Bread from Heaven
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35 ESV) Jesus is the “bread” from Heaven. Today at International Lutheran Church we examine one of the seven “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. With these words, Jesus clearly reveals the truth about who He is and why He is here. These words also point to the truth about why we are here today to listen to His Word.
Food is a major part of any celebration in almost every culture. Throughout my ministry in Asia I can attest to the central role that food has played in all the different cultures I have experienced. As we celebrate today how God has brought us together, we are also here to remember how He sends us into the world. Like the scattering of crumbs on the sidewalk to feed the birds, God scatters us to the ends of the world to feed all from His own Hand.
A couple of weeks ago, we read about how Jesus fed the multitudes in Mark’s gospel. Today we see how that event set in motion a wave of seekers keen on having a pantry king. The events as John tells us though actually led to one of the most amazing of the “I Am” statements of Jesus as He gives to us this Bread that lasts, that gives us nourishment and satisfaction in Jesus Himself.
I AM is of course a self-revelatory, self-defining way of speaking. Sometimes it reveals something of our relationships with others or even the things we do – our vocation like “I am a father” or “I am a missionary-pastor.” The easiest way to grasp this is in the “name” we give to things, ourselves or people we love. When Moses inquired into God’s identity (Exodus 3:15) and what His “Name” was, the response was basically the affirmation of His eternal presence, “I am” or “I am the only One, besides me there is no other.” God’s “name,” His own self-revelation explains to us the singular/sole relationship we have with Him – One Lord, One faith and One baptism. (Ephesians 4:4-5) When the people struggled to understand the significance of the white flaky stuff in the morning that they were to collect each day as their “daily bread” and asked, “What is it?” this became its name - “MANNA.” Jesus’ enigmatic actions like how He shows up where He does, and what He is all about spur the questions that drive the answer. No wonder He should need to “identify” Himself – there is none like Him. And what does He say? “I AM the Bread of Life… the true Bread from heaven.”
Work and food go hand-in-hand as food is the result of work defined from the beginning. It is after the Fall into sin and one of the results of the curse that work became an empty promise (Genesis 3:17-19). The “food” that we “work” for no-longer satisfies us. We are left hungry, wanting more, no longer satisfied we become greedy and selfish. We need incentives to work or sometimes even compulsion. We no longer work with joy but with anxiety and worry. The manna from heaven was actually a test to train the people of God to “live” by the very word of God (Exodus 16:2-15). Six days they were to work and gather each day for that day and on the six day they would gather twice as much on that last day because on the 7th day there would be no manna to collect. The story goes on to say that at first people tried to save some extra during the week and hoard the manna – this turned to maggots and stank. Others went out on the 7th day and found none. For forty years Moses tells us they ate the manna from Heaven, to train them and us to rely on God and His Word alone. Only when Jesus was in the desert did He prove to pass this test and get the message across that there is nourishment only in the Word of God (Matthew 4:4).
The feeding of the five thousand was not enough for those who wanted a bread king, a Jesus that is the wish stone that gives them everything they ever wanted. No, Jesus is the true bread from Heaven – the very One, the Only one who gives His life for food that does satisfy us. In Him we hunger and thirst no more. Because He is the One who takes away the reason why we hunger and thirst. He removes our sin. He dies the wilderness death we deserve. On the cross He suffers the tearing of soul from flesh, the breaking of the bread so that our souls would be reunited with our flesh on the last day.
Jesus is the Bread from Heaven who comes to us today with His gifts of life and salvation. He feeds us His own Body and Blood to strengthen us, to nourish us so that we can do the “work” that God desires – the proclamation of the Name of Jesus, the One who fills all and is in all things. Jesus is not some disembodied power or force, but a person. Our faith in Him is about coming to Him and having a relationship with God as a person. He makes us one with Himself and with one another. So that we can live again and share this life with others.
As we go to the pantry today, or reach into the refrigerator, we give thanks to God for all His provision, but most of all for how He has given Himself for us that we might share Him with the world!
Pastor Carl