August 9, 2009
GOSPEL LESSON: John 6:35–51

Jesus said, John 6:48 “I am the bread of life.” He did not mean that food made from wheat that sustains the body; he meant that he was the giver of eternal life. We can understand this bread of life in two ways, spiritually and physically.

Spiritually speaking, the bread of life is the word of God. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness to make bread out of stones, Jesus said, Mt.4:4, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” It is the word of God that gives true nourishment. There is an old prayer in the church, a Sunday morning collect prayer of the day.

“Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

We need to eat food to stay alive and healthy. Spiritually we need to have the word of God to really live and to live fully and healthy. That is why in the church we always tell people to read the Bible. Of course it is best to read the Bible daily if we can. Just like ordinary food, it is good to keep on a regular schedule. And when we do not read the Bible regularly, it can seem like a famine. Our trust and hope in God can become weak. Our faith can become unsure.

In the supermarket, there is a big variety of food. Most is good for you, but some is harmful if overeaten. You have to have a balanced diet. The same is true when reading the Bible. If you only read the Old Testament and do not know about Jesus, then you will not know that Jesus is your Savior. Or we can divide the message of the Bible into two parts, the Law and the Gospel. The Law proclaims God’s wrath and punishment, the Gospel proclaims God’s love and forgiveness and salvation. We need both for a balanced diet. Sometimes the Law is like an appetizer, so that we are ready for the Good News!

Jesus said that he was the Bread of Life. That means that his message of salvation is what gives us true, eternal life. It is the message of promise. It gives us hope and strength. It is the life that died on the cross to give us eternal life.

Have you ever eaten something that gave you an upset stomach or made you ill? I have. There are things that are not good for us. There is a lot of spiritually bad food, too. This is the stuff that is harmful to us. It is heresy. It is bad doctrine. It is junk-food Twinkie faith. It fills us up with a lot of pretty nonsense but does not sustain us. It may give us a spiritual good feeling, but when the sugar and caffeine wear off, we are left tired and weak. The thing that will really sustain us is the Gospel of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to forgive our sin and who rose from the grave to give us eternal life and salvation.

But some people cannot stomach good doctrine. It is hard to admit that we are sinners. It is hard to admit that we need to repent and change our lives. Just like it is hard for an overweight person to keep on a diet, it is hard to change our sinful lives. We do not want the strict, bitter Law of God, we just want the sweet dessert of forgiveness so we can live as we please. But a good diet requires good eating and exercise. The Christians life also requires scripture and prayer and worship, and repentance and a change of life. And to live that way, we need the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us to know the promise and power of the Bible.

Jesus said,　John 6:48, “I am the bread of life.” He did not mean that food made from wheat that sustains the body; he meant that he was the giver of eternal life. We can understand this is two ways, spiritually and physically.

Physically speaking, Jesus is like a loaf of bread that we have to eat. Jesus said, 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 came down from heaven and was born in Bethlehem. Jesus suffered and died in the flesh and rose again in the flesh. The word of God took flesh. The word of God was not just some nice words in a book, the word took shape and action. The word of promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We have to eat Jesus. He is that real! We have to make him part of our life.

This is the action in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is the Bread of Life. In the Old Testament, there were sacrifices and gifts to God. One of those offerings was bread. There were the 12 loaves of bread presented in the temple each week. There was one loaf for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. In addition to that, there were also offerings of bread burnt on the altar. This was Jesus. Jesus was the sacrifice that forgave our sin. In faith, we receive that forgiveness of sin. We receive the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice. We receive eternal life and salvation.

Jesus is the bread of life. He sustains us.

It may sound like a silly question, but is Jesus more like a loaf of hard French bread, or more like a jelly-filled pastry? Sometimes we need Jesus to be one or the other. When life is hard, or when life is pleasant, Jesus is the nourishment we need. Not just spiritually, but he helps us in our daily life. And this is all included when we pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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