DECEMBER 26

Joshua Scott

What’s the point of eating? That probably sounds like a strange question because the answer is obvious, right? We eat because we must. If we don’t eat, we die.

In Exodus 16 there’s a story of God’s provision for the Israelites while they were wandering in the wilderness. The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron because they didn’t have anything to eat, so God sent them “bread from heaven” (16:4), that they might eat, and by eating, they might live. But God, full of grace, gave them more than enough to live. In fact, God provided enough so that each had “as much as he could eat” (16:21). They were satisfied… physically.

But we have a deeper problem, don’t we? We may have eaten until bursting at the seams this Christmas, but food alone will never satisfy our inner hunger. There remains that nagging feeling that something is not quite right with our souls. Well, what if there’s food that could satisfy that inner hunger?

In John 6, Jesus is found by a crowd who, just the day before, saw Him miraculously feed over 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Notice what He says to them, 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 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. (John 6:47-51)

Here’s the vivid picture our Lord gives to us: the people of Israel ate bread from heaven, and though they lived by it, they eventually died. You now have the opportunity to eat a true and better bread from heaven: Christ Himself, who will satisfy your inner, spiritual hunger. Now, it might sound weird to think of eating Christ, so notice how Jesus defines it, “whoever believes has eternal life.” The believing and eating are the same thing.

What a brilliant picture! If you’re starving and someone offers you food to eat, you don’t just nibble on it. You eat every bit of what you’re given until you’re completely satisfied. Nibbling on the bread of life is not an option, you need every bit of it. Translation: don’t leave any of Jesus behind when you put your trust in Him, you need every bit of who He is. And in God’s kindness, through Christ you not only have enough to live another day, but enough to satisfy you for eternity.