During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Tom Dorman.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” John 6:35-40
So is Jesus the bread of life?
Until this point in the chapter, it is the crowd who has been engaged with Jesus. What does Jesus mean by proclaiming himself “the bread of life”?
It’s simple, Jesus means that he is the source of eternal life for the world, that’s pretty straightforwardly put in later verses 47-48.
However, if the meaning were only this simple, Jesus probably would see little reason to say it.
Jesus’ opening “I am” of being the bread of life is made to remind us that he is the source of life. That adds meaning since Jesus is the sustainer, the healer, and the bringer of life.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, open our hearts to the everyday miracles in our lives, especially when it is difficult to believe. Give us strength for what comes, and use us for good, that we too may carry your story forward. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
March 16, 2016 at 11:20 pm |
In these scripture verses Jesus says to the people, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
Was the trust in Jesus’ words any easier to accept then than it is today? Perhaps it was about the same then as now. We have to trust in God’s Word (the gospels), and then have faith to follow his will.
I find that John 3:16 reminds me of what is important: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.