Living Bread

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life.' " John 6: 35 NIV 

In the Jewish culture of Jesus earthly ministry, bread was considered an essential part of the diet. In this verse, Jesus is declaring that he is essential to life. The symbolism of bread is easy for everyone to understand. Every day the people are eating bread, sharing it with family and friends. Bread is filling, satisfying, and nourishing. It sustains life.  It is also portable so wherever people go, they can take their bread with them. Jesus is saying that we need his spiritual bread to live a real spiritual life. He is promising to feed us with his spirit so that we can grow in our understanding and love of God. Whenever we eat bread, we are reminded of Jesus' gift to us. His sacrifice of love transforms our every day activities. He is totally enmeshed in our lives.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being the bread of life for us. Remind me to be thankful for all the ways you nourish and feed me. Thank you for calling us to live in community, breaking bread together, sharing Jesus love with those around us.