Living Bread

 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors 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. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ John 6:35, 41-51

As Americans, we live with so much abundance, so much food in so many varieties,  that we really have no concept of life without daily bread. A little yeast and flour can go a long way for a family living from hand to mouth, in places where resources are few. In our greedy abundance, we criticize those who eat products with gluten, we follow gurus who tell us we must eat as our ancestors did. We fail to recognize that my ancestors, and many other people's ancestors, were starving in the very recent past. The gift of a loaf of bread would have brought so much joy and gratitude. 

The crowd around Jesus knew starvation, want and poverty. Some were his friends and neighbors who had a hard time imagining him as anything more than the boy next door. Yet these neighbors also worked hard for their daily bread, often go without to feed their children. They did not feel secure, ever. They were not comfortable, wealthy or part of the right group of folks. They were the neglected, rejected, often starving folks. It is to them Jesus says he is living bread, they will be full, and God is in their midst to fulfill their spiritual and physical needs. Jesus speaks to us today, about seeking the living bread, seeking what we truly need to thrive, trusting that all else will fall into place.

Today I ask God to help me seek the Living Bread, day after day. May we set aside worry so that we can be fed and feed others. May we set aside all attitudes that keep us from seeing the needs around us.