"30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Isn't it funny how, as humans, we tend to get a story backwards after awhile? It's like that game we used to play as kids, telephone, where one person starts a "message" and whispers it into the next persons ear and then he whispers it to the next kid and on down the line, until the last person says the "message" out loud. How many times have we played that game, and how many times has that message been the same at the beginning as it was at the end? I can tell you that in my own experience it was NEVER the same at the end; in fact the kids/teens I played with tried their hardest to make that message "close, but different". It appears that the Israelites have done the same thing here with their flight from Egypt. They seem to think that it was Moses who provided them bread, or manna, in the wilderness; when in fact it was God who did that for them. It seems at times, that the Israelites have idolized their ancestors a bit. I wrote last week about Jesus and the women at the well; she idolized Jacob. John 4:11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” I feel like telling her; HEY LADY YOU ARE TALKING TO JESUS!!
I'm pretty sure that Jesus knew how we, as humans, would react. He knew that we would/will make people more important then our God, but even so; how must that have hurt and frustrated Him! In this passage He is not only fighting that tenancy for us to idolize; but also to show them who He is! He is the Son of God; the bread of life, as He states it. I, for one, would have been a bit like the lady at the well; wondering just WHO this guy that he was; but realizing quickly, that I wanted what He was offering!
What is He offering? Well He's offering eternal love, forgiveness and a chance to be a Child of God. I think I've done a lot of searching in my life for these things, and I can tell you that the only way I've found peace with any of them is through Jesus Christ. I was young when I gave my life to Christ, and I was very immature in my faith. Through the years, the trails, I've grown up in that faith. I've seen many things happen that could only be explained by the Grace of God. How could I knowingly refuse this Bread of Life that He is offering to me? I'm the girl who loves to eat, so this concept of Bread of Life really fits with my personality. God wants to give me the ONE thing I need to sustain me, to take away my hunger for life. Thank You Jesus for being my Bread of Life! I praise Your name that no matter what the message sounds like at the end of this human game of "telephone" You are still that Bread for my life!
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