Names of Jesus: Bread of Life

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal… Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:25-27, 32-35)

In this passage, Jesus says that he is the bread of life. The context of this declaration is incredibly important to our understanding of it. This was the day after Jesus performed his miracle of feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. The crowd then chases after Jesus. It is then when Jesus starts telling them the root of why they are chasing him. It’s not because they saw Jesus perform a miracle. It is because Jesus completely satisfied their hunger.

We are very much like the crowds that were seeking after Jesus. At the very core of our beings, we want to be satisfied. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we desire bread. We want the thing that will fill us, satisfy us, give us energy, give us life. We seek satisfaction in so many things, but far too often we are still left feeling hungry and weak. Jesus gives us the solution to this problem in the passage above: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”

Nothing can sustain our lives but Jesus, the true bread of life. Having a happy marriage and a happy family will not satisfy us. The right politician winning an election will not provide for our needs. Financial security will never be enough to fill our soul. Self-discovery and self-help techniques will only lead us back to ourselves - and we end. Jesus does not. While our families, politicians, money, and bodies all fade away, Jesus will still be. Only he can totally and eternally be what we need.