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Bread of LifeChristmas meditation

Christmas: Jesus the Living Bread

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Akin to the words of Isaiah in chapter 55, Jesus asks the crowd why they labour for food which perishes. He then declared Himself to be the bread of life. In His exhortation He explained the necessity of feeding on Him. His words were spirit and offended the listeners who thought in fleshly terms. When Jesus arrived as a baby, He was sent by God, to be the bread which gives eternal life.

Sent by God

Jesus was sent from heaven by God the Father. It was all God’s will. Unlike the manna in their stories of Moses, Jesus was the true bread of life. While those who ate manna died, those who believed in Jesus receive life abundant and eternal.

Bread of Life

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus said. “I am the living bread … I come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” His words were hard to understand and many quit following Him.

Life: Abundant and Eternal

Heavenly truths are spiritually understood. “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” Peter summed it up. “You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This Christmas may we feed on the Lord Jesus Christ that our souls may live.

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Bread of LifeJesus Encounters

Troubling Words

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

After Jesus spoke to the Jews at the synagogue in Capernaum, they argued among themselves and tried to understand the words they had heard. “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.” These were hard words indeed. How does one respond to such troubling words. In John 6: 60 -71, the Jews respond to the troubling words of Jesus by walking away, by looking to Him, or by betrayal.

“Walk in the light as He is in the light.” 1 John 1:7

By Walking Away

Jesus had many disciples who on hearing such troubling words murmured amongst themselves. They could not understand. They tried to figure out who this man was. Was John the Baptist alive again? How about Elijah or one of the other prophets? There definitely was something about Him, but bread from heaven? Jesus knew their thoughts. “Is this offensive, will it be a stumbling block? What if you saw Jesus go back to where he came from? It is the Spirit who gives life.” Jesus already knew how each one would respond. He told them again that the ability to come to Him was granted by God the Father. Many walked away even among his disciples who had walked with Him.

By Looking to Jesus

To the twelve remaining, Jesus asked if they too were going to respond by walking away. But Peter asked the right question. “Where else would we go?” Then he says, “You have the words of eternal life.” Beyond the life-giving words Jesus spoke, Peter believed. He believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Even if he didn’t understand, he knew Jesus was where to look. Jesus had the answers. Peter stuck with Jesus because oh what the Father in heaven revealed it to him.

Betrayal

While some walked away, some stayed, yet another group determined to be rid of Him. Although it didn’t happen in this passage, Jesus refers to the betrayal by Judas. He chose twelve but still one of them was “a devil.” He became the one through whom the Jewish people found a way to be rid of this man they could not understand.

There is always a response when the light confronts the darkness. Some in blindness walk away, some look to the light for further illumination while others choose to destroy it. In John 6: 60 -71, the Jews respond to the troubling words of Jesus by walking away, by looking to Him, or by betrayal.

Pray to the Father for revelation.

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Bread of Life

Jesus Spoke Tough Words

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Jesus, we read last week, declared Himself to be the ‘Bread of Life.’ Today as we look at John 6:41-59, more tough words surface. These words caused a stumbling block to the Jewish people in the synagogue of Capernaum. They quarreled among themselves who this man really was, and Jesus spoke tough words, speaking of life and the Father.

“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man nd and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

Questioning Who Jesus Was

The words Jesus spoke caused the Jews to quarrel among themselves. “How could He say that He had come down from heaven, that He was bread? Was this not Joseph’s son? We know his parents. Don’t his brothers and sisters live among us? How can He make such claims?” They relied on their natural eyes and could not grasp what He was saying.

Jesus Spoke Tough Words

Jesus then scolded them for their quarrelling. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me, draws Him.” For one, He told them He was sent by the Father. Secondly, it was the work of the Father to bring them to Himself. Jesus further explained what the prophets meant when they wrote, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Basically, if they had heard from the Father, they would come to him. He continued to explain that He alone, had descended from the Father, and had seen Him.

Tough Words about Life and the Father

Jesus continued to explain Himself as the bread of life. This bread is different than the manna in the wilderness, where all who ate the manna died. This is not the case with the living bread that comes down from heaven. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”

At this point Jesus confounded them when He stated; “the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” As they discussed among themselves how such a thing could be conceived, Jesus boldly proclaimed: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” It was the only way to be a part of Him. It would give to those who believed, the power to have eternal life and be raised on the last day. As Jesus lived because of the Father, so would the world live by feeding on Him. These were tough words.

They quarreled among themselves who this man really was, and Jesus spoke tough words, speaking of life and the Father. What was the reaction to His tough words? We will reflect on the answer next time.

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Bread of Life

Feast of Tabernacles

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Celebrate

As the children of Nehemiah’s Israel stood to hear and to understand from the Book of the Law of the Lord, they heard it was time to celebrate. God had given Moses instructions to feast and how to do it. In fact, God set in place feasts to be held not only once a year, but actually several times over the year. One of them was the Feast of Tabernacles which was to be held on the 15th day of the 7th month of their calendar. It was celebrated after harvest and was to last for seven days. This was to be the first time since the days of Joshua, that they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, however, God had used Nehemiah to restore His people and the time of celebration had arrived. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time to celebrate through worship, feasting, remembering and rejoicing.

Worship

The grand purpose of the celebration was to worship God. This happened when they put aside their regular work schedules and made offerings to the Lord. The first and the eighth day they were to rest. This feast was a time to fulfill their vows, and to bring their gifts to Him. They were to put aside regular routines and practices. God was to be their focus. So, Ezra read the Book of the Law, and they worshiped. For, once more, God had delivered and restored His people.

Feasting

First of all it was a feast to be held for seven days. The feast was to the Lord and to be built into their culture. The Israelite people of Nehemiah’s day celebrated the feast for seven days. They made their booths and sat in them on their roofs, their courtyards, the courts of the Lord’s house and in the open squares of the gates.

Remembering

One component of the feast was remembrance. God did not want His people to forget what He had done for them after the great deliverance from Egypt. He wanted the generations to know that He had made them to live in booths at that time. God wanted the feast to be celebrated down through the life and culture of the Israelite people as a means of remembering the God who was their deliverer and provider. It was to be an integral part of their heritage.

Rejoicing

In addition to remembering, the feast was to be a time of rejoicing before the Lord for seven days. We are told there was great gladness among the people.

How does it apply to us? During the times of focusing on God, the mind is purified and exalted. As well, the body is refreshed from not working. During feasting the grip of worry and anxiety over lack is reduced. In remembering the work of God in each of our lives, strength anew is found and we see the places where we developed spiritual muscle. In rejoicing, there is renewed power over the temptation to despair. We, His church, need these times of refreshing; times of worship, feasting, remembering and rejoicing.

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