Bread and Water

www.bible.com/72/jhn.6.35.hcsb

We live in an age where food is king. In our culture, food exists on every corner. Our question isn’t “can we eat today?” But “where do you want to eat today?” Our options are almost limitless. Even the poor have “food stamps” to make sure they don’t go hungry. We emphasize how and where we eat. We also put priority on the kinds of food we eat. Are we getting enough fiber? Are there enough greens? What about protein? Are there too many carbs or sugars? Is it gluten-free?

When Jesus speaks to the crowds in rural Galilee, the people He speaks to don’t have any of those options. They can’t just “go out” to get something to eat. Their food was earned by the sweat of their brow and the tool of heir hands. As Paul says later, “a man who does not work does not eat.” We have surely disconnected the two. For Jesus to offer Himself as bread and water to this crowd was saying to them, “I offer you the essentials of your daily life. I want you to receive me as such.” He is bread and water they do not have to labor to receive. He is as basic and essential to life as these, and He offers Himself freely to them, so that they could really live. He offers them life beyond the borders of daily struggle to life abundant, life everlasting.

Something we overlook in our daily regimen is vitamin J. Maybe it’s time we included Him.

God bless you today!