Are You Hungry?

“Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.”  John 6:35

Usually when you go to a restaurant (well, before all this COVID-19 deal) the first thing they bring you is a basket of bread. The bread is complimentary. You don’t have to pay for it. It isn’t the main meal. Bread isn’t as important in our diet today as it used to be in ancient times. In ancient times, you didn’t pass on the bread without going hungry. Bread was the main part of their diet.

“Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.” John 6:35

If Jesus wanted to get their attention… He really did! When Jesus said his first “I AM” statement, “I am the Bread of Life”, they understood that Jesus was saying, “You need me every day. You can’t make it without me. I am the central issue of your life. Without me, you’ll perish.”

The Bible mentions the word "bread" countless times. From Genesis 3:19 when God tells man that with the sweat of his forehead he would get bread, and when Jesus, in Matthew 6:11 mentions it as part of the "Our Father". From the beginning, the bread has represented Jesus, from the beginning the bread showed us that we all need a sustenance, a bread made flesh... Jesus. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means "City of Bread". Even the place of his birth was telling us that the most important part of our existence had been born.

Even in the Tabernacle, in the Old Testament, there was a reference to the BREAD OF LIFE. The Showbread, bread that was placed on a table in the Holy Place. The literal translation of the Hebrew name for that bread is "bread of countenance (or faces)" The word for "face" also means "presence." Awesome! The Bread of the Presence!! When we are in His presence, we are not hungry, we lack nothing, and we are satisfied. That bread was considered holy and must have been eaten by priests in a holy place.

However, the Bible records an occasion when those who ate the bread were not priests, they were not of the lineage of Aaron. When David was running away from Saul (because he wanted to murder him), he asked the high priest Ahimelech for bread for himself and his men. David and his men were hungry; they were tired. They were running away from an enemy, hiding from a threat. Since Ahimelech had no "common bread," he offered David and his men consecrated bread, which had been replaced. They were not supposed to eat of that bread; but there was a need. What a powerful illustration!

Jesus will NEVER deny us his sustenance. When we are tired, exhausted, threatened by death; when we feel that we are running away from something or someone ... The BREAD OF LIFE will be there to feed us, so that we can regain our strength and continue on our way. The BREAD OF LIFE will sustain us to continue facing any enemy we meet on our journey.

Nothing is more important than Jesus is. Jesus is not a salad placed next to a meat; He is not a basket of breads that can be ignored on a restaurant table. Jesus is not the order of french fries that the waiter asks: "Do you want french fries with that steak?" He is the source of LIFE, the source of our existence.

 Nevertheless, this life comes to you when you believe in Him, when you believe that He is the most important thing in your life. That LIFE comes when you acknowledge that you are hungry, when you come to Him, giving Him your weariness, giving Him your pain. Jesus fills you with His life when you feel surrounded by enemies, when you feel threatened by death. 

Are you hungry? Are you really hungry? Make Jesus the central part of your life! Ask Him to fill you with His main dish, what really matters, His BREAD OF LIFE. I guarantee you… you will be satisfied!!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for being the BREAD OF LIFE. Thank you because if I come to You I will never be hungry. You are my support, my source of existence. Help me to always remember that without You I am nothing. Amen.