Living Bread

What is living bread? What did Jesus mean when He told the people that they had to eat His body and drink His blood?

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. (John 6:49-59, King James Version)

Living Bread

What was Christ saying in this passage? Why were the Jews so terribly offended by His words?

The Jews looked upon Jesus as a man just like them. Therefore, they took the words that Jesus spoke literally. No wonder they were confused when they said, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

Do you realize that these verses apply to us as well? We, too, are commanded to eat the and drink the blood of Christ as well, but what does that mean?

To understand this, we have to go back to the real reason that Christ came to this earth. He had one purpose, and everything He did and said was focused on this reason. Christ, the God Man, came to this earth so that his body would be broken and His blood shed for a people condemned to die.

What is there within us that makes us better or more savable than non-believers? Nothing! It is so very important that we realize that nothing we have done or could ever do would make us worthy of Christ's death. Only by God's grace are we saved, and not of ourselves!

Nothing should humble us more than to realize that we do not deserve eternal life. The only way to God is through the broken body and shed blood of Christ! Before we look down upon the ungodly, we must remember that, except for the grace of God, that is exactly where we would be!

Go to Christ today! Accepting His broken body and shed blood as payment for your sins is the only way to God. Only through Christ can we have eternal life.

If that does not bring tears to your eyes, nothing else will. Oh how unworthy we are for such a Christ as this! Truly, Christ is our Living Bread; He is all we need for salvation!

That was what the Jews could not and would not understand. They saw only a man standing before them, who, in their mind, was no more righteous than them. How sad!

We are only sinners saved by grace!

Amen! So let it be!