A to Z of Jesus Christ: B: Bread of Life
You may remember that way back in December I said I was going to start a study on the A to Z of Jesus. Well here’s the second instalment…… This week I am going to consider the name the Bread of Life.
What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?
We are all familiar with the common or garden loaf of bread, and it is well known that it can sustain people through hard times. There are many, many references to bread in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, such as Exodus 133 and John 651. We know that bread was often used to by God to sustain His people physically during hard times. We only have to think of the manna by which God sustained His people in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 83). Bread featured in the Passover in the Old Covenant and features in the Communion in the New. The bread featured in the Passover as they had to prepare unleavened bread to eat in haste when the Lord led them out of Egypt. Of course in the New Covenant the bread takes on a new meaning as it comes to symbolise Christ’s body.
Christ referred to Himself as the Bread of Life, just as He referred to Himself as the water of Life also. The reference to Himself as the Bread of Life comes in John 648 and 51. When Jesus referred to Himself in this way He said that if anyone came and ate of that bread he would live forever and that this bread was His flesh, which He would give for the life of the world (John 651). When Jesus was talking in this way He talked concerning spiritual life and that by His body being broken, He would give life to all, should they but come to Him and believe in Him. Jesus, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit would give eternal life. Just as bread sustains people and is needed for life physically, Jesus is vital for spiritual life.
What does it mean for US that Jesus is the Bread of Life?
It means that means is the Way that we can enter into eternal life. When we celebrate communion, break the bread, remembering that Jesus’ body was broken for us that we may enter into eternal life by believing in Him. Jesus is the Bread of Life because He is the way we enter into eternal life. Furthermore, just because physical bread sustains us physically, Jesus sustains us spiritually.
So in conclusion…..
Bread sustains people through hard times and has been used by God to sustain His people through hard times such as in the wilderness. In the Passover, the people remembered how God has rescued them from Egypt through eating the unleavened bread. In a similar way we partake of the communion to remind ourselves that Christ’s body was broken that we might have spiritual life.
You may remember that way back in December I said I was going to start a study on the A to Z of Jesus. Well here’s the second instalment…… This week I am going to consider the name the Bread of Life.
What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?
We are all familiar with the common or garden loaf of bread, and it is well known that it can sustain people through hard times. There are many, many references to bread in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, such as Exodus 133 and John 651. We know that bread was often used to by God to sustain His people physically during hard times. We only have to think of the manna by which God sustained His people in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 83). Bread featured in the Passover in the Old Covenant and features in the Communion in the New. The bread featured in the Passover as they had to prepare unleavened bread to eat in haste when the Lord led them out of Egypt. Of course in the New Covenant the bread takes on a new meaning as it comes to symbolise Christ’s body.
Christ referred to Himself as the Bread of Life, just as He referred to Himself as the water of Life also. The reference to Himself as the Bread of Life comes in John 648 and 51. When Jesus referred to Himself in this way He said that if anyone came and ate of that bread he would live forever and that this bread was His flesh, which He would give for the life of the world (John 651). When Jesus was talking in this way He talked concerning spiritual life and that by His body being broken, He would give life to all, should they but come to Him and believe in Him. Jesus, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit would give eternal life. Just as bread sustains people and is needed for life physically, Jesus is vital for spiritual life.
What does it mean for US that Jesus is the Bread of Life?
It means that means is the Way that we can enter into eternal life. When we celebrate communion, break the bread, remembering that Jesus’ body was broken for us that we may enter into eternal life by believing in Him. Jesus is the Bread of Life because He is the way we enter into eternal life. Furthermore, just because physical bread sustains us physically, Jesus sustains us spiritually.
So in conclusion…..
Bread sustains people through hard times and has been used by God to sustain His people through hard times such as in the wilderness. In the Passover, the people remembered how God has rescued them from Egypt through eating the unleavened bread. In a similar way we partake of the communion to remind ourselves that Christ’s body was broken that we might have spiritual life.
