I AM: The Bread of Life

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 6:35 NRSV)

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Northern California, eating places have been closed to in-house dining. Many restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops have been able to pivot and offer curbside pickup and at-home delivery. As I prepare three meals a day for my family and run the dishwasher daily now, I am so relieved to buy occasional take-out food.

Manresa Bread is a neighborhood bakery and cafe in our town. The Bay Area prices of the treats have always felt like a splurge, but it has been one I have been happy to pay in recent weeks. My family's diet has returned to simple, wholesome foods with no more quick stops at fast food restaurants on our way to the next activity or meeting. Bread has been vital to our quarantine diet. Thankfully Manresa sells sourdough loaves every weekend. The loaves are round boules or long baguettes with thick brown crusts. The inside is soft and chewy. The taste is sour and tangy and is the perfect compliment to strawberry jam and goat cheese. The loaves we buy not only complete our meals and fill our stomachs, but by the smiles on everyone's faces, I also know the slices nourish our spirits.

Bread is a staple in many cultures. Bread has protein, vitamins, iron, fiber, and calcium. God made our bodies to need food, and bread is one of the great food pleasures. We thank God for that pleasure every time we sit down to eat and say the blessing. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer on Sunday mornings, we give thanks for our daily bread. Likewise, Jesus ate bread and when he shared his last meal with his disciples, he took, blessed, broke, and shared bread with his friends. Our lives depend on bread, and we are grateful.

Do you know that when Jesus began his ministry he spent forty days fasting in the wilderness? Jesus was tested by Satan to turn stone into bread. But Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, said “Man cannot live on bread alone.”

And Jesus is saying the same thing to us. Oh yes, we love our Manresa bread, but we cannot live on physical bread alone. We desire much more to feed our deepest needs. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” Jesus did not mean he is a loaf of bread. But there is something about Jesus that is like bread. Bread gives life; Jesus is saying he gives life as well.

Jesus is saying, “Make your relationship with me and I will satisfy all your hunger and thirst.” God will satisfy the hunger that bread cannot. We can eat food everyday and still be hungry. More deeply, we hunger for health, essentials for daily living, a close community, and more. But if we put our trust in Jesus, then we don’t have to worry about lacking in love, forgiveness, and grace. We will not only have a fulfilled life here on earth, but we will also have eternal life.

Tonight I will tear off a large hunk of bread and share it with my daughter while standing in the kitchen before bedtime. We will say a satisfied thank you to God not only for bread, but for God’s never-ending care for all of our needs.

Loving Jesus,

We have deep hungers that bread alone cannot satisfy.

Fill our hungry souls.

Give us the true bread of heaven so that we may be forever satisfied.

Make our relationship with you as real as the bread we eat today.

Give us this bread always until we feast with you in heaven.

Amen.

Photo: manresabread.com

#perspective #outlook #newlife