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The Bread Of Life

From "In the Midst of Thee," Volume 2 available from and participating bookstores.

As the second Passover of the Lord’s ministry drew near, word reached Him that John the Baptist, his friend and forerunner, had been murdered. Seeking solitude, Jesus and His disciples withdrew from the multitudes to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. However, the crowds see Him go, and they run around the lake ahead of Him, and are awaiting Him when His boat touches land. (Matthew 14:13)

Filled with compassion, Jesus spent the day teaching and ministering to them. That evening the disciples come and ask Jesus to send the people away into the villages so that they might obtain food. He answered and said unto them, “… Give ye them to eat. And they say unto Him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?” (Mark 6:37)

Now, a penny was a day’s wages for a workingman. (Matthew 20:1-2) Evidently the crowd that had gathered was huge.

Jesus commands the disciples to have the men sit down on the abundant green grass in companies of fifties and hundreds. After He looks up and gives thanks, He begins to break the five loaves and two fish, and filled the baskets of the disciples, who then distributed the food to the hungry multitude. Everyone eats, and everyone is filled, and what’s more, everyone sees the miracle. Twelve baskets of leftover food are gathered, more in quantity than the original five loaves and two fishes. The people are so moved by the miracle that they proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, and try to forcefully make Him king. (John 6:15)

At this point, the Lord is at the height of His popularity and renown. He is known the length and breath of Israel and beyond. Thousands of people flock to see Him and hear Him. But all of that is about to change.

Driven by their stomachs, the crowd follows Jesus and finds Him the next day in Capernaum in the synagogue. (JST John 6:26) Their amazement at His presence across the lake is turned to anger at His audacity, as He declares to them that He is ‘the bread of eternal life’ – that without His flesh and blood, they would have no life in them. The people murmur, even some of His disciples murmur. “… Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? …” (John 6:42) The doctrinal diet is too much for them. They think they know Him too well to accept Him as so much. The scripture records that “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” (John 6:66) From this pinnacle of popularity, Jesus now descends all the way to the utter aloneness of the cross.

Now, there are perhaps those of you listening who say to yourselves “I will not do as others have done. I will never leave the Savior.” Others have said that, and they have left. What can we do to insure that we are not among those who desert Him – leave Him when the fire gets the hottest?

I have an answer for you: Jesus said, “I am that bread of life.” (John 6:48) Notice that the Master did not say, “I am the coat of life.” He said ‘bread.’ Bread is the staff of life. It’s the bulk of our diet. It is strength; it is energy; it is life. We do not put it on when we need it. We take it into us continually, and it becomes a part of us; it becomes us. So should His words, His commandments, His example be what we live on until He becomes us. If you would endure, take Him in, all of Him, and all the way – no half measures.

Based on Matthew 14 and John 6.

Glenn Rawson – February 2001

Music: The Lord Is My Shepherd, track 2 (edited) (Abide with Me) – Lex de Azevedo

Song: Alleluiah Chorus – Kenneth Cope