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John 6:35 - Filling Up On The Bread Of Life, JESUS.John 6:35 (ESV) Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.CONTEXT After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus was challenged by the crowd to perform an even greater miracle in John 6:30. "Our fathers ate the manna," they said (v. 31), implying that Jesus' miraculous feeding was a small miracle compared to what Moses did. In order for them to believe in Him, they would need to see Him feed the nation of Israel on the same scale that God did when He sent manna and fed the entire nation of Israel during their wilderness wanderings for 40 years (Ex. 16:11-36). They were demanding that Jesus outdo Moses if they were to believe in Him. Jesus responded that the manna God gave was temporary and perished and was only a meager shadow of what God offered them in the true bread, Himself, who gives spiritual and eternal life to mankind ("world"). He is the "true bread from heaven," and in case that wasn't understood, He added, "I am the bread of life" (v. 35). Twenty-three times in all we find our Lord's meaningful "I AM" in the Greek text of this Gospel 4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8). In several of these, He joins His "I AM" with seven tremendous metaphors which are expressive of His saving relationship toward the world. "I AM the Bread of life" (6:35, 41, 48, 51). "I AM the Light of the world" (8:12). "I AM the Door of the sheep" (10:7, 9). "I AM the Good Shepherd" (10:11, 14). "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" (11:25). "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (14:6). "I AM the true Vine" (15:1, 5). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] INTRODUCTION People eat bread to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life. We can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life only with a right relationship with Jesus Christ. No wonder he called himself the Bread of Life. But bread must be eaten to sustain life, and Jesus must be invited into our daily lives to satisfy our hungry souls. [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARLS No human agent can supply that which will satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. But Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." Revelation 3:20; John 6:35. As we need food to sustain our physical strength, so do we need Christ, the Bread from heaven, to sustain spiritual life and impart strength to work the works of God. As the body is continually receiving the nourishment that sustains life and vigor, so the soul must be constantly communing with Christ, submitting to Him and depending wholly upon Him. As the weary traveler seeks the spring in the desert and, finding it, quenches his burning thirst, so will the Christian thirst for and obtain the pure water of life, of which Christ is the fountain. As we discern the perfection of our Saviour's character we shall desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. The more we know of God, the higher will be our ideal of character and the more earnest our longing to reflect His likeness.... The words of God are the wellsprings of life. As you seek unto those living springs you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ. Familiar truths will present themselves to your mind in a new aspect, texts of Scripture will burst upon you with a new meaning as a flash of light, you will see the relation of other truths to the work of redemption, and you will know that Christ is leading you, a divine Teacher is at your side. MB18-21 The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power.... Like their Master, they were to live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4. As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God's word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another's mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know "what saith the Lord...." The word of God, received into the soul, molds the thoughts, and enters into the development of character. By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven. DA390-1 COMMENTARY A Satisfied Soul An Amazing Fact: Born on June 15, 1950, Michel Lotito was a Frenchman with a very unusual diet. He consumed large quantities of metal and glass since he was nine years old. He was known to have eaten supermarket carts, television sets, bicycles, chandeliers, razor blades, bullets, nuts and bolts, lengths of chain, phonograph records, computers, and an entire Cessna 150 light aircraft (which took him nearly two years to consume). Mr. Lotito was an entertainer nicknamed Monsieur Mangetout, or "Mister Eat All Things." It seems that his body adjusted to this unusual diet, as he ate nearly two pounds of metal every day. His technique included lubricating his digestive tract with mineral oil, cutting the parts into bite-size pieces, and then consuming a large quantity of water while eating this junk. What is most amazing is that he didn't seem to suffer any unusual side effects from eating materials usually considered poisonous. He did once say that bananas and hard-boiled eggs made him sick. Some believe that between 1959 and 1997, Mr. Lotito consumed about one ton of metal. He said he had a complex as a child about being thin. He started eating nails, bottles, and plates to win bets. He once said while eating a bicycle chain that he liked it because it had "taste." Michel died of natural causes on June 25, 2007, ten days after his 57th birthday. The Bible says, "A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb. But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet" (Proverbs 27:7). IS YOUR SOUL SATISFIED? IS YOUR HEART SO FILLED WITH CONTENTMENT IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE DRIVEN BY APPETITE OR PASSION TO FILL THE LONGINGS DEEP WITHIN? WHEN YOU ARE AT PEACE WITH GOD, ADDICTIONS TO EXTERNAL THINGS LIKE DRUGS, SEX, MONEY, FOOD, OR POWER WILL HAVE NO APPEAL. IF YOU ARE REALLY HUNGRY IN YOUR SOUL, TURN TO JESUS. HE WILL FILL YOU WITH BREAD THAT WILL SATISFY. [Moving Mountains by Amazing Facts] CLOSING PEARL I like shoes. Even though as a mom of small kids who works from home I have few chances to get dolled up, I still have a lot of shoes. I just appreciate any good-looking shoe. My ten-year-old son suffers from the same affliction, though for basketball shoes. Aside from the moral question of such extravagance for mere shoes, it seems crazy to buy expensive high-tops for a kid who seems to grow an inch a month. We have a sensible spending limit and he spends his allowance within reason. Regardless, no matter what shoes we get, there's always another pair, a new pair, a cooler, cuter pair. Where does it end? Today I recognize that our shoe fetish is insatiable. An itch that can never be satisfied. And like any bad itch, the more you scratch, the worse it gets. Better to apply medicine and resist the temptation to scratch from the very start. The remedy is FILLING UP ON THE BREAD OF LIFE, JESUS. FOR ME, THIS MEANS IMMERSING MYSELF IN GOD'S WORD, PRAYER, MEDITATION, WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND SERVICE. When I feast on Jesus I'm more content. My priorities and desires align more closely with His. The urge to buy another pair of shoes is quelled. I'm not demonizing the buying of a few pairs of shoes. But I just know one more pair will never fully satisfy. Jesus, Who Himself faced temptation, knows that He alone can satisfy our deepest longings, whether it be the need for love, meaning, or, yes, shoes. by Isabella Yosuico Faith Step: Before your next shopping trip, ask yourself what underlies the craving. Consider investing your time and treasure in the One who fully satisfies. [Mornings With Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY John 6:35 - Filling Up On The Bread Of Life, JESUS. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200825-1003.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190927-0939.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |