Lent Devotions DAY19 Jesus discourses of His Godhead, saying, I am the bread of life. For this is not spoken of His body, (concerning that He says towards the end, And the bread which I shall give is My flesh,) but at present it refers to His Godhead. For That, through God the Word, is Bread, as this bread also, through the Spirit descending on it, is made Heavenly Bread. Here He uses not witnesses, as in His former address, for He had the miracle of the loaves to witness to Him, and the Jews themselves for a while pretending to believe Him; in the former case they opposed and accused Him. This is the reason why here He declares Himself. But they, since they expected to enjoy a carnal feast, were not disturbed until they gave up their hope. Yet, not for that was Christ silent, but uttered many words of reproof. For they, who while they were eating called Him a Prophet, were here offended, and called Him the carpenters son; not so while they ate the loaves, then they said, He is The Prophet, and desired to make Him a king. Now they seemed to be indignant at His asserting that He came down from heaven, but in truth it was not this, that caused their indignation, but the thought that they should not enjoy a material table. Had they been really indignant, they ought to have asked and enquired how He was the bread of life, how He had come down from heaven; but now they do not this, but murmur. Indian food system has undergone a revolution in the past decade or so. Back in the 1990’s there was only one type of bread. One made of maida. The soft, milky look and feel dominated the bread kingdom in India. Then came the wheat bread, the loaf, the Pizza and all sort of modern breads. Today a bread store can boast of wide varieties of bread for the customer to choose from. This is the bread revolution that we see today. The people in John 6 wanted to live off Jesus, but not for the same reason. It was not because their hearts were loyal to Him, but because their hearts were loyal to what they thought He could provide for them—namely, food and deliverance from Roman oppression. Jesus’ provision of the loaves and fish was a confirmation in their minds of what He could do for them. Jesus knew that behind their interest in Him was their hope that He would become a different kind of king, so He withdrew from them (John 6:14-15). The next day they looked for Him and found Him, making their quest successful (vv.22,25-26). So they continued to follow Him because of what they thought He could provide. But Jesus turned the tables and identified Himself as the Bread of Life (vv.32-33). He proclaimed a bread revolution. They wanted a better life from Him, but He told them He came to offer them eternal life (v.40). Only those who believe in Jesus can find true fulfillment—now and forever. Follow Jesus, not just because He can provide “the loaves,” but because He can satisfy your deepest hunger—the quest for eternal fellowship with Him. LIFE IN THE BREAD, IS THE LIFE OF THE BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE SON.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:33:49 +0000
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