Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

And when they found Him [Jesus] on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ “ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give 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.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Bread is the most common of all foods. It is so common that we probably don’t usually think too much about bread or its importance. It’s even very common in the Bible as the word “bread” occurs a whopping 361 times in the King James Version! Let me share with you some other interesting stats about bread: “Bread, in all its various forms, is the most widely consumed food in the world. Bread may be served in different forms at any meal of the day, eaten as a snack, and is even used as an ingredient in other culinary preparations.” ^[1] “Bread is one of the only foods eaten by people of every race, culture and religion. Each American consumes, on average, 53 pounds of bread per year.”^[2] Bread provides us with carbohydrates for energy; protein for growth and development; B vitamins for good health, steady nerves, and proper digestion; iron for healthy blood; and calcium for strong bones and teeth.^[3] It’s not really surprising, then, that when God provided food from heaven for His people, The Children of Israel, He provided them with bread as we read in our Old Testament reading for this morning (which they called “manna”—Exodus 16:31). This bread kept them alive as they wandered for 40 years through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan.

Jesus also used bread to provide food for many people in one of His most famous miracles: The feeding of the 5000 (which was the subject of our sermon from last Sunday). In fact, that miracle had just taken place before the words we read from our sermon text from John chapter 6 (see John 6:1-15). The problem was many of these people who had witnessed Jesus’ miracle missed the point! They were focused on the wrong kind of “bread.” It’s obvious from our text that they weren’t seeking Jesus to have their souls fed and hear Him teach them again, but rather Jesus told them what was really in their hearts, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26). What’s even worse is that even though these people had just witnessed Jesus’ miraculous feeding of thousands of people they still demanded a sign (or miracle) from Jesus. Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?” (v. 30). What?! So feeding more than 5000 people with just five loaves of bread and two small fish wasn’t enough of a miracle for these people? How shocking…and how sad.

That is the tragedy of unbelief, and that is the danger of turning Jesus into simply our “bread king” instead of The Bread of Life which He truly is. The unbelieving heart’s demand for more “proof” will never be met, no matter how many miracles it witnesses, and the heart that seeks Jesus for purely earthly reasons will never have its belly filled. That is why Jesus instructed the people who had gathered around Him, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you” (v. 27). Even if God were to send manna from heaven, like He did for the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness (cf. Exodus 16:2-15) the people would have eventually gotten hungry again. That bread was temporary and would spoil if left for more than a day. That bread could preserve life, but it couldn’t give it or create it. In contrast, Jesus said to them, “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” (v. 32-33).

The people’s response to Jesus’ words sounded good, but from what we read in the rest of this chapter of John, it seems as if they’re still just thinking about physical bread and the thought of never growing physically hungry again when they said to Jesus, “Lord, give us this bread always” (v. 34). Jesus then had to make it very clear to them that He was speaking of the spiritual life that only He can give: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (v. 35).

Are we as misguided and blinded as the people in our text? Do we view the physical and material things God blesses us with as the ultimate blessings from God? Do we only have physical “bread cravings”? Jesus reminds us in our text, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you” (v. 27). Jesus put it another way in the Gospel of Matthew, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

Where is our heart set? On earthly “bread”? Or on heaven? That treasure, that “bread of life” (v. 35) is right here in our Bibles waiting for each one of us to eat of it! We know it’s good for us. We know there are blessings just waiting to be received in there. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). The Psalmist writes, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). And yet, how often don’t we go for days, maybe even weeks (or longer!) without “eating” from this “food which endures to everlasting life” (v. 27)?

We wouldn’t dream of going for even a day, much less weeks without physically eating. We know what would happen to us. We’d get weak, our body would begin to shrink and shut down, and our health would deteriorate. So what do you think is going to happen to us if we aren’t spiritually eating from the Word of God? We certainly aren’t going to get healthier or stronger. We aren’t going to grow closer to God either. No, we are going to get weak, our faith will begin to shrink and deteriorate little by little.

What is the answer? Start eating! Just as good daily nutrition is essential to maintaining good physical health, so also feeding our souls daily on “the bread of life” (v. 35) is essential to maintaining good spiritual health. The more we read and spiritually digest the Word of Christ, the more we will crave it; the more our hunger will grow. And yet, at the same time Jesus promises that our hunger and thirst will be completely and forever satisfied: “I am the bread of life.” He tells us, “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (v. 35).

When our starving souls hear from the very words of Jesus that our sins are washed away by His shed blood, that His cross takes away all the guilt from our consciences, and all the shame from our hearts then our souls are truly filled and at rest. When our weary souls hear from the very words of Jesus that because He lives, we will live also eternally in the mansions He is preparing for us in heaven (cf. John 14:3, 19) then our souls are truly more than content and at peace. When our own souls are fed the very body and blood of Jesus in the bread and wine of Lord’s Supper; given and shed for each one of us for the forgiveness of our sins, then our souls are truly satisfied. Our souls are satisfied in Jesus. We are satisfied daily through His Word, and through the miracle of His Sacraments. There is nothing else that can be added to the spiritual meal we have been given in Jesus, “The Bread of Life!” We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10); completely saved and completely satisfied!

Over the past few years many people who have been looking to improve their health or lose weight have tried diets that cut down on carbohydrates or avoid gluten (a substance found in wheat). Some of these diets are essentially “bread-free.” Now that may or may not improve the physical health or bring about the desired weight loss for some people, but may we never willingly put ourselves on a “bread-free” spiritual diet! May God give us His Holy Spirit so that we always have “bread cravings”—a constant desire for Jesus, “The Bread of Life.” And may we be able to say with a sincere heart of faith, “Lord, give us this bread always!” (v. 34). Amen.

Footnotes

—Pastor Luke Bernthal

St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Mt. View and Hayward, CA

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.