“Sustenance” 9-21-25

Overview

Sustenance: Christ, the Bread of Life

After the feeding of the five thousand, the crowds chased Jesus along the shoreline wanting more bread—more signs, more full stomachs, more of what He could provide for the moment. Jesus gently exposes the shallowness of their hunger and lifts their eyes to a deeper need: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" John 6:35. Notice the article: not a bread among many, but the bread. There is no other loaf that satisfies. Every other ingredient we try to gather—a good job, academic success, physical strength, rewarding relationships—may appease the moment, but it cannot fill the soul. As Augustine confessed, "You, Lord, have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Jesus contrasts Himself with the manna of the wilderness John 6:49–51. Manna means "what is it?"—a true gift of God that sustained Israel for forty years, yet it spoiled overnight and could not keep them from dying. Jesus is no manna. He does not spoil, He does not run out, and He sustains not merely the body but the soul, into eternity. When He says, "the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh," He is pointing forward to Calvary—to His body broken and His blood shed for the forgiveness of sin. To "eat" this bread, in the heart of John 6, is to hear and believe that Christ is the Lamb sacrificed for us. That faith is itself the eating; that faith is the sustenance of life now and forever.

This means we are not the bakers. We do not gather ingredients and labor to produce a loaf worthy of God. Christ has done all the gathering, all the kneading, all the giving. We are vessels who receive Him—through His Word and through the Sacrament where, in bread and wine, He places into our hands the tangible promise of forgiveness. Fittingly, the Bread of Life was born in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," and continues to feed His people in the house of God. Like the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23, He leads us to green pastures and still waters, feeding our deepest need and refreshing our souls.

So come hungry. Come thirsty. Come restless. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" Psalm 34:8. And having been filled, become a vessel that overflows—carrying this Bread to neighbors who are still trying to fill themselves with crumbs of this world, when Christ Himself is offered freely to all.

Transcript

If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of John 6 chapter, if you're using a 3s

Pew edition of the Bible, this can be found on page 85 in the New Testament, where in 10s

the Gospel of John 6 chapter. 16s

Before we come to our verses for today, we need to work backwards a little bit to really 19s

understand what's going on. 26s

In the beginning of chapter 6, there was a crowd that followed Jesus because they saw that 30s

he was curing and healing people and doing wonderful signs and performing great miracles 36s

and so they all followed him and then it came to be dark. 42s

And Philip said, where to we to buy bread for these people to eat? 48s

He said this to test him for he himself knew what he was going to do. 52s

Philip answered him six months wages would not be enough bread for each of them to get 56s

a little. 61s

But one of the disciples saw that there was a young child there and he brought him forth 63s

and this child had barley loaves and fish and so Jesus. 67s

Jesus took the loaves and when he had given things, he distributed them to those who were 72s

defeated so also the fish as much as they wanted. 77s

The people that Jesus had given this food to. 83s

They had eaten until they were satisfied. 88s

They ate the bread, they ate the fish and they were happy. 92s

And so as Jesus went on, the crowds followed because they wanted more of this bread. 99s

More of this sign of wonder that he could provide for them. 106s

Bread bread is the absolute staple of life. 113s

Throughout all of scripture, throughout all of the ancient texts, we always see or read of bread. 120s

You know that there is no better smell in the world than bread. 128s

Baking in the oven, the fresh loaf of bread cutting into it, watching the steam rise, putting 135s

some butter on it perhaps and just bread. 143s

We think of bread so fondly. 152s

There's nothing like a good loaf of bread. 155s

But bread bread is also the bear bones of sustenance. 158s

Think of when the prisoner is in his or her cell. 165s

What is brought to them? 168s

But bread and water. 170s

Just to keep them alive. 172s

It's the bear bones of sustenance. 176s

The very, the very bearest of what we need. 182s

Bread isn't a luxury. 190s

It can be, but it isn't always a luxury. 192s

But it is a necessity. 196s

We need bread. 199s

We need bread. 202s

The people had come to Jesus wanting more of the bread. 206s

That he had. 211s

They wanted to see more signs that he could perform because he did something for them 213s

that filled their bellies that made them feel good. 219s

And so they came to him asking, asking for more. 224s

They saw after him. 228s

They knew they wanted something from him, but they were asking. 230s

And seeking after the wrong thing. 235s

Truly, they did not understand what they were seeking after or what they were wanting. 239s

And certainly, they didn't understand what they truly needed. 247s

Look with me, please, at verse 35 in our text. 254s

Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. 257s

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me 263s

will never be thirsty. 268s

We are all hungry. 273s

We are a hungry, hungry people, desperate, desperate to fill our bellies, but really in the 275s

grandeur picture, we are hungry. 285s

We're desperate for meaning. 289s

We're desperate for purpose. 291s

We're we're hungry after hope. 294s

What is it to hunger? 298s

But to long for satisfaction, to seek eagerly after what will be filling, what is it to be thirsty? 302s

But to suffer and long for refreshment. 313s

We seek the bread this side of heaven that will satisfy the empty stomach. 320s

We seek after the bread that will satisfy in the here and the now. 328s

And we are so short-sighted that once we think we receive bread, we forget. 335s

We forget that we will be hungry again. 345s

We're so thirsty seeking after refreshment, longing for a cool drink that when we receive it, 352s

we're so pleased in the moment that we forget that we will be thirsty again. 363s

Saint Augustine said, our hearts are restless. 374s

In our hunger, in our thirst, we are restless. 381s

And we seek and we wander, looking and searching for food that will fill, 388s

looking and searching for drink that will refresh. 395s

And in our sin, we look for the bread of our own making. 400s

We look to be the baker, we look to grab various ingredients of a good job. 410s

Academic success, physical strength, relationships that are rewarding. 422s

And we try to accumulate for ourselves, all of the agreed ingredients that we think will satisfy, 434s

that we think will fill this empty belly of ours. 441s

And we need it and we mix it and we try with all our might to make the bread that will satisfy. 447s

To make the bread that will fill our empty craving, stomachs, but all of the ingredients that we seek, 463s

all of the ingredients that we indeed attain. 482s

They're just ingredients. 489s

They don't fill us. They don't satisfy us. 493s

They may appease us for the here and the now, the moment, but they have no long lasting, 498s

filling, refreshing, effect. 506s

Our hearts are restless. The people came to Jesus eagerly seeking after what he could provide, 512s

bread like the barley loaves that they had enjoyed, bread like the loaves that Jesus had multiplied 521s

out of some sort of miracle. And Jesus told them that they sought after further emptiness, 529s

that what they were seeking after was not true bread, true fulfillment, true satisfaction. 542s

Again, looking at verse 35, Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never 553s

be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty jumping down to verse 47, very truly. 562s

I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life, I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate 572s

the manna in the wilderness and they died. Notice this very important article that Jesus 582s

places every time he talks about bread of life and his being the bread of life, he says, I am the 590s

bread of life. He does not say, I am bread of life, but I am the bread of life. Very truly, I tell you, 602s

I am the bread of life. This is a very, very important article, very important definer. 611s

Because if Jesus said, I am bread of life, then that would mean that there are other loaves in 623s

which we can be satisfied. If Jesus is merely bread of life, then he's like any other bread. 633s

And he would still leave us wanting. But Jesus says, I am the bread of life. The people had brought 647s

up the manna in the desert that had nourished and sustained the Israelites for 40 years. And 660s

he says, looking in verse 49, your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. 668s

The manna in the desert it did provide. It provided the strength and the nourishment they needed 675s

for the moment for the 40 years. It was a gift of provision by God for them. 681s

But it did not sustain them. It did not last. Past. It's intended purpose. 692s

Manna means what is it? They didn't know exactly what it was, but they knew it was from God. 704s

They knew it was special provision from God. And they knew that they received sustenance in it. 712s

It was nourishment. It was provision and it was needed. The sustenance that they required 722s

for the moment. But it was not lasting. It was not a lasting sustenance. Think about 731s

when we read of the manna and how they were to collect just enough for the exact day. And if they 739s

tried to collect more, it would spoil overnight. The manna itself lasted only a day. 746s

Except for the manna they collected for the Sabbath. Then it would last for two days. 756s

Jesus is not manna. Jesus is not manna. He does not spoil. 765s

He does not sustain for only a short period of time. 779s

Jesus is the son of God. He is the bread of life. Look with me, please, at verse 50. This is the bread 789s

that comes down from heaven so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that 802s

came down from heaven, whoever eats of this bread will live forever and the bread that I will 809s

give for the life of the world is my flesh. Ordinary bread, it sustains the physical life. 816s

It gives nourishment for the physical body, but eventually we need more. Eventually we can't even eat 828s

bread. Eventually sustaining off of bread, ordinary bread, we do die. 840s

Jesus is the bread of life. He is no ordinary bread. He is no manna, but he is the bread of life. 856s

Which sustains the spiritual life. We have our eternal spiritual life sustained in and through 867s

Jesus Christ. You can prepare as many loaves of bread as you try. You can do as many good things 880s

tossing as much sugar, the sweetness of good works, as much yeast, the growth of knowledge, 891s

as much flour the everyday ordinary good works. And yet we will never break bake the bread 900s

of eternally sustaining life because that is given to us from Christ and Christ alone. 913s

Jesus gives his own life and in giving his own life as the bread that sustains life, he is 925s

giving the eternal bread that never spoils, that never runs out and that always sustains and 934s

satisfies. He says whoever eats, whoever eats of this bread will live forever and the bread that I will 946s

give for the life of the world is my flesh. It's very easy to read chapter 6 of the gospel of John 955s

and think that Jesus is talking directly of communion because it's bread and it's his body. 963s

But notice what he says. He says the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. 971s

He says I will give. He's referring to cavalry. He's referring to the sacrifice that he will make 978s

on the cross in just a short time from this conversation. He speaks of the coming death. 990s

The sacrifice of his body, his blood that will be to sacrifice for sin that will be to sacrifice 1001s

which atone for you for me for all the world. If we remove the sacrifice of the flesh and the blood of 1011s

Jesus, then God in the flesh, the sacrifice that God in the flesh made for you and I, 1026s

then bread is bread and it sustenance for a moment. But when we know and we take Christ's word as he 1038s

gives it to us that he gives his body, his flesh that he gives his blood. As the sacrifice 1050s

upon the cross for our sin, we hear this and we believe and it is believing this. 1063s

That is the eating. When we hear and believe that Christ is indeed the sacrifice 1074s

lamb slain for us. We are given faith. The faith that is the bread, the sustenance of life, 1083s

not only now, but eternally. That carries through into all of eternity. And this bread, the bread 1092s

of the sacrifice of Christ is not a luxury, but it is a necessity. It's a necessity. Remember how 1101s

Augustine said that our hearts are restless. The full quotation that he said there is you, 1111s

Lord have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. 1119s

We seek and seek and seek after the bread that does not fill that will never fill that can never fill. 1129s

Our hearts still restless, our stomach still empty. 1138s

Because until until we know, Christ, until we know what he has done for us, until we know 1147s

the love that he has poured out for us his very lifeblood. Then we continue to search, 1157s

searching to fill that emptiness. And when we hear the good news, 1169s

that we are not the bakers, that we are not the ones who gather the ingredients to make a loaf 1179s

of bread, but that it is Christ in Christ Himself that has done all the work necessary, 1187s

all of the gathering, all of the needing, all of the baking that he in his sacrifice has given 1195s

us himself as the very necessity sustenance that we need for this life and eternally. 1202s

Then we are filled. Then we know what true satisfaction is. 1215s

So if God is the baker, if we are not the bakers, if we are not the creators, the 1227s

us. We are the vessels. We are the vessels in which the bread of life is contained. It is given to us 1254s

through word, through sacrament, to sustain us. And it is so fulfilling, so fulfilling, so 1268s

satisfying that as vessels we are overflowing with this bread, with this good news. 1278s

And God uses us then to bring this good news to share this bread of life with those around us. 1288s

Because they are still filling their empty stomachs with bread of this world. 1299s

When they need the bread, the bread that is Christ Himself, God fills our hunger. 1310s

God is the refreshment when we read Psalm 23 together. And we hear how the good shepherd 1322s

leads his flock to green pastures, leads his flock to still waters. It is Christ who feeds our 1330s

need. It is Christ who refreshes our very soul. 1344s

Bethlehem, where Christ was born, where God entered into creation. Bethlehem, this tiny 1356s

insignificant little nothing of a town means house of bread. It is the house of bread 1365s

in which the bread of life entered into creation. In this church, in the church, the house of God 1380s

God gives us the bread of life through word, through sacrament. 1393s

Though Christ is not speaking in chapter 6 of communion, He is speaking of His sacrifice. We know 1402s

that in the night in which He was betrayed, He made a new covenant proclaimed a new covenant. 1409s

That is in the giving of His flesh, that is in the shedding of His blood. 1417s

For the forgiveness of sin. And so as we gather in this house of God, praising the one who was born 1425s

in the house of bread, we come to the altar to receive the tangible forgiveness through the 1437s

bread and the wine. We receive the spoken promise that Christ is the bread that you are forgiven. 1450s

So today as you come to the table, as you receive the body and blood of the sacrificial lamb, 1466s

the bread of life. As Asalamu ala says come, taste and see that the Lord is good. 1477s