a day agoJesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35 I am the bread of life (1) Seven times in the Gospel according to John, Jesus declares, "I am": "I am the bread of life" (6:35). "I am the light of the world" (8:12). "I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7). "I am the good shepherd" (10:11). "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25). "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (14:6). "I am the vine" (15:5). He also says, "Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58)โinvoking the name "I am," by which God had revealed Himself to Moses, the leader of the people of Israel (Exodus 3:14). In doing so, He asserts His divinity and eternal existence in an absolute sense. The bread of life: The miracle Jesus has just performed to feed the crowd serves as a reminder that, in the wilderness, God provided mannaโ"bread from heaven"โfor His people each day (John 6:31). Yet, those who ate it eventually died. Jesus, therefore, presents Himself as the true bread from heavenโthe bread of lifeโwhich imparts true life and sustains it within those who receive it. Just as our bodies need bread, so the Christianโs soul needs to feed on Jesus Christโthat is, to think about Him, about who He was on earth, His death, His resurrection, and His majesty now in heaven... So, what occupies our thoughts? What do we feed them with? Do we want to remain little children in the faith, or grow and better understand what God wants to communicate to us (Ephesians 4:14โ15)? Let us read the Bible, so as to grow "in the knowledge of our Lord" (2 Peter 3:18). (To be continued over the next six Thursdays)
