The Bread We Eat

“Then Jesus said,  I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NIV)

I like bread, good quality bread, of ccourse, but I welcome any bread. A couple weeks ago I went out of my way to drive a few miles  to a market that sells great tasting, nutricious bread.  When I got to the bread aisle, the shelf was completely empty, not one loaf of that bread was there. I turned away disappointed and bought a few other things. At the checkout counter, a woman came  and began putting her things on the counter—bread—loaf after loaf of bread, the bread that I wanted. It was unbelievable. I commented on her stack and said I had looked and had found none.  She offered to let me have one, but I generously allowed her to keep her trove. I found out that she lives far away from the market and was stocking up.

Bread is a staple food  served at the table of people everywhere, both rich and poor. Status and national borders make no difference.  Everyone  wants and eats bread.  Yet, even in something as accessible as bread, class asserts itself. The rich eat  bread that satisfies their discriminating taste. The poor eat bread because it satisfies their hunger. At times when the poor can’t afford to buy much else, they can have a crust of bread.  Jesus cares about our temporal needs, so  He  has  told us to ask for  “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), which  we can eat with gratitude  and be assured that we  will always  be filled.

But of  greater importance is our spiritual Bread, which He gives to us of Himself.  How gratifying to know that the Bread of Life is  available everywhere and is not just for the few who can afford to purchase it. “Come and buy,”  our Lord invites. Come even if you don’t have any money  (Isaiah 55:1). What an invitation!  His bread  is free and is just what our famished souls need. So  with gladness of heart, we must eat in full awareness  of the True Bread that came down from heaven to give  us eternal life through His broken body on the cross.  He calls all  to come to Him  so that they will never lack  the spiritual infilling that only He can provide. What a promise!

Christ, the True Bread, desires to feed us daily. Our heart-cry should be, “Lord,  evermore give us this Bread” ((John 6:34).  That woman in the market bought up all the bread she could because she felt a need and reached out to satisfy it.   We can be assured that no matter how much  others take of the Bread of Life, there’s always enough left for you and  me. May we feel free  to “take, eat,”  while we have access to the Bread of Life.

Always,

Judith

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“Good bread is the most fundamentally
satisfying of all foods, and good bread
with fresh butter the greatest of all feasts.”
Chef James Beard