Wednesday, March 18, 2015

3/19/15 by Shirley Carlson

Jesus Is The Bread of Life...John 6:41-51

Just like Pat Chambers felt her scripture passage for the blog she wrote was perfect for her, I have the same feeling about this passage in John. 

Jesus said, “Yes, I am the bread of life!”  John 6: 48.

I love bread and there is very little that satisfies me more than bread--the aroma of it baking, the delicious taste, and the joy of baking it and sharing it with others.  In fact, for several years I kept a bread starter going and fed it every couple days.  By feeding it, I was then able to use some of the starter to make delicious loaves of bread.  Often there was more than we could eat and I was able to share both the bread and the starter with others.  However, in one of our moves, I lost the starter because a bread starter needs to be fed to keep its yeasty action going.  I miss not baking it now.  But every chance that I get, I relish the taste of good hearty bread.

But the passage in John 6:41-51 is not about my love for bread.  It is about Jesus once again using the ordinary experiences in our lives to teach us something.  By referring to himself as bread, a common staple in our diet, I believe he is saying that we need to feed on him daily for our spiritual nourishment.  Just like the aroma of baking bread permeates a home, Jesus wants our lives filled with his presence so that it permeates our lives forever.  Also, just like bread starter needs to be fed, we need to feed on his word.  When our faith is strong, we then can share it with others. 

In this passage, the crowd has difficulty in believing that Jesus is who he says he is. They know his parents and therefore reason that he is ordinary just like them.  And what does he mean when he says they are to eat from him and never be hungry again?  We can sympathize with their confusion.  So often we want proof, but Jesus wants us to chew on his words, to feast on his teachings, and to believe in him, our Savior.

Some things to think about:
            -When you think of Jesus as the Bread of Life what does that mean for you? 
            -What kind of bread would you choose to best describe Jesus?  Why?

            -How will you keep your starter going? 

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