The bread of life

The power of words

The theme of the feeding for 5,000 people (John 6: 1-15) was “visible bread” (reference https://canaan.blog/the-feeding-of-the-5000) , but in the following: The theme is “invisible bread”.

6:16 In the evening, the disciples went down to the lakeside. 6:17 Then they boarded the boat and crossed the lake towards Capernaum. It was already dark, but Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 6:18 The lake began to storm in the strong winds. 6:19 And when they had struck about four or five thousand meters, they were afraid to see Jesus walking on the lake and approaching the boat. 6:20 But Jesus said to them. “Don’t be afraid.” 6:21 So they gladly welcomed Jesus into the boat. The boat soon arrived at its destination. 6:22 The next day, the crowd on the other side of the lake had only one small boat there, and there was no other, and Jesus could not board the boat with his disciples. They realized that only the disciples went. 6:23 But after the Lord gave thanks, several small boats came from Teveriya near the place where the people ate bread. 6:24 When the crowd learned that Jesus was not there and had no disciples, they also boarded the boat and came to Capernaum in search of Jesus. 6:25And when they found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him. “Teacher. When did you come here?” 6:26Jesus answered and said. “Truly, I tell you, that you are looking for me, not because you saw the sign, but because you ate bread and were full. 6:27 Not because of the food that was gone . Keep it forever and work for food that will lead to eternal life, that is what the Son of Man gives you, for the Son of Man has been certified by the Father, or God. ” 6:28 Then they said to Jesus. “What should we do to do the work of God?” 6:29 Jesus answered and said. “Believe in what God has sent, that is the work of God.” 6:30 Then they said to Jesus. “Then what do you do as a sign to see and believe in you? What do you do? 6:31Our ancestors ate mana in the wilderness. As it says, “He gave them bread from heaven and fed them .” 6:32 Jesus said to them. “Truly, I tell you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father gave you true bread from heaven. 6:33 because, God of bread, come down from heaven, because the thing that gives the world life. ” 6:34 So they said to him. “Lord, always give us that bread.” 6:35Jesus said. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never starve, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 6:36 But you will see and believe in me . And I said to you 6:37 All who the Father gives me will come to me, and I will never abandon those who come to me. 6:38 I came down from heaven not to do my heart, but to do the will of the one who sent me . 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, to raise each and every one of those who have given to me in the last days, without losing any of them. 6:40 In fact, the will of my Father is that all who see and believe in the Son are to have eternal life. I will bring them back to the last days. ” (Bible Gospel John 6: 16-40)

After feeding 5,000 people, Jesus’ disciples crossed the lake by boat. It was dark (verse 17) and strong winds (verse 18), and they would have been anxious. Then, Jesus walk on the lake and approach the boat. Anxiety have increased. The disciples were afraid because they thought he was a ghost. Jesus tells them. Don’t be afraid.” (Verse 20) The fear was removed from them, and they gladly welcomed Jesus into the boat (verse 21). And the boat arrives safely at the destination.

In our lives, we also cross the lake from this shore to the other shore. There are times when the situation is dark. There are times when a strong wind blows and we can’t move forward. But Jesus came up to us and said, “I am. Don’t be afraid.” Let us be happy to welcome Jesus into our boat and our lives.

It means having Jesus steer the boat and letting him go in the direction of our life. That way, in some cases we may end up in an unexpected direction, a place (territory) we never imagined, but we will be able to reach the destination that God has prepared for us. That would be the best place, the best area. Because God knows our best. So don’t be afraid. The Bible says 366 times, “Don’t be afraid.” Every day, God tells us, “don’t be afraid.”

After seeing the miracle of feeding 5,000 people, the crowd came to Capenaum in search of Jesus (verse 24). Jesus tells them. “You are looking for me because you are full after eating bread,” (verse 26）.

The Lord Jesus knows that we humans need bread (rice) to live. God provides our needs. “But if that’s the only reason you’re looking for me, something is different,” he told the crowd. The crowd had no desire to realize their sins, no repent of their sins, and no take new steps. There was no thirst for the spiritual realm. All they were thinking about was their body, their lives. After all, they were just looking for a messiah (savior) to feed them with manna (bread) from heaven, as in Moses’ time.

So Jesus said to them. “Keep forever, not for the food that is gone, and work for the food that will lead to eternal life. That is what the Son of Man gives you.” (Verse 27) Not the food (bread) that is gone. It means to seek food (bread) that will not be lost.

The Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount: ” Seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness first and foremost, and in addition all these things will be given. ” (Matthew 6:33) Christians have a turn. First is the kingdom of God. This is the top priority. First is God himself. The glory of God is to appear. It is our top priority to praise Jesus’name and spread the gospel of Jesus. For that, there is worship, there is praise, there is preaching, there is prayer, there is donation. Then God will take responsibility for our lives. If not, we will have to take full responsibility for our lives ourselves.

The crowd says. “What should we do?” (Verse 28) Jesus replies. “Believe in those sent by God, that is God’s work” (verse 29) Who is God sent? Yes. This is a Christmas message. Believing in Jesus is God’s work. It’s not a human move. Only by the Holy Spirit can one confess that “Jesus is my savior.”

They ask. “What do you do as a sign to believe (verse 30), our ancestors ate manna (bread) in the wilderness. This lasted for 40 years every day. Your miracle is one. Is it only once? That’s a problem for us. Give us food with a miracle every day. “

Jesus answers. “My Father will give you true bread from heaven, for God’s bread comes down from heaven and gives life to the world,” (verse 33). So they said. “Lord, always give us that bread” (verse 34)

This is like a Samaritan woman. When she said that Jesus was “water of life,” it was difficult to get water into the well, so she said, “Give me this water so that I will not be thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”(John 4:15).

This wish is not wrong. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus encourages us to pray, “Give us our daily food today.” We absolutely need what we eat for our bodies. But if we’re obsessed with food, it’s a problem. People are not the only ones who live on their bodies. People are spiritual beings. The most important thing for humans is not the body, but the spiritual part. When Jesus was fasting and thirsty in the wilderness, the devil tempted him to say, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to be bread” (Matthew 4: 3). Jesus replied, ” Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of God’s mouth ” (Matthew 4: 4).

Our spirit is strengthened by listening to the words of the Bible through reading the Bible, which is each word that comes out of God’s mouth. Because the Bible is the Word of God written by the Holy Spirit. If we don’t eat for a day, our bodies will be weak. Similarly, if we do not read the Bible for a day, our spirits will weaken and unknowingly leave God.

Jesus says. “I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never starve, and those who believe in me will never be thirsty.” (Verse 35) We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Jesus, who defeated death, “will bring each one up to the last days” (verses 39, 40).　

Jesus Christ is the bread of life. If we eat this bread, that is, if we believe in Jesus, we will be given eternal life (the life of the resurrection) and we can live even if we die. God will bring us back. Here is our hope.

The bread of life

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