The True Bread

John 6:31-35, 47-51
A lot of times when we think about bread we think about biscuits and cornbread, we think about rolls and sometimes people might even refer to money as “bread”.  But we won’t be talking about making biscuits or making cornbread or rolls or anything.   I want to talk about the true bread - that true bread which, as we will find out, came down from heaven.
 
Here Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, and the Pharisees were thinking about the physical bread that the Israelites ate in the wilderness.  They said “Moses gave us bread from heaven” - talking about the manna that they ate in the desert after they left Egypt.
 
But Jesus told them that the bread the Father has given us is the true bread.  He points out to them that the Israelites ate that bread (manna) in the desert and they died.   Jesus lets them know when you eat of this true bread you will live forever.  The bread that Jesus is talking about is the bread that will sustain us for life and for eternity.   
 
Jesus said “For the bread of God is He which came down from heaven”.  Jesus told them they could eat the true bread and never be hungry, and they said, Give us this bread!  Sure – if I don’t have to grind flour and bake dough anymore, give me this bread! But of course Jesus is not talking about literal, physical bread. 
 
This makes me think about the woman at the well - when Jesus told her about water that she could drink and never thirst again, she told Jesus give me this water! Give me this water so I won’t have to come here and draw water anymore. At first, she didn’t understand either.
 
Jesus said to them I am the bread of life.  Jesus himself is the bread, and He tells them He is the true bread of life.  In verse 47 He says “Verily, verily, I say unto you he who believeth on me hath everlasting life”. We can eat of this spiritual bread and spiritually we can live forever.  
 
The reason that we can eat of this bread and live forever is because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross made it possible for each one of us to eat of this bread and live forever.
 
We know that every person on this earth is going to have to leave here one of these days. If I want to live forever, I’ve got to be willing to eat of this bread. I’ve got to be willing to repent, believe, and receive.  I’ve got to be willing to do this if I’m expecting to live forever.
 
Makes me think about a little story I heard that there were these young people who were camping.  They went for a hike and one of the young ladies was bitten by a snake.  One of the young men ran back to the camp and opened the snake bite kit and guess what - there was nothing in there. In the story they were able to take this young lady to the hospital and this young lady’s life was saved, but the kit they put so much faith in was empty, and could not save her.  You’ve got a lot of people that’s following religion, looking for an answer in an empty case. But we have the antidote; we have the serum.  We have been bitten by the serpent of sin but we have an antidote and that antidote is Jesus Christ. He is the true Bread, we can partake of Him, and live.
 
Right now the Lord is standing there with those nail pierced hands saying: Look what I’ve done for you. Because of my sacrifice you can come to this fountain and never thirst again, you can come eat and never be hungry again, and you can come and you can live forever.  He made it possible.
 
I’m here to tell you, you can eat today and never be hungry again.  As it says in John 21:12, the Master is saying to you, “Come and dine.”

​~J.T.