Give Us Bread!

"Give us bread," the disciples implored Jesus, after a lengthy conversation with Him as recorded in John 6.

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. (John 6:26-34, King James Version)

Give Us Bread

It was truly a miraculous event. The crowd who had been fed continued to search for Jesus until they found him on the other side of the lake. Jesus looked at them sadly; He knew their hearts.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

This must have been an extremely frustrating conversation for the Lord Jesus. He saw the true propensity of man to care more for physical things rather than spiritual. They had already seen the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, but they still wanted another sign--something they could see, like the manna that had rained down from heaven to the Israelites wandering in the desert.

How much are we like these people? Are we more consumed by the physical things of life--what we eat, what we wear, what kind of house we live in? It is hard not to be consumed by the things we see and face every single day, but Jesus is calling the multitude to think beyond the physical. That call goes out to us today as well.

What forces lead and guide us each day? What consumes our waking hours? Are we consumed by our physical needs, or are we lead and guided by our spiritual needs. Jesus, the Bread of Heaven, is just as available to us today as He was to the Jews in John 6.

I challenge you today to seek Jesus; do not seek a sign as did the unbelieving Jews, but seek Jesus, Himself.

The book of John is a wonderful book, giving us a closer view of who the Lord Jesus Christ really is. I pray that our study will bring us closer and closer to Him.

When the disciples implored Jesus, "Give us bread," they did not realize that they were already having a conversation with the true Bread of Heaven!

Next: Bread of Life - Verses 35 - 40