"The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41).
In an age of self-fulfillment, self-seeking, self-aggrandizement, the message of our dependence on Christ not only for our happiness but for our very existence often falls on deaf ears. This is true today and it was certainly true during the days of Jesus’ public ministry. He proclaimed Himself to be the Bread of Life, which meant that He had been sent from heaven, that He was born from above, and that only through Him can we find peace, satisfaction, and eternal life.
The Jews first thought He was talking about literal bread, just like Nicodemus thought he had to be actually born again and the Samaritan woman thought she needed physical water. They, therefore, immediately thought of the manna that God provided in the wilderness. Could Jesus be claiming that He had a greater “bread” than that given to their forefathers? That is exactly what Jesus claimed! Manna, any food for that manner, fills our stomachs, but Christ alone fills our empty souls.
The Jews did understand Jesus’ point about coming from heaven. They understood all too clearly His claim to divine origin. This is why they murmured among themselves, and commented that they had known Jesus and His family since He was young. How could He possibly say that He had come from heaven? This is what infuriated the Jewish people. In their minds Jesus’ claims were blasphemous. Instead of looking at the signs and listening to His teaching, they immediately rejected Him as the Messiah who had come from heaven; and in rejecting Him, they ignored their need of Him to fill their souls, and they cast from their presence the Bread of Life.
How many people today continue to live empty, degrading, meaningless lives that will end in eternal damnation because they cannot accept Jesus’ message of life through faith in Him? Unbelievers search the world for fulfillment when the only source for life, for peace, is Christ Himself—the Holy One who came down from heaven to impart life to those whom the Father had given Him. May you not go the way of the world, but may you seek life in Him alone, peace through communion with Him in prayer and meditation on His Word, and fulfillment in His promise of eternal life.
It is all too easy, even for Christians, to forget where they get their strength, their happiness, their peace, and their contentment. We allow the world to blur our thinking as we seek fulfillment in things around us. Spend some time today meditating on Christ as bread that fills your soul, and commune with Him in prayer.
