John 6:51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

March 13th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

After Jesus supernaturally fed the multitudes, they came looking for Him; and He told them they needed to eat the bread of life that leads to everlasting life. Three times in 5 verses, Jesus spoke about believers never dying: the believer “has everlasting life” (vs. 47), will “not die” (vs. 50), and “will live forever” (vs. 51). When Jesus spoke about eating the bread of life, He was referring to Himself. He identified Himself with bread because of 2 important truths about that food. One, it was then (and still is in much of the world today) the primary food staple used to sustain life. Two, the process that grain goes through to become bread, mirrored what Jesus would go through to save man from their sins and make salvation possible.

A seed of grain (wheat, barley, oats) is planted, and after some time, it grows into maturity. Then it is cut down and ground up. Once it is turned into a usable grain, it is mixed into dough and placed in a fire. After it is baked, it is consumed to sustain physical life. In the same way, a seed was supernaturally planted in the womb of Mary. God incarnate, Jesus, came and grew into maturity. Then Jesus was cut down, ground up (abused), and put in the fire of Father God’s judgment for our sins on the cross. With His resurrection, He emerged from the tomb living bread. And we have the privilege of absorbing His life-giving qualities daily.

Do you want to live forever? If it is in a good place, with good health, among people you love, of course you do. If you would like to never die, you must “eat this bread”—Jesus Christ. So just how does someone consume Jesus? In verse 60, Jesus’ disciples said it was “a hard saying.” They did not mean it was a difficult concept to grasp, but that it was difficult to embrace and submit one’s life to. Those standing there understood the metaphor of eating as partaking of, which is partaking of Jesus as the source of eternal life, absorbing His life. The choice is simple but not easy to do. Will I chose His life today or my own self-life? The wise will chose His life.

“LORD, we choose to follow You this day. Give us Your power and keep us from the evil one, we ask in Jesus’ name.”