I am that bread of life. [49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. [50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. [51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The Israelites had just sang the jubilation song after coming out of Egypt. They witnessed Pharaoh, their oppressor drowned in the sea and for the first time, many of them felt free. In just a couple days, they realized that they were in the wilderness and none of them knew exactly where they were headed, besides that it was a land flowing with milk and honey. It was in this state that God introduced the manna in Exodus 16, which was meant to sustain them through the wilderness. The rules were simple. Each was to go everyday and gather the exact amount of manna they needed each day, no more no less. Those who gathered more, had exactly what they needed and those who gathered little, had enough. Some thought they could hoard the manna, but only found worms the next day instead of left over manna. This was except on the 6th day where they collected double manna because no one could work on the 7th day.
We, like the children of Israel, after being delivered from the bondage of sin and death and we are beginning a journey we have not been on before. All we know is that when He appears we shall be like Him, what that means exactly and in details, we are still figuring out, 1 John 3:2. The Lord in preparing the disciples for that coming kingdom while they journey to this Kingdom asked them to pray “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. Give us this day our daily bread”, Matthew 6:10-11. This daily bread is meant to be our sustenance while journeying to all that Christ is. Seeing that the promise we have is spiritual, the bread is also spiritual. What is this bread? Jesus in John 6:48 said that He is that bread of life and that who ever eats this bread, unlike the manna, would never die. This was a big claim, but also one that Jesus made unapologetically because it is truth.
The potency of this bread can be seen in the case of the Syrophoenician woman who had a demon possessed daughter in Mark 7:24-30. She begged for healing for her daughter and Jesus mentioned that He could not give the children’s bread (covenant children – Israel) to dogs (unbelievers in this case). She then requested for the crumbs. This crumbs resulted in her daughters healing. If the crumbs of this bread could heal a demon possessed person, imagine feasting on the bread. No wonder Jesus said, he that eats it will never die. This bread is His flesh that we are to eat. John 1:14 said the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. His flesh is His Word which is broken or made simple for us that we may partake of it and live forever. The command is also simple like the case of the manna. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow because it had its own troubles, Matthew 6:34. The bread of life for each day is sufficient for the days challenges and gives the measure of God necessary to deal with the challenge for that day.
To live forever means to live according to the law of the Spirit of life and above the law of sin and death, Romans 8:2. In essence, since sin brings death, living forever means living above sin. Eating this bread daily insulates us from the various attacks we face by day and by night, so cause us to sin and therefore stay separate from God, which is death. Every day, we are to approach the Lord and ask for bread. This bread is a measure of His person, not just in text of scripture. His Words are Spirit and life. They are Spirit that give life. The manner of the Lord is that He reveals Himself gradually to an individual and as they grow in capacity based on the revelation of yesterday, He gives more for today. This is the life of those in the wilderness, of them who have no continuing city, but seek the coming Kingdom. The essence of coming to God every day is that we learn to depend on Him and not act presumptuously. The days we are in are getting darker by the day and we need light and life every day to combat this darkness. Beloved, yesterdays bread was sufficient for yesterdays troubles. Yet, the Lord provides manna daily that you may keep growing in strength, your path shining brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Prayer for today: Lord thank you for daily giving Your flesh for me, that I may partake of Your life. Help me to be diligent each day to come to you to hear Your counsel and to partake of the life in Your Word. Lord give me this day my daily bread, a deeper revelation of Yourself that will help me stand amidst the arrows that fly in the day, the destruction that lays in wait at noon and the pestilence that walks in the darkness. Give me this bread that I may live in Your sight forever. Amen.
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