I love bread! Especially fresh, hot bread – with lots of butter melted on it!

So. . .when I saw this bread vendor walking on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, I immediately wanted to taste some of the fresh, hot bread he was skillfully carrying (perched on his head – awesome!).

What is it about bread – one of the world’s oldest foods – that makes it such a food staple in so many parts of the world (the Americas, the Middle East, and North Africa)?

Why is bread so necessary to living – to survival?

Bread is nutritional – with the right ingredients, that is.
Bread is (generally) accessible – except in times of famine, even people with meager financial resources can usually afford to either make it or purchase it.
Bread is enjoyable – there’s nothing like it!

Two thousand years ago a man born in Palestine made a startling statement about himself. He declared:

“. . .the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . .I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. . .I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (The Injeel, The Good News Of John, 6:33, 35, 51).

Amazing claims by this man known as Jesus. Perhaps you call him Isa al Masih.

What did Jesus mean by these grandiose “I am” statements?

What did Jesus mean when he called himself, “the bread of life”?

Jesus was saying that he is the food our spirits were meant to feed (even feast) upon. He alone is the sustanance for our souls.

We all get “hungry” in our souls. We long for something to fill us and fulfill us. We will do almost anything to fill the empty, lonely, unsatisfied places we feel inside.

We consume literal food – and copious amounts of it – but we get hungry again. We think physical or emotional intimacy with someone might help the ache in our hearts. Television, movies, video games, electronics, facebook, twitter, sports, hobbies, education, cars, houses, clothes, parties, travel, horse races, dog races, camel races, car races – you name it, the human race tries it – to fill the hole.

Where do you go when you are bored? That’s your “bread.”

Where do you go when you’re lonely? That’s your “bread.”

Where do you go when you’re depressed? That’s your “bread.”

So. . .what’s your “bread”?

Jesus said:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. . .”