I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

Introduction

Exodus 3:10–15 NKJV

10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’

I AM WHO I AM. The word for I AM in Hebrew is HYH. What is interesting about this word is that it is a verb in the Qal (Yiqtol) form which is an action verb that is not completed, meaning that the work continues indefinitely.

Furthermore, this word literally means to be, or to come to pass. Because this word is active it can be said that God causes to be. Furthermore, because it is in the yiqtol form it means that He does it again and again. A more precise way of translating this phrase may be I WILL CAUSE TO BE WHAT I WILL CAUSE TO BE.

God the Father is telling Moses and the children of Israel that He will be known by what He does and that He will reveal himself, as He desires, through His own revelation.

In the book of John we have what is known as the seven I AM’s. In each of these instances Jesus reveals more of His nature and how He will be known through the deeds that He has done. The first is found in John chapter six. Let’s read this together.

John 6:26–35 NKJV

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” 28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

The backdrop for this passage is that Christ had just finished feeding the 5,000

Because of this the multitudes had followed Him to Capernaum seeking more bread. What we see now is that Jesus reveals to them that He is the bread of life.

What we see is that the I AM is God’s way of revealing who He is to humanity (especially Israel.)

I cause to be what I cause to be, is God saying that He will cause His name to be remembered as He decrees.

It is important to know who God because the better we know Him, the better we know ourselves.

Genesis 1:26 NKJV

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

When we reject or forget who God is, we also loose our own identity.

This is evident in the culture in which we live. We have rejected God (The God of the Bible) and in doing this we have lost our own identity.

I AM, God is informing us that He will be known by the works that He preforms.

In John

I. A SAVING BREAD

Just as the physical bread et the needs of those in the wilderness with Christ, so Christ meets our needs.

A. He comes to where we are

John 6:38 NKJV

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

B. He offers himself freely.

John 10:18 NKJV

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

II. A SATISFYING BREAD

A. He will satiate our hunger.

John 6:11 NKJV

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

Philippians 4:19 NKJV

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

In the OT the children of Israel called it manna meaning, what is it? The only time they gave it a definition was in Num 21:5 when they called it a light bread in complaining to God.

And just as the manna was despised, so was Jesus.

John 1:11–12 NKJV

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

B. He will sustain us forever.

John 6:35 NKJV

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Conclusion

The word used for Bread in this passage is the Greek word Artos. What is interesting is that this verse does not mention Adzumos (Leavening). Often in Scripture we see leaven as a representation of sin, yet, this is not always the case. In Matt 13.33 it is a picture of the kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 13:33 NKJV

33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

Here in John we see that the adjective “Unleavened” is missing thus making this a leavened bread. Jesus is not saying that he has sin, but rather that He is the one who brings the kingdom of Heaven.

John 12:32 NKJV

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

John 6:50 NKJV

50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.