Bread

God is ...

                    … the bread of life

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, 
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

READ - John 6:25-59

Perhaps this, and the next few posts, should actually be titled Christ is …, but with Christ as part of the trinity, I feel on reasonably safe ground sticking with “God is…” 

Turning to this passage, at the start of Christ’s "I am” sayings, we cannot ignore the link with yesterday’s reading. Here Christ claims his place as the son of God, sent by the great "I am”, a message that will not have been missed by his listeners. And he starts with being the bread of life. At this point in the gospel Jesus has just fed the five thousand and so the people are asking him for more of this food. Jesus however wants to turn them away from practical thoughts towards more spiritual matters, from thinking about their stomachs to thinking about their hearts. Time and again in the bible we find Jesus referring back to the scriptures that the people will know so well. As well as referencing the name “I am” which went to the heart of how people identified God, he also no turns to one of God’s most famous acts of provision, manna from heaven. This is a story that will have been told across the centuries and speaks of Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. Not just their physical needs but also the spiritual. 

And now they wanted Jesus to provide for them, just like he had for the multitude sat on the grass. Jesus here talks about bread, a staple food, basic food, and yet still a food that so many long for and are denied. When we pray “give us this day our daily bread” we are not just asking for basic provision. We are relying on God for all that he judges that we need. We are not asking for bread, butter and jam we are simply asking for bread - our needs and not our wants, and we trust God to make that call. By nature we are spiritual beings though and so we trust God not just to place food on our tables but also to meet us with the bread of life that will nourish our souls. 

In this passage Jesus tells the people that he and God are one and he meets them as the embodiment of the God who provides.

How often do we put practical above spiritual? 

What do you need to trust God for? Is it practical or spiritual?