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CHRIST, OUR LIVING BREAD

SCRIPTURE READING
1 KINGS 19: 4-8
EPHESIANS 4:25-5:2
JOHN 6:35, 41-51

REFLECTION
We are used to popular brands of bread in our locality, yet all these loaves of bread have one thing in common, they physically and temporarily satisfy hunger. Today, we shall reflect on another type of bread that satisfies eternal hunger and gives eternal life! This bread is Jesus our living bread. We shall reflect on the following points.
1. Those who feed on physical food or bread shall hunger again. The same God who provides us with edible bread is the same God who has provided us with Jesus our Living bread.
2. Jesus our living bread can only be consumed through faith.
3. Physical bread only gives our bodies energy but Jesus our living bread helps us to do the will of God.

Firstly, the physical bread we consume can only satisfy us for a few hours or days, but we shall surely hunger again. In the first Scripture reading, 1 Kings 19:4-8, Elijah was a fugitive running from evil Jezebel. He found himself in the wilderness, weary and hungry, and consequently prayed to God to take his life. “And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” (1 Kings 19:5-8) It is important to note that the cake or bread only gave him physical strength for forty days and forty nights to his destination. Yet the Spirit of God continued to sustain him. Food or bread has its limitations therefore no matter the quantity we consume we shall continue to hunger, it is better to listen to Jesus when He said: “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). What is the Word of God? The Word of God in this context is Jesus the Christ. It is for this reason that John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) Beloved in the Lord, God has given physical bread to satisfy our physical hunger but has given us Jesus to satisfy our eternal hunger. As you eat to nourish your body, you also yearn for the living bread, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, Jesus our living bread can only be consumed through faith. Our third Scripture reading, John 6:41-51, makes this fact abundantly clear, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:47-51). What is your priority in life? Are you only concerned about the bread that satisfies temporarily, or are you more concerned with eternity, hence you desire Jesus the living bread? Jesus proclaims to us that in Him we shall have eternal life!

Thirdly, my dear friend, have you accepted Jesus the living bread as your Lord and Saviour, and are you willing to do His will? Apostle Paul, in our Second Scripture reading in Ephesians 4:25-32, lists some bad deeds which one will do if Jesus the living bread is not in his or her life. There will be falsehood in our lives, Anger will corrupt and lead us into doing evil, we shall continue to steal, Corrupt talk will come out of our mouths and we shall continue to do things that grieve the Holy Spirit whose work is to equip and empower us for our final redemption. If we lack Jesus the living bread in our lives, there will be bitterness and wrath, clamour, slander, and malice in our dealing with one another. We will not understand the importance of love, kindness, and forgiveness, which others have received from God through Christ. In other words, feeding on Jesus Christ, the living bread through faith totally transforms our lives. This is what Apostle Paul describes in Galatians 2:20 when he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

In conclusion, my dear friend in Christ, physical bread is important but it only satisfies the hunger of the body temporarily, we should rather desire and consume Jesus the Living bread through faith because He satisfies our eternal hunger and grants us eternal life. When we have Jesus the living bread in our lives, we are totally transformed and consequently bear the very image of Christ, we shall live by His perfect example and please the Holy Spirit through our dealings with one another. May His grace and power continue to abide with us. Amen.