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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. Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ (John 6:35, 41-51)
May this be a wonderful Monday for you, dear Friend! As we start this day in prayer and God's word, I ask for prayers for Mr. Bob Clark, who is undergoing a seven hour surgery in Houston at MD Anderson Hospital. This is a delicate surgery involving many hours and many areas on Bob's body. We pray for the success of the operation and for Bob's healing and comfort. Also, Mrs. Charlotte Wilson is undergoing heart surgery today in San Antonio. She has undergone multiple leg surgeries and this one involves a heart valve replacement. Pray for her healing and comfort as well. Thank you for your prayers! We pray because God answers prayers!
John wrote what many call the spiritual gospel; not that the others three are not spiritual, but John chose to focus on spiritual themes and claims of Jesus, such as this key one, that Jesus is the Bread of Life. John's gospel also focused on the coming of the Holy Spirit, thus it being the dividing book between Luke and Acts which we are studying on Wednesdays at noon in our church.This passage is the one that follows last week's gospel lesson. The crowds followed Jesus because they had been fed miraculously and hungered for more; Jesus spoke of the true bread of life and how those who ate it would hunger no more. And here Jesus makes His declaration: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." You would think they would marvel and rejoice at hearing these words. They did say they wanted bread that satisfied to the point of never being hungry again, but to hear Jesus say He was the bread of life made them question and wonder. It is clear that Jesus was on one level, a much higher spiritual level, and the Jews listening to Him were on a lower, physical level, straining to understand what Jesus was truly saying. And I wish I could say this is so different today. I have preached many a sermon where the folks heard one thing when I meant another. I spoke once of cleaning out our hearts, and people heard that they needed to clean their homes. I know now to not preach such a sermon in the spring!
The people knew Jesus; He had grown up around them. They knew Joseph and Mary, and here He is claiming to be bread of life. Jesus knew the scriptures which instructed the day was coming when they would be instructed by God Himself; it was happening now, and used other scriptures to speak of the spiritual needs that He would be addressing and fulfilling. Still, Jesus is on a higher spiritual plane and the folks were not quite reaching that level. Sadly, many did not; and sadder still, many today still have not yet reached that level.
Jesus came for you, dear one, and me. He died on the cross for our sins. Jesus offers Himself for us so that we might come to life and have life in abundance. Jesus came so that when we die we know we will not die forever, but we will have eternal life, with Him. This is the good news that everyone should want and needs to hear. The worries and challenges of today are fleeting ones; Jesus is with us and will never leave us; this is good news. Whatever has come to seem insurmountable or un-moveable, Jesus can remove. We have to but ask.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, fill me til I want no more. I believe You are the Bread of Life. Believing in You I shall never again hunger or thirst for life; You are my life now. In Your name I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share this Bread with someone today!
Eradio Valverde
