John 6: 47-50: truly, truly, I say to you ,whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
When Jesus speaks about his body being the bread of life and us eating from it. He doesn’t actually mean He is a physical piece of bread that we are eating to fill our stomach’s. He means that His love, grace and power is so great that by taking that all in. Otherwise known as “eating” from the bread of life is by following Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He tell’s us not worry about what we eat, drink or wear. He tells us this because It’s better to be focused on Him. He’s telling us to be focused on eternity in Heavan, not on the short amount of time we spend on Earth. I hunger for Gods word all the time.
I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that when this passage says our fathers ate the “manna” in the “wilderness” then died. Sounds like it’s talking actually about “man” living in the “world” having worldly desires and then dieing of sin. If you follow fleshly desires of this world and eat from the wrong bread it will lead to death. If you follow Godly desires of Heavan and eat from the bread of life this will lead to life. It remind’s me of when Eve ate the apple in the garden and how this lead to death against our fathers will. Similar concept.
Time and time again us human’s are still messing up. Eve ate the apple against what God had told her what to do. The snake in the garden encouraged her to eat the apple. The same thing happened to our father’s in the wilderness eating manna instead of the bread of life. Both times this led to death. Satan is the one time and time again that drive’s us away from God to death, away from life. God set’s boundary’s for us because He loves us and doesn’t want us to get hurt. He want’s to protect us. He doesn’t do it because He doesn’t like us and wish’s ill on us.
It’s Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us to over come sin. God sets up rules and boundaries to protect us because he loves us, thats why He created us. When we brake His rules or boundaries He still love’s us. He love’s us so much that he died for us. A good way to think of this is by picturing this scenario as a child not following their parents rule’s or boundaries. Just because the little child didn’t listen correctly doesn’t mean the parents don’t love them any less. There may be punishment but it’s because the parent’s love their child and want them to learn. The same apply’s here with God. It’s human desire to want to sin but us as Christians are not of this world. Jesus has already overcome the world for us.
Unfortunately, some people have never eaten from the bread of life. They are starved for it. When we read God’s word, worship and spend time with Him we are eating from the bread of life. When we don’t have the bread of life we are spiritually unsatasafied. The bread of life gives us the strength to over come battle’s too! Jesus was tempted in the Judaean Desert for 40 day’s and 40 night’s. He was led by the spirit to be tempted by the devil at His weakest moment just like Eve in the garden and our fathers in the wilderness. The Devil offered Jesus The Holly City and Jesus said no. Not manna or an apple, The Holly City. The Devil is still fighting this battle today. The good new’s is that the battle has already been won.
Prayer Starter: Lord, thank you for letting me be apart of the winning team and letting me eat from the bread of life. Thank you for letting me find You here on earth so I can be with You forever in eternity. I pray that You give me the strength today and everyday to eat from the living bread and share it with other’s. Thank you for today and all you’re blessings. Amen.
