“ Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).” John 6:35 AMPC
As always, there was a great crowd following Jesus wherever He went. There were people hanging on every word He spoke, because they knew His Word had power. Indeed, a man with a message will always command an audience. It is now left to the audience to define the reason why it is seeking that message. At the start of the chapter from where the verse above is taken, we read part of the motive of the crowd: “a great crowd was following Him because they had seen the signs and miracles which He continually performed upon those who were sick.” . Why are you following Jesus? Is it only because of what you seek, or because you truly know who He is?
Of course, as with a crowd, you cannot read motives. You can interpret actions. The crowd was fed with just five loaves of bread and two small fishes, and this was enough for the crowd to want to seize Him and make Him king, He withdrew by Himself from the crowd. Again, why do you seek Jesus? Is it all about the physical needs being met? The crowd was not deterred; they went all out to seek Jesus, even using boats to cross the sea to look for Jesus. The motive may not have been right at the start, but the effort must be appreciated. With Jesus, you cannot search for Him and still lose, as long as your heart is right. The crowd may have been seeking for food, but what they got was indeed food, the kind that does not spoil, expire or perish.
Like regular human beings, who does not like endless supply of food? The people had seen a man who could 'multiply' food. It would have been great to have this man as king, but Jesus had a bigger view of what was at stake. The physical is temporal and temporary. The physical is limited. The physical can run out and be exhausted. The physical is subject to man's manipulation. That is why it is very dangerous to live only on that which is physical. The people wanted the bread that never runs out. Maybe they thought it was some physical thing, but Jesus made that eternal statement, which is the first sentence in the verse above: ' I am the Bread of Life'.
He is not one of many options; He is the only One who could make such a statement. It was not something subject to acceptance by man. Whether I accept it as true or not does not in any way lessen the power of Jesus as that bread that fully satisfies. As it has been laid down, Jesus does not force Himself on anyone; He invites anyone who is willing to come to Him. If I come and take of Him, the promise is that I will never thirst anymore. He invites us to come and believe in Him. He is the One who truly satisfies, leaving no room for anything or anyone else. The invite still stands till today; tomorrow is not guaranteed. Take of Him today. God's time of favour is here.
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