When Jesus entered His public ministry, He made some bold declarations about Himself. Those declarations were not the kind that you could easily ignore or decide to be neutral about. They were the kind that would either demand you falling on your knees and worshipping the Son of Man or being offended by His claims!
Bread of Life
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. John 6:51
From their history, the Jewish people knew that manna sustained them in the desert for forty years. Mann meant “What is it?” In simplicity, God provided them sustenance to carry them through. At that time, they could not settle down to make a life and enjoy the many varieties of food that they were used to before they left Egypt.
Bread is a very valuable food to the Middle Eastern culture. Because of its sustaining simplicity, it is honored by people. Growing up, I remember seeing people pick a piece of bread off the ground and put it aside, so others inadvertently wouldn’t step on it. Bread was seen as a source of provision from the Lord and one that everyone should be thankful for.
When Jesus made the bold declaration that He was the bread of life, He was declaring that He was sent from heaven for provision of humanity. He was communicating that regardless of the season in life, He was going to continue to be the source of sustenance. Believing in Jesus sometimes may feel like “What is it?” wondering if Jesus has the power to change the situation and satisfy the hungry souls. However, in simplicity of faith, the bread of life will sustain His children and carry them through.
Just as the Israelites started complaining that they wanted more than manna, sometimes we tend to get bored and crave for more. Instead, we need to continue to be thankful to the Lord for His consistent and faithful provision in our lives even when we have cravings for other things.
Light of the World
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
Another bold declaration that Jesus made was that He is the light of the world. God is the creator of all things and allowed the light to come, and He separated light from the darkness (See Genesis 1:3-5). In essence Jesus was stating that He was the true light that came to expose the darkness in the world (See John 1:1-5).
Light allows to us to see what we cannot otherwise see. If we didn’t have the sunlight we wouldn’t have the brightness of a day. With today’s technology and electricity, we usually have some of sort of light in the darkness, but if you were camping you know how dark it can get in the night. Unless you have some of sort of flashlight or lantern with you, it can be very difficult to see.
When the Israelites were in the desert, God gave them a pillar of fire for light to guide them in the night. Our eyes work with light. Regardless of how powerful our eyesight can be, it requires light entering the eye through the cornea before our eyes can process the information, so we can see.
Jesus was basically telling His people that there will be darkness all around us. However, we don’t have to walk in darkness, confusion, or despair if we follow Him. Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit lights the way. We need to trust Him that even when we don’t know where we are going, He will with us, and He lights the way. His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (See Psalm 119:105). Trusting Him will help us to stay on track and not lose our way in the midst of the journey.
The Lord will sustain us through His bread and will give us light to see, so we won’t walk in darkness. Let’s pray today and ask the Lord to help us in areas where we feel a lack or don’t see clearly. Jesus made the declarations, “I am” not “I do”. Provision and vision is part of His identity. It means when we go to Him, His provision and His light is available to help us in life! Thank you Father! Thank you Jesus! And Thank you Holy Spirit!