The idea of bread runs like a thread throughout the story of Jesus. The Gospels constantly remind us that Jesus is our bread.
At the start of Jesus’s story, he was born in Bethlehem. You know that from the Christmas story. But do you know what the word “Bethlehem” means? It means “House of Bread.” So, Jesus enters into the world from Bethlehem, the House of Bread.
In the middle of his ministry, in John 6, Jesus fed physical bread to a multitude and then told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
At the end of his earthly ministry, the image of bread shows up again. The night before Jesus went to the cross, he took bread and said, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26).
“Our souls can only find spiritual sustenance and deep satisfaction from Jesus”
Why bread? What does this image tell us about Jesus?
We love bread in all its wonderful forms. Buttermilk biscuits. Naan bread. Warm tortillas. Cornbread. Dinner rolls. When we go on a low-carb diet, we dearly miss this part of the meal. Our bodies find physical sustenance and emotional satisfaction from bread.
In the same way, our souls can only find spiritual sustenance and deep satisfaction from Jesus.
Too many of us satisfy our physical hunger with junk food and empty calories. It’s true with our spiritual hungers, too. We try to sate our craving for significance and security by reaching for possessions, achievements, and control. It’s only when we trust fully in his love and his plans for us that we can become what God intended us to be. That’s what it means for Jesus to be your bread.
This weekend at Hillcrest, we’ll look at this wonderful image of Jesus as our bread. Read John 6:27-35 and let’s study it on campus or online at 10am this Sunday!
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.