Jesus' disciples had seen how Jesus loved people how he healed and comforted them. They believed that Jesus was holy and that the best advice they could find would come from Him. This is good advice for each one of us. Through our prayers and by studying the Bible we have a way to get good advice and guidance. Each one of us can go to the Holy One of God.
Our examples - a pirate's treasure chest, your mother's jewelry box, and pea pods may be strong containers and even beautiful to look at, but the real treasure is found inside. We can think of our bodies in the same way. Jesus said, "It is the spirit who gives life" (6:63). We have strong, beautiful bodies and within our bodies is our spirit. We could also call this spirit our soul. It is the precious part of us that comes from God.
Listen carefully today and see if you can spot when Jesus uses that word – abide.
Just like bread is something that helps our bodies to live and grow, Jesus is reminding us that the way to keep our spirits strong and alive (both now and forever - with God in heaven) is to follow his example. Jesus is food for our souls in the same way that real bread is food for our bodies. Bread has a very special place in the church - and a special connection to Jesus. When we take the bread of communion and recognize Jesus as God - we are sharing the bread of life that connects us to him forever.
Jesus asks that we believe in Him. This word: believe, is a good word. It means we have confidence in the truth. It means we believe in something that has value. Whoever believes "will live forever" (6:51).
Jesus said, "Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life" (6:47). "I am the bread of life" (6:48). He describes himself as bread because he is vital to our well being. We need him. As believers we are given eternal life - life that never ends. Jesus, the bread of life, nourishes us by supplying us with God's love.
We all hunger for food and we hunger for other things as well. We want to feel love, hope, joy, and peace – food that nourishes our spirit. Jesus tells us that the "true bread" (6:32) that nourishes our spirit comes from heaven – it comes from God and "gives life to the world" (6:33). So the cornucopia reminds us to give thanks for our many blessings – those that feed our bodies and those that feed our spirit. Jesus said, "I am the bread which came down out of heaven" (6:41).
Bread was very important to the people of Jesus’ day. They had other foods, like figs and melons, cheese, vegetables and meat, but they ate bread with every meal. It was their most important food. Without bread, the people would have starved to death. So, Jesus said, "...it wasn’t Moses who gave you bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven" (v. 32). Jesus wanted the people to know that he was talking about the importance of taking in good food for our soul as well as our body.
Bread is important for our physical bodies and Jesus uses this idea to teach us about how to nourish our spiritual life – that part of us that wants to know God. He says, "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world" (6:33). Jesus says, "I am the bread of life" (6:35). He compares himself to bread. His Spirit allows us to be filled with love, gentleness, kindness, joy, and peace. We can think of these things as nutritious food for our spirit – food that helps us grow strong and healthy. Fill yourself with God's love.
There is food that we eat to nourish our bodies and there is food for our soul. The soul is the part of us that longs to be with God. We feed our soul by faith, believing that Jesus is the Son of God. This type of food gives us eternal life - life that endures forever. Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (6:35).