogg’s had an ad campaign a number of years ago encouraging cereal consumers to give their corn flakes cereal another chance. Their slogan was, “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Taste them again for the first time.” If you’re feeling the lacking in your life, come again to Jesus. Taste him again for the first time. Eat Jesus Christ and be satisfied.
Prayer: Bread of Life, may I “taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8) Amen.
Contributed by Pastor Andrew Bartholomew