Jesus talked a lot about bread. I understand some people need to limit their gluten intake for health reasons,
but we can all appreciate how bread is presented in the Bible as a symbol of what satisfies our daily
needs. We get hungry and have to eat, and bread is the most basic food that fuels our bodies.
Jesus understood hunger, and He knew the significance of giving people bread. He miraculously fed a
large crowd of people from a few loaves of bread, and then He did it again a short time later. He often shared
meals with people, breaking bread as a gesture of friendship. He told us to remember His sacrificial death by
eating bread. He even called Himself the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35a).
At the same time, Jesus knew that bread can satisfy our bodies but not our souls. In response to the first
temptation in the wilderness, Jesus told Satan, “Man shall not live on bread alone” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy
8:3). Eating ordinary bread fills us for a few hours, but our deepest needs call out for something better and
more nourishing. True, lasting life enters our hearts by consuming “every word that comes from the mouth of
God.”
In fact, Jesus said that what He gives us fills our souls so that we “will never go hungry” (John 6:35b).
As I continue to preach from John’s Gospel in the weeks leading up to Easter, I am struck by the many
ways Jesus used bread to reveal important truths.
For example, He assured us that God sees our daily needs, our physical and emotional hungers. He
knows that we need to eat and drink to give strength to our bodies. God created us this way, and He is pleased
to satisfy our hunger with daily bread, just as He provided manna each morning for the Israelites after their
escape from Egypt.
God sees your needs, even the little ones you may not think to pray about. Afterall, when was the last
time you actually prayed for bread? And yet, you don’t go hungry because God provides. He also sees and can
meet your emotional needs, your relationship needs, your financial needs, and all the other daily needs you
face.
Jesus also used bread to teach us about the emptiness in our hearts that has nothing to do with filling
our stomachs. After He fed the 5,000, people wanted to make Jesus their Bread King. What could be better,
they thought, than someone who can feed us every time we feel hungry? But Jesus wants to give us something
far better than a loaf of bread. “Do not work for food that spoils,” He said, “but for food that endures to eternal
life” (John 6:27).
Our greatest needs are spiritual, and only Jesus can meet these needs by His death and resurrection.
The amazing truth is that Jesus cares about both our daily needs and our eternal salvation. He provides,
protects and guides us through the ordinary moments of life, and He forgives our sins, brings peace to our
souls and leads us to life everlasting.
He is the Bread of Life. You can go to Jesus with all your needs. He loves you and will provide today
and forever.
