Bread of Life
I am …. the bread of life.
Eternal life, abiding relationship. Not future after death but now.
Bread of life … in the gospel of John it is Jesus life that is the good news. Not death.
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
What is eternal life? Knowing God. In the biblical book of John, the gospel, the good news is life with Jesus. It is Jesus’ life, not death that heals. The book of John gives us so many examples of abiding with Jesus. John does not even have the Lord’s super. The feeding of the 5,000 is the feast. There is a detail in the feeding of the 5,000 “there was a great deal of grass” another example of abundance. John gives a detail of many fish being caught when Jesus tells them to cast the net to the other side. 153 fish, abundance. This abundance of God is a theme in the gospel of John. “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
But they knew Jesus’ parents. Joseph and Mary are ordinary people. How can Jesus be of heaven if they know he came from Mary and Joseph? Ordinary bread becomes extraordinary when blessed by God. Today we will taste a bit of bread and a bit of juice to remind us God is present with us, forgiving us and giving us a second chance.
The gospel of John gives us 7 “I am” statements.
• I am the bread of life
• I am the light of the world
• I am the door
• I am the good shepherd
• I am the resurrection and the life
• I am the way and the truth and the life
• I am the vine
An abundant presence is portrayed throughout John, protecting, providing, guiding, life giving, abiding. This ordinary person, who came into the world through parents like. Has come from heaven and is longing for abundant life for you and me.
Today when we feast on a meal with family or alone, let us thank God for life. Let us thank God for our ordinary family as God blesses us in extraordinary ways.
We pray it each Sunday, give us this day our daily bread. We need bread each day. We need nourishment each day. That extraordinary God coming to us through ordinary people in ordinary ways. We need each other. It is says, “Give us this day, OUR daily bread.” Not mine, but ours.
Whoever believes in me will never be hungry… That is some statement. We have an insatiable hunger. We want to distract ourselves with activity or food or something surely with fill the insatiable hunger.
John gives us abundantly. He his himself the feast. The eternal life, the abundant life is here for us. Are you hungry? May we say yes, to a God who cares about our life, not simply our death.
Where and how we eat comes to mind when we look to Jesus being the bread of life. A pastor many years ago told about a road trip he took with his wife and with his teenage son. They were hungry and he knew they needed to stop. The three of them had different needs or wants anyway. His son wanted bulk. Like a hamburger and fries, plentiful food. His wife wanted ambiance. It mattered to her what the place looked like and on the road that can be a challenge especially sense he wanted cheap. So in their vehicle they began to discuss these three needs. Then her realized what they really needed was to get out of the car. They were couped up too long. Sometimes our daily bread may consist of getting out of the church and feeding. Getting out of the building and serving. When we are stuck we may forget about the life we have to offer. They abundant gift of Jesus that is not simply come and when you die you go to heaven, but come and know through life you are extraordinary.
We come to the table and everyone born has a place at our table. We feast and we share. Our good God is the bread from heaven and we are still learning what this means. In the meantime, we receive with gratitude and joy.