48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
While temporarily satisfying the Israelites physical hunger, manna sent from heaven was not sufficient to satisfy forever. Jesus – the Word made flesh - was about to teach the important Truth that bread and water only sustains the physical yet man’s need is far greater:
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matt 4:4 (NIV)
In our verses for today, Jesus tells us the Israelites partook of the manna yet died in the desert. I wonder how often that occurs in our day and age. We feast upon the temporal blessings sent from above yet die apart from Christ in our own “deserts” – our own parched and weary lands of brokenness. Oh that we would be like King David when he cried out:
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalms 143:6 (NIV)
The barren broken soul lays parched before its Maker. The great spiritual need that all mankind possesses is a hungry and thirsty heart. Jesus came to fill that need like water gushing forth in a dry desert - like a tender shoot from dry ground. Jesus, the Bread of Life, comes down from heaven to bestow upon us the Bread that we may eat of and never die. Isaiah prophesizes the following concerning our Jesus:
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:2-5 (NIV)
The True Manna, coming down from heaven was the all-sufficient One. A man may eat of this Bread and never die - that is he will never fall short of heaven - whereupon he enters into a blissful world of no more tears and no more death. Freely Jesus states to His followers that they will live forever.
Interestingly, just as bread must be given, broken and taken to sustain physical life, Jesus was given, broken and taken up to sustain our spiritual life - His broken body healing our brokenness - His wounds making us whole. Our Savior offers us healing, reconciliation and restoration through His broken body.
“The strangest truth of the gospel is that redemption comes through suffering.” Milo Chapman
“This is my body broken just for you for all you’ve been and all you’ve been through. This is my blood, and when you’ve reached the end, I offer you again the body and blood.” Janet Paschal
On the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us the surety of blessing and filling as we hunger and thirst after righteousness (Jesus) with the diligence we use in seeking food for our physical bodies.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matt 5:6 (NIV)
After voraciously seeking our Savior and “feasting” upon His Word we are to apply what we learn to our lives – bread in the hand will not nourish, it is only when it is ingested that it satisfies. The child of God will find this “food” and “drink” when ingested in the soul to be most pleasant and delightful and necessary. It is then that we are equipped to handle the assaults certain to come our ways. Tribulation in this world is a guarantee – Jesus told us:
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)
"The gospel...should be seen as not only a message of good news for lost people to be saved from sin's penalty, but also a message of good news for Christian people to be saved from sin's domineering power. The goal of the gospel is not merely to forgive us, but to change us into true worshippers of God and authentic lovers of people." Dr. Steve Childers, True Spirituality