[1] When I think of bread I think of Morrisons sunflower and pumpkin seed loaf £1.60. Yummy! Bread today is more than just a bog standard loaf. A freebie with an evening meal (at the Taveners at Godsill). In other words you might miss it but you can get on fine without it.
However, in the Mediterranean world of Jesus day, bread was the most important and basic part of the staple diet. If you had bread and water you had a meal. If you had some Olives or a few dates you were doing well. In Middle East, mainly wheat and barley, were used to make bread. In the Far East rice is the staple diet, in Ireland in 1840 Potatoes was the staple diet. Thus, when Jesus said ’I am the bread of life’ he wasn’t saying, ‘I am a Morrisons sunflower & pumpkin seed loaf but “I am your staple diet, I am what you need to live. I am the only one who can really nourish you along life’s journey.”
When the harvests failed in the 1840’s > ½ Million Irish emigrated and > ½ million died of starvation (Ireland lost ¼ of the population) (1¾ in NI and 4¼ in Eire today).
Today we are looking at Jesus: the staple food of the Christian, without whom we die spiritually. If Jesus Christ is the staple food of your life, the essential then the future should hold no fears for you. He will sustain you through this hard time and for ever.
[2] Up to this point the crowd had been on Jesus’ side but when JC suggests they’re following him as a ‘loaves & fishes’ miracle worker and asks them to truly believe in him v28/29 they ask for some proof v30. They were hoping for a leader who would lead them to freedom (from Romans) like Moses (from Egypt) when God even provided Mana, bread from ‘the heavens’. They say v34 give us this ‘bread from heaven.’
Jesus shocks them v 35 by saying I am the bread saying, he is God with them/among them, he is God in the flesh. Some objected to this because he was comparing himself to Moses who gave the Jews Manna/bread, in the wilderness.
Jesus even took it a step further declaring; "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
This appeared odd to some because they knew he was the son of Mary and Joseph, not some modern day Elijah sent from heaven back to earth. Today he is God with us.
[3] The ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus’ are well known. This is one of the strangest. He said several things, which confused some and upset others, I am the way, I am the door, I am the resurrection, I am the vine, I am the light…… "I am the bread of life."
In this statement Jesus is also predicting his brokenness thro the image of the broken bread, his sacrifice for our sins through his blood symbolised thro the red wine. I have been to that empty tomb in Jerusalem. I believe on that 1st Easter he defeated death & opened the door to eternal life and a life long reln with him our living Saviour. I believe it I hope you believe it too. Jesus is our bread of life broken for me & you.
I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever be hungry…."
Jesus the bread of life reaching out to you today, even here at this hospital. When Jesus describes himself as the bread of life he is saying we can feast on him, he can nourish us every day, he was broken and given out and here at St Mary’s he is drawing us to himself.
