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January
5, 2004
THE
BREAD OF LIFE
"Then
Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me
will never go hungry"' (John 635, NIV).
Among
the self designations of Christ, that of the bread of life
is especially meaningful. This vivid symbolism of bread was
familiar to Christ's audience. What startled the people, however,
was Christ's application of the symbolism to Himself. The
symbolism emerges from the Jewish Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, as well as from Christ's remarkable miracle
of providing loaves and fishes for the hungry multitude (see
John, 6:1-14). He tells them plainly that the loaves and fishes
with which He had fed the multitude satisfied only their physical
hunger and only momentarily. They would hunger again and again.
But eating the Bread of Life was different. This gave permanent
satisfaction. In the Bread of Life are contained all the nutrients
necessary for spiritual life, health, and vitality.
John's
Gospel gives prominence to the figure of bread to symbolize
Jesus. Ten times he mentions Jesus Christ as the bread of
life. In a unique sense, John portrays Christ as the life-giving
bread imported from heaven to satisfy our spiritual hunger.
Christ is not only the bread that satisfies, He's the "bread
of life." Speaking of Himself, Jesus said that the Son has
"life in himself' (John 5:26, NIV) He possesses the inherent
ability to impart life to all who come to Him in faith.
Temporal
bread becomes beneficial and life-sustaining only as it is
eaten, digested, and assimilated. Similarly, Christ, the living
bread from heaven must be fully eaten, digested, and assimilated
into our characters. Christ's followers must continually nourish
their spiritual lives by feeding on Him who is the bread of
life. "Our Saviour is the bread of life, and it is by beholding
His love, by receiving it into the soul, that we feed upon
the bread which came down from heaven."--Thoughts
from the Mount of Blessing, p. 112.
MY
PRAYER TODAY: Lord, in simple faith I pray today, "Bread
of heaven, feed me till I want no more." Amen!
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