As we’ve enjoyed the last of Jesus’ seven ‘I am’ statements – I am the true Vine – let’s spend a few days revisiting the other I am statements in John, beginning with the first:
John 6:35-40Who are you? Or rather, if you were asked to describe yourself, what would you say?
Studded throughout John’s gospel are seven answers to this question: seven ways that Jesus used to describe himself. But they’re not quite the sort of thing we might say about ourselves! Which probably isn’t a surprise… today, however, we read the first of them: ‘I am the bread of life’ (v35).
It’s a natural follow-on from what Jesus has been saying in the last few verses. Life is found, Jesus has said, not just in physical sustenance, but in believing in him; in working for food that endures, eternal nourishment. It makes sense, then, for Jesus to summarise his teaching in this famous and striking phrase: ‘I am the bread of life.’
To know life, we must ‘feed on’ Jesus. As the church grew, this sense of feeding naturally became associated with the act of receiving bread and wine, which is variously called Communion, the Eucharist (from the word ‘to give thanks’), the Mass (the old word for ‘feast’) or the Lord’s Supper.
That’s all well and good, and it gives us a tangible ‘hook’ to interpret the phrase – but this is probably not the first meaning. Since, from what he’s just been saying, Jesus is quite clearly drawing a distinction with the physical act of eating bread, it much more likely means a spiritual union with Jesus – to trust in him, to receive his Spirit, to be filled with his abiding presence day by day.
And let’s go a little further and note that the very phrase ‘I am’ is significant. In Greek it’s heavily emphasised by Jesus in the words Ego eimi – I Am: capital I, capital A. The name God gave the Israelites, the name so holy that no Jew would speak it – Yahweh – is almost impossible to transcribe, but in Greek it is usually rendered as (you guessed it) ‘I Am’.
So, this is more than just a striking description of Jesus’ mission and purpose. It points towards his identity at the very deepest and most profound level. Jesus is not just a good human being, he is the divine Son, God on earth in human form.
It follows that, as we feed on this bread of life, we are not just receiving something that leads us towards God, we are feeding on God himself. Jesus dwells in us by his Spirit – not just for a few hours until we need to eat again, but permanently. No wonder Jesus was able to say: ‘if you feed on me, you won’t go (spiritually) hungry again’ (v35).
Today, let’s give thanks for this gift of the bread of life. Let’s consciously choose to receive it again. And let’s resolve to keep ‘feeding’ on the abiding presence of Christ, nourishing our lives every hour of every day.