JESUS SAID, "I AM"
The Bread of Life
Day 16 Monday
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EXPLORE THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST
For us there is one God, the Father,
from whom are all things and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8: 6).
JOHN 6: 29-35
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave 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.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
JOHN 6: 48-56
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
CONSIDER
In the days following the Exodus, the LORD’s people journeyed through the wilderness. God fed them by providing a bread-like substance called manna. It appeared every morning, just enough to satisfy the day’s needs.
What improvement on manna, the bread from heaven, does Jesus declare in these passages?
What is the “health benefit” of eating Jesus, the bread of life?
How does he say that we “eat” of him?
Recall a time or season of life in which Jesus sustained you with the bread of life through the wilderness.
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PRAY THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Begin with the Jesus Prayer. Pray it reflectively several times, for yourself or on behalf of another.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Then pray the day’s prayer slowly and repeatedly for at least a minute (that’s about seven times). Allow the prayer to take you into the meaning of the day’s facet of Jesus’ name. Pray it for yourself and/or on behalf of another. Take your time and trust this process!
Lord Jesus Christ, Bread of Life who alone can satisfy,
fill me with yourself this day.
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LIVE INTO THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
He has granted to us his precious and very great promises,
so that through them you might become partakers of his divine
nature . . . For this very reason, supplement your faith with
virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness,
brotherly affection and love (2 Peter 1: 4-7).
PSALM 145: 15-19
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 16
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
CONSIDER
How is communion a participation in Jesus the Bread of Life?
Why does it matter that we partake of the Lord’s Supper together?
How is the cumulative effect of the Supper more important than any one Sunday’s partaking? (As someone said, “I may not remember exactly what I had for lunch last Wednesday, but I know I’ve eaten!”)
In what ways have you found Jesus to be as necessary as basic food to your life?
Close by singing this verse from a hymn by Martin Luther:
Then let us feast this joyful day on Christ, the bread of heaven;
The Word of grace hath purged away the old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls doth feed, he is our meat and drink indeed.
Faith lives upon no other. Hallelujah!
Martin Luther. Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands,
adapting the medieval prayer called Exultet. 1524.
LISTEN TO TODAY'S HYMN
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