Bread of Life

 

John 6:31-40 “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life;  and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Bible Commentator Matthew Henry explains that as much as the throne of God’s glory is above the clouds of the air, so much does the spiritual bread of the everlasting gospel excel the manna. He informs them concerning the true manna, of which that was a type: But my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven; that which is truly and properly the bread from heaven. As much as the throne of God’s glory is above the clouds of the air, so much does the spiritual bread of the everlasting gospel excel the manna. That Christ is bread is that to the soul which bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life (is the staff of it) as bread does the bodily life; it is the staff of life. The doctrines of the gospel concerning Christ—that he is the mediator between God and man, that he is our peace, our righteousness, our Redeemer; by these things do men live. Our bodies could better live without food than our souls without Christ. That he is the bread of God , divine bread; it is he that is of God, bread which my Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls; the bread of God’s family, his children’s bread. The Levitical sacrifices are called the bread of God, and Christ is the great sacrifice; Christ, in his word and ordinances, the feast upon the sacrifice. That he is the bread of life, Christ is our life.

Deuteronomy 8:2-4 “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

The term “Bread of Life” is the Greek words “artos zōē” meaning food of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature for sustaining life - real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever. 

Let not your heart be hardened as stone, but may God by His Spirit, soften and melt it that you may say: “our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word and the Bread of life, I am the sinner for whom you died. There is nothing in me that would earn my salvation. It’s not because of what I’ve done, but in spite of what I’ve done that you love me and died for me. I yield my life to you. I repent of my sins and I trust in your atoning blood as my only hope. And I accept the free gift of eternal life right now? 

Our dear and heavenly Father, should there be any that read the words of my prayer throughout the nation and the world, who have never yet received the living, risen Savior into their hearts, may they do so right now. May they open their hearts and say: “Lord Jesus Christ, come into my heart. I believe and want to be a devoted follower and devout disciple in my heart. In thy name, Amen

In Christ, Brian