God Incarnate

Jesus revealed that He believed He was God Incarnate when He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, He will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (Jn. 6:51 NKJV)

The claims of the statement are fantastic and audacious. Jesus was saying He had come from heaven, even though it was well known that He had grown up and lived most of His adult life as a resident of Palestine. He was claiming to be the key to eternal life, a concept about which even the religious leaders of His time could not agree. And He was referring to a sacrifice that would save the entire world, a sacrifice no one could understand because He had not yet died on the cross.

Jesus' claims were absurd in the ears of all who heard Him. They were guaranteed to confuse the general population and antagonize the religious leaders or the powers-that-be.

Jesus risked everything for Truth.

Originally published January 15, 1993

The Staff of Life

Bread is sometimes referred to as the staff of life. As a food, it serves as a foundation for other foods.

Jesus referred to Himself the bread of life. He also said, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. (Jn. 6:35 and 53 NKJV)

The crowds who followed Him were troubled by this message. They didn’t understand that He was talking about spiritual food, that He was referring to Himself as a foundation. Many turned back—no longer followed Jesus because they thought the saying was hard. Jesus wasn’t telling them they should literally consume His flesh. His point was that they should spiritually discern the truth of His Word, His ministry. They should spiritually absorb or consume His Life, they should build their lives upon Him.

It isn’t easy to spiritually discern Jesus. We have similar problems today, we’d rather live by laws. But Jesus says, As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (v. 57)

Originally published March 4, 1988.
Picture: Fountain in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2008. Photo by Ken.

The People Questioned Jesus

Multitudes sought Jesus during His early ministry. When Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, the people followed, supposedly wanting more and more of whatever He had to offer. But their specific focus was food. Jesus said, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes. . . . (Jn. 6:26,27 NKJV)

Then the people questioned Jesus. They referred to God’s miraculous provision during the forty years in the Wilderness by quoting Scriptures from Exodus. They spoke as though they were trying determine if Jesus was a leader like Moses. In their conversation, they revealed their true interest when they continued to focus on food or physical provision.

Jesus understood physical needs, He met people’s needs regularly. But here He changed the focus from physical food to spiritual truth. He emphasized that manna didn’t come from Moses but from God. And He said of Himself, the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (v. 33)

Originally published February 22, 1991.