September 23rd
Come
John 6:35, 51
“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
My guess is that you don’t recall what you ate for lunch last Friday. Or yesterday, for that matter. But I’m confident that you ate something over the last 7 days. It’s physiology – one must eat physical food in order to physically live.
The same is true spiritually. One must eat spiritual food in order to spiritually live.
In this context, we understand that Jesus’ words do not describe a mixture of flour, water, salt, and yeast. This is not physical bread to satisfy your growling stomach. He is speaking of spiritual bread that can satisfy your anxious soul.
Mother Teresa helps us grasp what Jesus means when she says, “The hunger for love is more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
Indeed. Every human heart is made for love – to be loved and for that love to satisfy not just for now but forever. In other words, our hearts were made to need and receive an endless supply of love. Is this not one prism by which we understand the gospel? God’s love poured out through His Son’s life, death, and resurrection.
This is the bread that is Jesus. He alone can satisfy our hunger for love, acceptance, belonging, and meaning. And he is ours when we come and when we trust (eat) him.
Have you tasted endless love today? You can.
I know many of you say “grace” before a meal. Let’s all try something different today. Before you take a bite of any food today, whisper or say in your mind, “Jesus, your love for me is the only love that can satisfy the hunger in my heart for love. And you do.”
