Daily Devotion | Day 341
‘“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst”’ (John 6:33-35, NKJV).
As the conversation went on, Jesus explained that the people needed to believe in Him (John 6:28-29). At this, they asked Jesus for a sign. They reminded Him that God fed their fathers with manna from heaven. If Jesus wanted them to believe in Him, He needed to do more than talk (v. 30). But Jesus had just fed them by multiplying bread before their very eyes. It is therefore strange that they would demand another sign.
This is the danger of leaning on signs and wonders to build one’s faith. When people’s hearts are hardened, they crave more and more signs, yet remain where they are. This is the problem Jesus faced. Signs and wonders may help faith, but they are not the antidote to unbelief. The cure for unbelief in repentance. When you have genuine faith in the Lord, you do not need Him to prove Himself to you every time.
The people were still thinking of bread (what goes in their belly). This is why they spoke to Jesus about the manna, not because they cared about the Scriptures. Obviously, they did not pay attention to Jesus’ earlier admonition that they stop laboring for food which perishes. Jesus responded by saying that the Father would give them “the true bread from heaven” (v. 32). This means the manna God supplied in the wilderness was not the true bread. It was but a shadow of the real bread from heaven.
Up to this point, the people did not know what (or who) the true bread was. But Jesus disclosed the true bread when He stated, “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (v. 33). Notice Jesus describes the bread of God as “a He,” not “a what.” In other words, the true bread (the bread of God) is not an object. It is not made with human hands. It is not bread from the oven. The bread of God is a person. That person is Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. Because He is a person, Jesus can be believed in and loved, but not swallowed. No one swallows Jesus for eternal life.
Notice that Jesus spoke in the third person (“the bread of God is He”). When the people heard this, they said, “Lord, give us this bread always” (v. 34). They wanted this bread. However, did they know what they were asking? Because Jesus used the third person, they missed His point. Their mind was still fixed on bread, except this time they thought Jesus was referring some supernatural (magical) bread which they would swallow for their nourishment.
Their response is similar to that of the Samaritan woman. When Jesus promised to give living water, she thought He was referring to water for the mouth, so she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst . . .” (John 4:13-15). She did not realize that believers would drink living water alright, but it would not pass through their mouth like ordinary water. Another somewhat related incident is when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born again. Nicodemus misunderstood Jesus and assumed that being born again requires people to re-enter their mother’s womb. But Jesus was referring to a birth which does not involve the womb (John 3:3-4), just like He is speaking to these people today about bread which does not involve the mouth.
Returning to the bread of life conversation: Jesus was aware that the people had missed His point, so He made Himself clear by speaking in the first person: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (v. 35). The bread of life is the Person standing right there in their midst. Naturally, the people were shocked.
With this last statement, Jesus shifted the conversation. He took their minds off food in the mouth, and suddenly He had their attention. When the people finally realized where Jesus was taking the conversation, they delivered their first major objection: “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’”? (v. 42).
We will pause here and continue next time, if the Lord wills. Until then, may the Lord keep you safe, sound and healthy. Have a blessed weekend. Amen.
For further study: John 3:1-18; 4:1-26
Higher-Self Realities 