John 6:25-35
After Jesus Fed Five Thousand, they came looking for him…
25 When they finally found him, they asked him, “Teacher, how did you get here?”
26 Jesus replied, “Let me make this very clear, you came looking for me because I fed you by a miracle, not because you believe in me. 27 Why would you strive for food that is perishable and not be passionate to seek the food of eternal life, which never spoils? I, the Son of Man, am ready to give you what matters most, for God the Father has destined me for this purpose.”
28 They replied, “So what should we do if we want to do God’s work?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work you can do for God starts with believing in the One he has sent.”
30–31 They replied, “Show us a miracle so we can see it, and then we’ll believe in you. Moses took care of our ancestors who were fed by the miracle of manna every day in the desert, just like the Scripture says, ‘He fed them with bread from heaven.’ What sign will you perform for us?”
32 “The truth is,” Jesus said, “Moses didn’t give you the bread of heaven. It’s my Father who offers bread that comes as a dramatic sign from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world.”
34 “Then please, sir, give us this bread every day,” they replied.
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.
According to Scripture, “True life is found in every word which constantly goes forth from God’s mouth” (Mat 4:4). God created humanity to require the spiritual nourishment found in his Word; as Creator he feeds us the Truth. Only the Word—the bread of heaven—can satisfy us and cause us to thrive in righteousness, peace, and joy; this is the manna of the Kingdom of God. In our passage today, the Lord has just fed five thousand people a supernatural miracle through the Living Word and they cannot see beyond worldly resources or temporal satisfaction. As the Word of God, Jesus tells them he is the eternal bread, but will they desire spiritual nourishment and come every day to be fed by him?
Even today, if humanity refuses this revelation and eternal bread provided by the Father, people will remain hungry and, in their misery, become angry with God. Actually, many people in the world right now are what I refer to as spiritually “hangry.” They are spiritually hungry, as well as angry for where they find themselves due to their own disobedience to the Word of God. Satan loves the hangry; he just keeps feeding people unrighteous manna which keeps them enslaved to their worldly appetites. May the Church—those seeking constant spiritual nourishment—share the Good News that Jesus is the bread of heaven who came down to feed the world.
Prayer: Lord, as I invest myself in your Word each day, please feed me Truth and nourish me in your righteousness. I am hungry for more of you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.