Today we begin a series looking at the practical implications of the “I AM” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. The first one is “I AM the Bread of Life”.
Then Jesus declared, “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
Maggie Rudkin was a self-described terrible cook. Her husband said he didn’t mind her food, but she realized that her nine-year-old son’s health depended on her learning to cook. The boy’s doctors told Maggie that they could either relocate to a drier climate in order to alleviate his asthma or he could be put on a special diet of primary homemade bread. When she tried to protest, the doctor said only homemade bread will do. So, Maggie purchased the ingredients and baked her first loaf. Even after it turned out as hard as a rock and heavy as lead, she refused to give up. Little did she know that her subsequent attempts at baking would be a huge success.
Once she perfected a recipe, her neighbors began to ask for so much that she had to start her own bakery business. In the end, she named that bakery after their Connecticut country home, which was named after the towering tupelo tree. Did I mention that the New England term for tupelo is pepper ridge? Pepperidge. Of course, you probably see the life’s work of Maggie Rudkin every time you visit the grocery store. You know it today as Pepperidge Farms – famous for its natural snacks and bread.
Bread, so simple and yet so necessary. Every culture has some kind of bread as a staple in their diet. In fact, we all have probably eaten it in one form or another in the last 24 hours. Bread is also something Jesus called himself in John 6:35 when he said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
The context of this statement centers around Jesus having just fed the 5,000. And yet, they wanted more. They wanted Jesus to be their king who provided every meal, not just one on the hillside. Even though Jesus had sustained them, they still wanted more. The sinful human heart always longs for more, whether it be more money, more prestige, more power, more love, more anything. We live in a culture where our drive for more is celebrated and rewarded. And sadly, we often look in all the wrong places to satisfy this longing. But Jesus, in declaring himself the bread of life, is saying: “I am the only One that can sustain and satisfy. You may look to other places or to other things to placate your hunger, but your hunger will never be satisfied. I am the One who can satisfy and sustain you for all eternity. You may think that you need more, but I am enough. I am the Bread of Life.”