Bread
We're all familiar with what bread is.
In our lives, bread is used in so many different ways, we often aren't aware of it unless we don't have it. When a bad
winter storm hits, one of the first things people rush out for (and deplete the shelves of their local supermarket of) is
bread. For us, it is a common staple that we only miss when we have none left; but for people in other parts of the
world such as the Middle East, bread is vital to survival.
This is why Jesus used it in several of his teachings:
"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. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and
giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I
am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John
6:32-35, KJV)
Jesus was telling them a couple of things here: The first, and the most obvious, is that unlike physical bread, the
bread he was offering them would not run out, nor would they be hungry again after a while. When you eat regular
bread, you get hungry again, and want more to eat. But what Jesus was offering was more than to satiate physical
hunger, it was to feed the people spiritually, without which we become spiritually famished and weak.
And this leads into the second point.
The "bread" the people were used to was the teachings of the Pharisees, whom had included not only the 612 laws
of Torah, but a whole plethora of rules and traditions that had to be obeyed. While this seemed very "religious"
from the outside, it was nothing more than "fluff". The rules and practices they had devised were simply for the
sake of appearances, not any true devotion or love for the God of the Patriarchs.
It was all show, and no substance.
Allow me to illustrate, if I may:
Look at a slice of modern "white" bread. You'll see that it is very light, due to the composition of the bread. There
are numerous holes in the bread itself, the result of the leavening that is used to bake the bread. Also, the wheat that
is used is bleached and processed, but in that process loses much of its' nutritional value (hence the "enriching").
The result is a light piece of bread that tastes good, but isn't particularly filling. it's almost a dessert rather than a
solid food.
Now look at a whole grain bread such as rye or pumpernickel. It has a much denser texture, and has weight to it.
While it too has leaven, the holes are smaller and the bread has a denser texture. This bread tends to stay with you
when you eat it, rather than leaving you hungry after a couple of hours.
Let's compare this for a moment with scripture:
"And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them,
Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith,
why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember
the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you
concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood
they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees." (Matthew 16:5-12)
Jesus was not telling the disciples to watch out for physical bread, but the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The "bread" that they were offering was light, and without much nutrition spiritually, where as the bread Jesus
offered was far superior, in that if fed a man spiritually, and stayed with them. All the Pharisees and Sadducees
offered were rules, regulations and bondage. Jesus offered eternal life and freedom, because the law that the
Pharisees and Sadducees clung so tightly to was only ever meant to LEAD to Jesus:
"I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 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." (John 6:48-51, KJV)
In today's world, we will often run into teachings and whole belief systems that are like white bread: tasty,
appealing to the palate, but bereft of any nutrition to our spirit, and ultimately worthless. It leaves us famished and
in want. Just like in the day of the Pharisees, we will encounter "bread" that is filled with the leaven Jesus warned
about, that creates holes and makes a light "product" that does not fill. This especially holds true for many
"churches" that put on the equivalent of a rock concert, followed by a watered-down sermon that barely even speaks
of sin and repentance. All of it looks and "tastes" great, but there is very little substance to it...
In short, you're left eating AIR.
Only the true bread offered by Christ in scripture can permanently satisfy our hunger. It may not appeal to our
"palates", but it is not mean to be appealing to our fleshly wants.
It is meant to feed our inner man. The new man that we put on when we are saved by his precious blood.
I bid you all peace.
YBIC,
-Robert
