Dear Friends,
The cold weather is here now and my garden has a light blanket of golden brown leaves that have dropped from the tree.
Special times for families and friends get together come along with the cold weather. Gathering together for meals is as important today as it was many years ago. We can find a few examples in the Bible of times when Jesus shared meals with friends. The expression "breaking bread" takes on a special meaning when we look at these examples and remember what He said about it. Bread itself was an important part of the culture and we can learn so much when we see what He said about bread and what He did with it.
We could call John chapter 6 "the bread chapter" since bread is mentioned so often. It begins in the beautiful, grassy hills of Galilee. A conversation came up between Jesus and Philip concerning the hungry crowd of people who were following Jesus. These people were hungry for real food as well as for the words of Jesus. He used five loaves of bread and two fish from a young boy's lunch to feed the multitude of hungry people.
The miracle didn't end with the people being fed. Twelve baskets were filled with the bread and fish that were left after everyone was finished eating. Jesus provides more than enough to satisfy us. This miracle was a way for Him to say with actions that He is the Bread of Life.
He reminded the people that His Father was the one who gave the people bread from heaven while they were in the wilderness. The manna sustained them during the 40 year journey.
At the Last Supper as He broke bread with His apostles He said, "Do this to remember me."
I want to encourage you to look to Him for the filling you seek. When you are in need and the the hunger you feel is more than physical bread can fill, remember His words.
John 6:35
"Jesus replied, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'"
John 6:48
"Yes, I am the bread of life!"
John 6:58
"I am the true bread that came down from heaven..."
