Our Daily Bread

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May 10th, 2012

In the ancient Eastern world, bread was as necessary as oxygen is to us. Without bread, you could not sustain life for very long. It isn’t surprising then that the word “bread” is mentioned nearly 80 times in the New Testament alone. Jesus used this earthly essential in order to teach a truth that is eternal. The people to whom he was speaking, however, could not grasp how a poor carpenter’s son could be used of God to bring us the “living bread.” They were excited about the bread and fish banquet Jesus had just prepared for them, but they stumbled over the idea that he might be the “bread that came down from heaven.”

John 6 gives me pause to consider the “bread” part of the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). Am I more concerned about my bread that comes from the market? Or, can I also pray and ask for my daily bread that comes from above? No doubt God is pleased when we celebrate Jesus as the “Bread of Life”.