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So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ 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. (John 6:24-35)
Happy Monday, dear Friend! I trust this finds you and yours doing well. I pray that you are blessed to overflowing this day in order to bless others. Try to find an occasion to share something your preacher said on Sunday; start a conversation that might bless someone eternally!
Most of us reading this have never been truly hungry. Remember I said most. Some of you may have suffered some terrible periods of hunger, and I pray those are a distant memory. And please remember we are not that far from people, especially some children who do go to bread wondering where tomorrow's meals are coming from. This passage addresses the two hungers humans have; that of satisfying their physical appetites, and that of feeding the spiritual appetites that we have. In both cases, there is nourishment that is good as well as bad. I've shared how I disliked a commercial back in the 80s. I was a campus minister on one of the poorest student bodies in the country. We had just started a 99¢ luncheon program and our signs said that if you didn't have the 99¢ that was not a problem. I knew a lot of students eating that simple meal that area churches provided was perhaps the biggest, if not the only meal of their day. I prayed that while exposed to churches who cared enough as well as a campus ministry program that cared, they might seek to fill their spiritual hunger as well. I thank God for those wise enough to do so.
Last week I shared the story of the Little Caesar's pizza truck handing out free pizzas. People understood it to be an introduction to a permanent restaurant coming to our area. But imagine people coming back the next day and asking, "Where's that pizza truck? Is there any free pizza today?" The people in this passage were from the 5,000 whom Jesus fed. They had been well fed, and so they looked for Jesus asking for more. Some may have discussed this as being closely tied to their history. "Remember when our people were in the widerness and Moses fed them? Isn't this just like that, too? Let's find that rabbi so that he may give us more!" Jesus knew they still didn't understand in their hearts that it was not Moses, but God; and God was now offering an even better bread; the Bread of Life. Jesus through His sacrifice took away our sins, and through His teachings taught us about love and how we are to love one another and be the people that God wants us to be. Jesus concludes that teaching by saying, "Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Dear one, if you have come to know Jesus in your life, you know that your hunger and thirst for righteousness and spiritual peace has come to your life. Your actions, thoughts, and words should reflect that in a way that blesses others. If you have not yet dedicated your life to the Lord Jesus, it's as simple as the prayer, "Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and need forgiveness from You for my sins. I also invite you to come into my heart and be the Lord and Savior of my life. In Your name I pray, amen." This is but the start of a lifelong journey of learning just how much God loves you through Jesus.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Bread of Life that has come into me. Help me know that I will never hunger or thirst again; help me to be one who feeds others that knowledge of Your great love, in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Start your work week with a smile that says, "I have been fed by the Bread of Life!"
Eradio Valverde
