“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for-ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:50
Most of us find it hard to accept a free gift. We often think there has to be catch and we check the small print. We tend to be cautious about just being able to receive things with no strings attached. We say things like “it sounds too good to be true!” This is what the message of the gospel is all about. The too good to be true news. Jesus came to give his life for you and me today. He came to earth to offer himself up as a sacrifice so that today we can walk in a relationship with His Father.
When Jesus walked the earth, he revealed himself as the bread of life. The Jews had received manna in the wilderness that fed them and sustained their physical bodies each day. Jesus, “the living bread that came down from heaven”, came not just to meet the physical needs in their bodies that would ultimately decay and die but he came to meet their deepest spiritual need, to reunite them to their heavenly Father and give them a life that would last forever.
Take a minute to consider the magnitude and immensity of this. The great I Am. The one and only God, who is supreme and above all. He steps out of heaven and comes and dwells among us. His flesh is torn, and his body broken, his blood is poured out and he humbles himself to death on a cross. He sacrifices himself for you and me.
There is nothing that we can do to earn this he gives us this new life as a free gift.
The pharisees could not accept this. They were holding onto their good works. Their confidence was in their efforts. They felt good about themselves because they could compare themselves with others who were falling further short of the standard than they were. Their system was built on comparison and one up-man-ship, they would tell themselves “I might not be perfect but at least I am better than him.” This is the world’s system based on performance and competition one in which we can’t celebrate others success because somehow we feel it leaves us feeling lacking. Jesus came to destroy this mindset. To tear down every barrier that was separating humanity from each other and from his Father. He takes away the striving and self - effort of man’s attempts to connect with God and he makes it very simple. There is one way, and it is through him alone! If you want access to the Father, you come to him and you feed from him.
Today He has made a way to provide for everyone of your needs. As you partake of the Lord’s supper you are declaring the finished work of the cross. You eat his flesh and drink his blood and receive all the benefits that his sacrifice paid to bring you. You receive his wholeness, his life, his peace, his provision, his protection. Whatever you need today He will supply. He is your bread of life!
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020