Jesus In His Own Words: I AM…The Bread of Life

 Jesus In His Own Words: I AM…The Bread of Life 

Opening Illustration:

Bread! Just the mention of the word stirs lots of thoughts and emotions. We all have our favorite brands of bread: Wonder Bread, Sunbeam Bread, Bunny Bread, Nature’s Own, Flowers, and Pepperidge Farm. I sat down the other day and started counting the different variations or versions of bread. I came up with 37 different types of bread: Pita, Flatbread, Italian, French, Tortilla, Naan, Matzah, Baguettes, Rye, Wheat, White, Sour dough, Potato and the list goes on and on. My personal favorite bread is the Bagel. Yes the Bagel is considered a bread. However, the Bagel could be dethroned if cake would ever be considered bread. Believe it or not, there is great debate as to whether or not cake classifies as a bread. Cake and bread share most of the same ingredients yet cake is roundly and routinely not defined as bread. Maybe one day. Who knows?

Friends, there is great significance to bread as it is constantly brought up in the Bible. Bread was one of the ingredients to a few of Jesus’ greatest miracles. As you will see today, in John 6 Jesus claims that He is the “bread of life”. In Luke 22 Jesus is breaking bread with His disciples. This was their last supper together. As the bread is broken, Jesus reminds them that this broken bread was symbolic of His body being broken for them. Do you remember where Jesus was born? That’s right Bethlehem. Do you know what the word “Bethlehem” means? It means “House of Bread”. So the “Bread of Life” was born in the “House of Bread”. 

Bread is mentioned 492 times in the Bible beginning in Genesis and continuing through Revelation. God made it rain manna or bread from the heavens in Exodus 16. In the Lord’s Prayer captured in Matthew 6, Jesus instructs His followers to pray and ask for their daily bread. Jewish people still celebrate Passover today by eating unleavened bread as it was commanded in Exodus 12. One of my favorite stories of victory comes from Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted in the desert. Satan knew that Jesus was starving and he tempts Jesus by commanding Him to turn stones to bread. Jesus rebukes Satan with Scripture found in Deuteronomy 8:3. “Man shall no live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Bread is used to symbolize a great many things throughout the Bible: Unity in I Corithinans 10, the enemy in Numbers 14, a sign of meetings people’s needs in Ecclesiastes 11, wisdom in Proverbs 9, wealth in 2 Kings 18, and Poverty in Amos 6. Sure, it can symbolize a lot of things throughout Scripture, but bread really points believers and followers to Jesus Himself. If we are looking for physical nourishment, emotional health, mental fortitude, and spiritual wellbeing, it starts with the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. 

Today’s Thought:

Brothers and sisters, that leads me to our thought for the day. The thesis statement for today’s message if you will. Bread is basic for the body and fundamental for your faith. Bread has existed for centuries, providing nourishment for millions around the world. Jesus as our spiritual bread is essential for our salvation. Without Him we are lost. 

Bread Is Basic For The Body And Fundamental For Your Faith!

Today’s Quote:

As I was preparing for this message, I came across an article from Christianity Today written by Bethany Verrett. Speaking of the necessity of Jesus in our lives she writes, “Salvation is essential to human existence and necessary for eternity. When Jesus says He is the bread of life, He is saying He is essential.”

“Salvation is essential to human existence and necessary for eternity. When Jesus says He is the bread of life, He is saying He is essential.”

Bethany Verrett of Christianity Today

Background and Context:

This morning, before we read from John 6: 32-51, I’d like to set up the scene for you. I call John 6 the “Feed Me” chapter of the Bible. It’s true, when you read the entire the entire chapter, you see Jesus literally performing miracle after miracle, feeding thousands, potentially 10 of thousands of people. I think that a problem that we struggle with with modern Christianity is that we often sanitize the Bible from with our modern perspectives. None of us in this room really know what real hunger looks like. We do not know oppression. Most of us know that when we leave here today that we have enough money in the bank account to at least go to McDonalds. Sure, some of us have more money than others, but I don’t see anyone starving today. Friends, try to put yourselves in the shoes of those following Jesus. You living in a one room, dirt floor, hut made from mud, sticks and hay. There is no extra food in your house. You are living hand to mouth every day. There is no medicare. No WIC program. No food stamps. You are living under Roman rule. The Romans are not assisting you, they are taxing you into poverty. If you are sick, you are probably going to die. You have not had a bath in ages and the bath you had was in a river where others were bathing and were animals were defecating. This is your world. So when someone, anyone comes along who can feed you and heal you, you follow Him. That’s John 6. John 6 is both the high and the low point of Jesus’ ministry. At the start, thousands are following Him because of the miracles He can perform. Then suddenly, Jesus tells them that if they truly want to be His followers, they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Clearly Jesus is speaking symbolically but His followers do not understand. That statement turns people away from Jesus. In the middle feeding thousands with a meager amount of food, teaching, and walking on water, Jesus claims to be the bread of life. So, let’s read from John’s Gospel this morning. Specifically John 6:32-51. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect. 

Today’s Scripture:

John 6:32-51 ESV

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 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. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

4 Points From Jesus’ First “I AM” Statement

Point One: The Bread’s Origination vs. 32-34

John 6:32-34 ESV

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Point:

Today’s first point is this, the bread’s origination. In John 6, Jesus declares that He is the “bread of life”. Before He makes this statement, Jesus gives a brief history lesson. He says, “guys, do you remember the bread that came down from heaven back when Moses was around? Do you think that it was Moses who performed that miracle or someone else? Listen up, it wasn’t Moses, it was my Father. It was God who rained down bread from heaven. Guess what, God is still making it rain bread even today and this bread is going to fill the most important need of your life. This bread, if you choose to eat it, will bring you everlasting life.”

Did you see how the people responded to Jesus’ message? They said, “sir, give us this bread always.” 

Jesus here is making a powerful statement not just about the things that He can do, the miracles that he can perform. Jesus wants His followers to understand that He is more than the sum of His feats. Jesus is saying that He is God, that He is divine. His bread, the Bread of Life originates from Heaven. Jesus is the bread from heaven that the Jews have been waiting for, the bread that they have been praying for. They may have just seen Him as the carpenters son from Bethlehem but He was so much more than they were giving Him credit for. The bread of life had arrived from heaven by way of Bethlehem, The House of Bread, directly from His Father. 

Jesus declares where He came from again in John 16: 28…

John 16:28 ESV

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

4 Points From Jesus’ First “I AM” Statement

Point One: The Bread’s Origination vs. 32-34

Point Two: The Bread’s Identification vs. 35

John 6:35 ESV

35 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. 

Point:

So this morning we learned that Jesus, the bread of life, was sent by His Father. His origination is from Heaven. Next, we learn about the bread’s identification. What do I mean by that statement. Let’s reread verse 35, “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.“

Bread, as I stated earlier, is a staple of life. It is universal in its appeal. People can survive a very long time on just bread and water. When we share a meal with other people, we say the phrase, “we are breaking bread with one another”. Bread is important. It is vital. 

When Jesus states that He is the bread of life, what is He trying to communicate? First and foremost, Jesus is saying that as bread is essential for life, He is also essential for life. Without the basic supplement of bread, millions around the globe would die. Jesus is telling us this morning that without Him, we cannot experience true, real, engaging, joyful life. Jesus is essential. 

Jesus is also trying to tell us more than that. Jesus is essential for life, but He is not talking about physical life. Obviously Jesus does not expect any man, woman, or child to take a bite out of Him to physically live. Hardly. Jesus is trying to turn our attention away from physical life to an everlasting spiritual life. Physical bread will grow stale and moldy. Bread, even Wonder bread will go bad. Jesus however will never go bad. He can’t get stale and He will never get moldy. 

When Jesus identifies as the Bread of Life, He is stating that He is essential for life. He is stating His bread leads to salvation which is vastly more important than our physical need to eat. Jesus is also giving an invitation. Notice the words “come” and “believe”. Those words indicate that Jesus is inviting anyone and everyone to be a part of this new feast. His feast. His table. There is room, more than enough room for everyone. 

By the way, this is not the only time that Jesus identifies as bread. In Matthew 26:26, He is “breaking bread” with His disciples. Listen to what He says in the moment…

Matthew 26:26 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

4 Points From Jesus’ First “I AM” Statement

Point One: The Bread’s Origination vs. 32-34

Point Two: The Bread’s Identification vs. 35

Point Three: The Bread’s Rejection vs. 36 and 41

John 6:36 and 41 ESV

36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

Illustration:

When I was a boy growing up in Troy, I distinctly remember one hot day in the middle of the summer. It gets crazy hot in Troy, Alabama. I was about 8 or 9 years old at the time. My brother and I were playing with friends in the neighborhood. We had just arrived home for lunch. Those were the days. My brother and I rode our bikes, with no helmets and survived. My parents turned us loose for hours on end without having any idea where we were. Boy those were the days. Anyway, that is not important. When my brother and I got home my Dad’s car was in the driveway. He is usually not home from work. When we came in, my Dad told Spencer to quickly get a friend to come to the house and to bring his bike. Spender complied and within minutes my brother had a friend over. My Dad quickly loaded their bikes in the back of his car and we were off. 

You see, the radio station was running a limited special. Here was the deal. If two kids could ride their bikes to the local Radio Shack, they would receive 2 brand new top of the line radios. My Dad wanted those radios. The station never said that the kids had to ride from their houses, they just said that they had to ride into the parking lot on their bikes to get the free radios. The deal was first come first serve. We made haste. Were we wearing seat belts? Guys this was 1984, who needs seat belts. Oh the 80’s were a magical time. Again, off topic. 

My Dad wheeled in the parking lot, unloaded the bikes, and my brother and his best pal rode up to the store. They were gifted with 2 brand new radios. It was the greatest victory in Davidson family lore. 

Point:

Who doesn’t love free? We all love free? How many of you have heard the statement “nothing in life is free”? There is a lot of truth in that statement. However, there is one thing that is free in this world. It’s free and it is not a bait and switch. Salvation is free. A free gift offered from the only place, the only person, that could offer such a gift. The gift of salvation is offered by God Himself, wrapped in Christ, delivered through the cross and sealed in His resurrection. You see friends we are just not used to free. Even those free radios were not really free. Those radios had strings attached. You had to come with kids on bikes. The free gift of salvation is a come as you are gift. You come as you are but you leave different than you came. Salvation leads to transformation. 

Point: 

God offers a free gift to all of mankind, but it is a gift. Do you know what you can do with a gift? You can refuse it. You can say “no, not today, not me, no way no how”. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” Sadly people, even people who witnessed Jesus miracles and heard His teachings refused the gift. 

That’s free will for you folks. Free will is also a gift that God has given to all of us. Free will means that we can accept or refuse God’s love. Without free will, we are just robots. There is no real love without real free will. From time to time I get asked why did God plant that tree in the Garden. He knew that Adam and Eve would eat of the fruit. Why plant that tree if it led to the fall of man? Simple, that tree, its existence created free will. Adam and Eve could not choose to love or hate. They could obey or disobey. They could go God’s way or they could go their way. 

Jesus is the bread of life, offered to anyone and everyone, but sadly some will refuse. If you are refusing Christ today, why? What’s your reasoning? The rejection and persecution of Christ is nothing new. Even in the ancient prophetic days of Isaiah, the prophet knew that Jesus the Messiah would be rejected. 

Isaiah 53:3 ESV

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Points From Jesus’ First “I AM” Statement

Point One: The Bread’s Origination vs. 32-34

Point Two: The Bread’s Identification vs. 35

Point Three: The Bread’s Rejection vs. 36 and 41

Point Four: The Bread’s Revelation vs. 48-51

John 6:48-51 ESV

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Point:

To recap, we see that Jesus came from the Father, the bread’s origination. Next we see that Jesus is God in flesh, the bread’s identification. Third, not everyone will accept the free gift of salvation, the bread’s rejection. Lastly, we see that Jesus is the only way to salvation, there is no other bread like Him. The bread’s revelation. 

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Jesus refers to Himself as a shepherd, a lion, and a lamb. Here He says that He is living bread. He makes other claims that He is living water. He also said that He was the way, the truth, and the life. Another time He claimed to be the door. What does all of this mean? Jesus is revealing to us that there is not other way, no other source of salvation. He is the only source for mercy, for grace, and forgiveness. Some will say that Jesus is just too exclusive. I say that Jesus just makes the path to salvation simple. 

When it comes to the bread of life, there need be no other ingredients. That bread, the bread that Jesus offers is good enough. “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Jesus is revealing Himself to you today. Will you accept this free gift? This free gift of salvation. 

John 3:16 ESV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Let The “Bread” Be Your Greatest Blessing!

Bibliography 

Websites:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206&version=NIV

https://steppesoffaith.medium.com/the-amazing-significance-of-bread-in-the-bible-2e252134716c

https://www.gotquestions.org/bread-of-life.html

https://bible.org/seriespage/16-bread-life-john-622-71

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/why-is-jesus-called-the-bread-of-life.html

Commentaries 

Walvoord, John and Roy Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament. United States of America: Victor Books, 1983.

Wiersbe, Warren. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007.

Wilmington, H.L. Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981.

The NET Bible First Edition Notes 

The Bible Reader’s Companion-John 6

Books

Jesus Is The Bread of Life: All the Rest Are Man-Made Recipes by Kathe S. Rumsey

Jesus Christ, The Bread of Life: Daily Meditations For May by Jon J. Cardwell

Jesus, the Bread of Life by Will Brown

Bread of Life: The Simple Gospel by Steven J Hannah

Stories of Calvery by Danny Hodges 

Articles 

I am the Bread of Life. Imagery in John 6 by JG Van Der Watt

The Bread of Life of the World by  JR Nelson

I am the Bread of Life by DJ Muller 

The Bread of Life Sermon by E Huntsman