Sunday 19 August 2012

Background

What a sentence to start a passage with! "I am the living breadthat came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will liveforever." Jesus makes it sound so simple, doesn't he?! That promiseof eternal life is so freely given, just if we "eat thisbread".

Bread is such a source of nourishment - a staple of our dietstoday and for thousands of years previously. Yet, we think we cando without it. We think that we can survive without the sustenancethat comes from the living bread.

The truth is that we can't. We let so many other things get inthe way. We take our nourishment and refreshment from so many otherthings, and every time we come to the inevitable conclusion thatwhatever bread we eat, it's never any match for the living breadthat is Jesus.

Jesus goes on to say, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eatthe flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no lifein you" (v. 53).

Jesus calls us to live life to the full. Through his livingbread, we have life in all its fullness (John10:10).

To ponder:

• Reflect on the times when you have felt the most full of life.In those times, where was the source of your nourishment?

• How can you challenge yourself to seek Jesus' living breadbefore any other?