Day 11: Scripture – John 6:35 / Name of Jesus – Bread of Life / Ornament: Loaf of Bread
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35
On this 11th-day of Christmas, I am reminded how God in His goodness provides not just for our physical needs but even greater – He has provided the Spiritual Bread of Life – Jesus Christ! The Manna from Heaven that feeds our souls and gives us life. The bread of God that comes down out of Heaven and gives life to the world. So today I celebrate this Eternal – Life-Giving – GIFT who has secured my Spiritual Health with His blood. “Regular food is only good until we become hungry again – But His Word truly satisfies our deepest needs.” It satisfies like nothing else can when we are craving peace or comfort, andIt fills us up when our strength is gone.It enriches us when we need wisdom and direction, and It overflows with goodness when we need to be reminded of God’s love. God’s Word is alive and active and It GIVES Light to our path – illuminating the darkness around us. May we be reminded of It often throughout the days of our lives; and may It flow through us that others might taste and see Its goodness!
The More You Know
If you would like to know more about The Bread of Life please visit Know These Truths
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35 NLT
Satisfaction
Through Jesus we are made right with God. You see, God is satisfied with Christ’ death on the cross for through His one act on the cross our sins are atoned for and our debt is paid in full. Through Jesus, all who come to Him and believe in Him are also satisfied – for by the giving of His flesh and the shedding of His blood He completely satisfies the hunger and thirst of our souls, unlike the bread and fish he had given the 5000 for their physical need.
God’s One Requirement
God sending manna from Heaven day after day in the wilderness was amazing but God sending “the true bread from heaven is miraculous. The miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fish was amazing but the laying down of one’s life for undeserving sinners is life altering. Which is why Jesus declares to the crowd that they are working for food that disappears when what they really need is the food that remains to eternal life, food that He Himself will provide.
Still thinking that they needed to work for or earn “the food” the crowd wants to know what is required of them. Jesus doesn’t answer with a list of requirements but simply one – “believe in the one whom God sent”.
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. 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.’
John 6:26-27
Eternal Security
Note the repetitious message of Jesus in these 33 verses. He makes it abundantly clear that He was the Way to Eternal Life. He wanted the people, especially the Jews who had become hostile toward Him to understand that eternal life was available to all who believe – it was so important to Him that in this one passage He uses the phrase bread of life, or a reference of it, at least 14 times … and He equates partaking of or believing in this “bread” with eternal life at least 11 times. He made it very clear that while He had satisfied their physical needs the more important truth was that He could forever satisfy their spiritual hunger and thirst.
So, what does this one requirement mean for us today? Simply, yet profoundly, It means that God has offered us (everyone who believes) security for eternity if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ – the whole Gospel package:
that He was with God in the beginning
that He is God the Son
that He is the bread of God sent from heaven
that He was sent by God the Father to give life to the world
specifically, that He came to bring eternal life to all who believe in Him
Prayer
Father, thank you for sending us the Bread of Life – flesh and blood – that we might have eternal life. Thank you that through Him we can know contentment knowing that our eternity is secure in Him and that we will be raised up on the last day. How great is Your love!
When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”
John 6:14
Miraculous Sign #4
Following His conversation with the Jewish leaders about who He was and His relationship with God the Father (chapter 5), Jesus got away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Because such a large crowd, somewhere around 5000, was following Him He decided to feed them. This was only possible by a miraculous sign involving 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread that, after Jesus gave thanks, became enough to feed the crowd with 12 baskets left over.
The People Saw
The miracle couldn’t be missed. 5 loaves and 2 fishes and approximately 5000 who ate all they wanted and had left overs for 12 more. That my friends is what we call a miracle and the people were talking about it – connecting it with something they remembered from the teachings of Moses, referring to Him as the “prophet” they were expecting. Keep in mind that Jesus was doing the miracles knowing they would reveal His glory, John 2:11, so He wasn’t surprised that they were talking about who He was. However, He also knew “the time had not yet come”, so once again He quietly slipped away, alone.
Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
Deuteronomy 18:15
They didn’t miss it – are we?
There is much to be seen in this passage – such as Jesus’ attentiveness and how He looks for ways to reach the people and is willing to meet their needs. I love seeing how He uses these opportunities to give them a glimpse of who He is. Surely we should learn from this and live and love like Him in this way. However, I also noticed how the people weren’t too busy to notice what Jesus was doing either. Sure they were following Him with the intent of seeing miracles but how easy is it to get in a crowd and especially in times of hunger or other needs become distracted and miss what is going on around us. They didn’t miss it. They were attentive to Him. Then, they talked about it – and were reminded of what was said through Moses and passed down through the Scriptures and generations. A reminder for us – that we should know the Scriptures – so that we too don’t miss the signs of what God has made known about what is to come.
Prayer
Father, You are good and You are attentive to Your children. You care about us You use need and opportunities to reveal Your glory – to show us who You are. You have given us Your Word that we might know Your Son – the image of You – and that we might know Your love and Your purpose and plan. Help us be attentive to You Father and to the signs and the wonders of the day. Guard us from distractions that would take our attention away from You and help us to not miss Him and the work You are doing around us or the signs of Your coming. – All of this for Your glory – Amen and amen!
This week, our reading (from the LGG Study, Our Security for Eternity) focuses on a section in John explaining how Jesus is the Bread of Life. Read Exodus 3, 14, and 16 and notice or record the similarities you find in these chapters to our reading in John regarding how God displays control over nature, specifically water, and how He provides bread for His people.
Our Memory/Focus verse for the week is John 6:35, where Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of life. Come along with me on the journey this week and let’s explore the truth to this name of our Savior. Let’s dig deeper to see what it means and to understand how it applies to us.
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Me From the Inside Out 