The Bread of Life

Daily Devotional: Read John 6:26–40

The Sugarfire Smoke House in St. Louis claimed first prize at the Sandwich World Championship. Chef David Molina won the award for his “Cuban Reuben,” which included smoked ham, pulled pork, pastrami, mustard, Swiss cheese, and pickles, all placed between two sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches, which in turn were made with provolone cheese, white American cheese, and horseradish mustard.

Hungry?

Are we making you hungry? The crowds were ravenously hungry when Jesus miraculously fed them loaves and fish (vv. 1–13). But when they came looking for more of the same, He rebuked them for wrong motives (v. 26). They should be looking for “food that endures to eternal life” (v. 27). One food spoils, while the other gives lasting spiritual nourishment.

The crowd asked, in essence, how can we earn such food (v. 28)? The only “work” to do, Jesus responded, is to believe in me (v. 29). Their next question was, why should we believe in you? Apparently, the feeding of the 5,000 wasn’t enough?! They wanted something equal to God’s provision of manna in the wilderness (vv. 30–31). Surprisingly (to the people), Jesus asserted that God had already provided a better bread (vv. 32–33). “Give it to us,” they predictably answered.

Jesus met their deeper hunger by revealing Himself to be the Bread of Life (vv. 35–40). He is the Messiah and source of life, not in a temporal sense but for eternity. All who believe in Him will be accepted and one day resurrected. This is possible because Jesus perfectly obeyed the will of the Father and His plan of redemption. Best of all, He promised that no one who trusted Him for salvation would be lost (v. 39), a promise or doctrine we often call “assurance of salvation” or “perseverance of the saints.”

Go Deeper

Why is Jesus called the “Bread of Life”? What does bread represent in Scripture? What does it represent to us?

Pray with Us

Lord, You alone can satisfy our spiritual hunger. We are thankful that You are the Bread of Life, and that when we are filled by You, our hunger pains are finally satisfied. Keep us ever content in You.

The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

John 6:33