The Bread of Life

…simple joy by simpler living

‭‭John‬ ‭6:35‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.6.35.ESV

I am doing a Bible Study studying many of the names of Jesus. When I saw this verse, I had much more of an understanding of this verse than I had years ago prior to learning about real bread made from the whole wheat grain.

To really understand this verse, we need to know what the bread was that Jesus is talking about. Bread was made from start to finish in homes from the whole grain to the finished bread. It is nothing like the bread now available in stores today which is devoid of almost anything good.

The Amazing Benefits of the Whole Wheat Grain

The wheat grain, in its whole form, is one of the most nutritionally dense foods. Once ground into flour, the nutrients begin to deteriorate and oxidize so it needs to be made into bread immediately to maintain its nutrition and keep from turning rancid.

To prevent flour currently sold in grocery stores from becoming rancid, part of the grain is removed– the part with the most nutrients. What is left is the least nutritional part. Basically all of the gluten and none of the nutrition.

Today, the flour and bread we have in our grocery stores, even “whole wheat “, is not nearly what was found in Ancient times. It’s really not even healthy.

So when the Bible talks about bread, it is talking about it using its entire whole grain, being nutrionally dense and providing a plethora of nutrients for healing and sustaining health. It was an essential part of a balanced meal necessary for our bodies’ daily functioning up until a century ago.

This bread is still able to be made today, you just need to buy whole wheat berries and a grain mill to grind it yourself. With the modern appliances that are available, this task is very easily done. I can grind wheat and pop in my bread machine in less than 10 minutes. Three hours later, I have steaming, moist, delicious bread that literally melts in my mouth. Delicious and so nutritious! Because I make and eat this freshly milled bread on a regular basis, I can attest to the difference it makes from other bread.

Nutritious, Filling, Satisfying

It satisfies hunger like I have never experienced before. Prior to grinding my own wheat, I was the queen of snacks. My pantry was filled with chips, cookies and other snacks because I was always hungry. After I started grinding my own wheat and making bread with this super food, I was no longer hungry AT ALL between breakfast and lunch. In fact, I stopped eating lunch at noon because I didn’t get hungry until 2 ish.

When I filled upon the best food, my body had more energy, healed up and didn’t hunger for less beneficial things.

So real bread that is referred to in the Bible is:

• immensely nutritious
• immensely filling
• immensely satisfying

Jesus is the Bread of Life

In John 6: 35, Jesus says He is the Bread of Life. Just like real bread made from the whole grain, Jesus is the:

• ultimate spiritual nutrition
• ultimate filling of our souls
• ultimate satisfaction

When He fills our hearts, we no longer yearn for cheaper, lesser things to fill us because other things pale in comparison to His glory and His love. Anything else that we fill ourselves with will only leave us hungry. Whoever comes to Him, shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Him shall never thirst. Jesus is The Bread of Life!