Bread of Life

Greetings from my kitchen.

As we are doing church online I know some have struggled with what to use for communion. I got the communion bread recipe from Vicki, who normally makes it every week for our Arvada location.

Jesus, the Bread of Life

I have a challenge for all the men in our church. I want to challenge all of you to make a batch of communion bread.

I’m going to show you how and post the instructions in the comments.

So who likes bread? I know currently bread is hard to come by, compared to our normal shopping habits.

By Jeff Strite

BREAD. Every culture on earth loves its bread. I saw a stat.Americans alone eat 34 million loaves of bread a day, not to mention rolls, bagels, croissants, pitas, doughnuts and dozens of other kinds of bread that are consumed. And bread is a major staple of food for every nation on earth - from Mexican tortillas to Jewish Matza bread.

Summary: What did Jesus mean when He said "I am the bread of life" and what difference does that make to us?

A man had just moved into town and stopped at local restaurant for dinner. The waiter did his best to please him but the man complained that he’d only received one piece of bread with his meal, so the waiter promptly brought him four slices. The man said, "That’s good, but not good enough. I love bread!" The customer left a sizable tip and was otherwise a very likeable patron. So, the next night he was given six slices of bread with his supper. He said, "Good! But aren’t you still being a little stingy?" The next night he received a basketful of bread… but he still complained. Finally, the owner had had enough. Being a bit mischievous, he baked one HUGE loaf of bread that was six feet long, three feet wide and it took the manager and two waiters to carry it to the table. Then they just stood back and smiled, waiting for the man’s reaction. The customer looked at the gigantic loaf of bread and said, "So, we’re back to ONE piece again?"

BREAD. Every culture on earth loves its bread. Americans alone eat 34 million loaves of bread a day, not to mention rolls, bagels, croissants, pitas, doughnuts and dozens of other kinds of bread that are consumed. And bread is a major staple of food for every nation on earth - from Mexican tortillas to Jewish Matza bread.

or communion bread. So I’m going to make some communion bread and share a few thoughts while I make it.

Back in the days of Jesus, bread was VERY important. Nowadays, if you want to get a loaf of bread you can go down to the grocery store and buy just about any kind of loaf of bread you want. But back in the days of Jesus, it could take the better part of a day to grind the wheat, put enough wood in the fireplace to bake the bread (there were no stoves with temperature settings) and then prepare and cook the bread you’d need for the week. Bread was a very labor-intensive product and took a lot of effort to make.

But then along came Jesus.

Just a couple days prior to our story this morning, we read about a large crowd of people who had gathered to hear Jesus preach. As the day wears on, Jesus notes that the people need to eat and performs the miracle where He fed the 5000 with just 5 small loaves of bread and 2 fish. When it was all over – they collected 12 baskets of leftovers.

And the people were VERY impressed.

But then Jesus just up and disappears and they don’t know where He went. The people began to get anxious and began to hunt for Him. When they did find Him, they wanted more bread but Jesus apparently wasn’t going to give them any more. That so upset the crowd that they tried shaming Him into doing His miracle again.

In we read

But then Jesus just up and disappears and they don’t know where He went. The people began to get anxious and began to hunt for Him. When they did find Him, they wanted more bread but Jesus apparently wasn’t going to give them any more. That so upset the crowd that they tried shaming Him into doing His miracle again. In we read “they said to (Jesus), "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (). Look, they said – Moses supplied manna for the people every day… and you’ve only done it once. Do another miracle!

John 6:30–31 NIV

So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

). Look, they said – Moses supplied manna for the people every day… and you’ve only done it once. Do another miracle!

Look, they said – Moses supplied manna for the people every day… and you’ve only done it once. Do another miracle!

In answer Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35 NIV

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

In answer Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Now, that seems like an odd thing to say. The crowd wants more bread, and not only is Jesus not going to give them what they ask for, He turns it into a teaching situation. He says “I am the bread of life!” What does He mean by that?

What caught my attention about this was that Jesus didn’t say “I am the GIVER of bread.” Instead He said “I AM the bread.” And I started to wonder – why did Jesus say it that way. Then it occurred to me that the problem here was that the crowd had only come looking for Jesus because He had given them what they wanted.

What caught my attention about this was that Jesus didn’t say “I am the GIVER of bread.” Instead He said “I AM the bread.” And I started to wonder – why did Jesus say it that way. Then it occurred to me that the problem here was that the crowd had only come looking for Jesus because He had given them what they wanted. They wanted the bread (pause) but they didn’t necessarily want Jesus.

They wanted the bread (pause) but they didn’t necessarily want Jesus.

I saw a video and this dad did lots of traveling on speaking engagements, and when he traveled to speaking engagements, he’d buy gifts at the airport shops for his children. But eventually the children became so used to the gifts that they couldn’t wait for him to leave home so he would buy more gifts for them. They wanted the gifts MORE than they wanted him.

traveled to speaking engagements, he’d buy gifts at the airport shops for his children. But eventually the children became so used to the gifts that they couldn’t wait for him to leave home so he would buy more gifts for them. They wanted the gifts MORE than they wanted him).

I found it interesting that he said that his children had gotten to the point where they thought they could do WITHOUT HIM as long as they could get a blessing from HIM.

When Jesus said “I am the bread” He was saying they couldn’t get the blessings without Him!

I found it interesting that Evans said that his children had gotten to the point where they thought they could do WITHOUT HIM as long as they could get a blessing from HIM. When Jesus said “I am the bread” He was saying they couldn’t get the blessings without Him! I AM THE BREAD. I can give you bread, but you can’t get the bread without me. Essentially without Jesus, you’re not going to get blessings God wants to give you.

I AM THE BREAD. I can give you bread, but you can’t get the bread without me. Essentially without Jesus, you’re not going to get blessings God wants to give you.

There is a lot going on in peoples lives right now, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of pain, a lot of fear.

In our first service this morning, (one of our members) Steve gave the communion meditation and focused on the first chapter of Ephesians. In that chapter, Paul writes about all the blessings we have received from God because of Jesus. We have the blessings of being children of God and being special to Him, and we have received His Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. But all those blessings are “spiritual blessings.”

Now, by contrast, we also sang the old Gospel favorite that says we should “Count Your Blessings Name Them One By One.” But when we sing that hymn I tend to think in terms of “physical” blessings. God blessing me with a car, or a home, or a job. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being thankful for physical blessings… but if a dependence those kinds blessings is why we have faith in Jesus, those blessings can become a trap.

You see, as Christians we need to look and acknowledge if we have stumbled in our faith because we lost those blessings.

If when we lose, a care, a house, a job, and then we lose our faith. We need to look and be honest, was that faith was based on physical blessings… Could it be we wanted the blessings more than we wanted Jesus.

You see, there’s been lots of Christians who have stumbled in their faith because they lost those blessings. They lost their car, their house, their job. And because their faith was based on physical blessings… they can end up losing their “faith.” They ended up wanting the blessings more than they wanted Jesus.

The best way to protect ourselves from this trap is to begin realizing… we didn’t deserve those blessings to begin with. I’ve often reflected on the gifts God has given me and thinking “I don’t deserve this.”

I don’t deserve to be a minister to a group that is as good as they are

The best way to protect ourselves from this trap is to begin realizing… we didn’t deserve those blessings to begin with. I’ve often reflected on the gifts God has given me and thinking “I don’t deserve this.” I don’t deserve to preach in as good a congregation as this is, I don’t deserve the home I live in. I don’t deserve to have the car I have. And I don’t deserve to have the children that I’ve been blessed with. I recognize these are all gifts from God… but I also recognize that I can lose them in a heartbeat, so am thankful for these while God grants me that kindness.

I don’t deserve the home I live in.

I don’t deserve to have the truck I have.

And I don’t deserve to have the children that I’ve been blessed with.

I recognize these are all gifts from God… but I also recognize that I can lose them in a heartbeat, so am thankful for these while God grants me that kindness.

Jesus is the bread of life. With Him we can receive bread and other gifts. But without Him those gifts will mean nothings. Jesus said almost exactly the same thing when He declared "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” () In other words “you are not going to get my blessings without me.” It’s a package deal.

Now, there’s another part of this “Bread Of Life” statement that’s interesting. A little later in 6th chapter– Jesus says this:

John 6:48–52 NIV

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Eat his flesh? Seriously? That’s what it sounds like… doesn’t it? So, does Jesus actually teach us that we need to engage in… cannabalism? Nooooo!

Now, there’s another part of this “Bread Of Life” statement that’s interesting. A little later in 6th chapter– Jesus says this: “I am the BREAD OF LIFE. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am THE LIVING BREAD that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then (said)… "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Eat his flesh? Seriously? That’s what it sounds like… doesn’t it? So, does Jesus actually teach us that we need to engage in… cannabalism? Nooooo!

1st - Jesus isn’t talking about REAL BREAD here. When He said “I am the bread of life” what He meant was – every time you look at a “loaf of bread” REMEMBER that just like you need bread to live… you need me to live too. You need me to survive in this world.

Now, there are people who actually do teach that. In the Catholic church they teach that when they take of Eucharist (like our Lord’s Supper) the bread turns into the literal flesh of Christ, and that they eat the literal flesh of Jesus at each Mass. The Catholic church teaches that this is what Jesus meant here in . But that’s not true!!!

1st - Jesus isn’t talking about REAL BREAD here. When He said “I am the bread of life” what He meant was – every time you look at a “loaf of bread” REMEMBER that just like you need bread to live… you need me to live too. You need me to survive in this world.

Jesus has said things like this at other times in His ministry. When Jesus said “I am the vine” – was He saying He was a literal vine? Nooo. What He was saying was that every time you see a vine with fruit on it you need remember that the fruit depends on the vine for life. REMEMBER that I am your vine… and you depend on me for life.

Jesus has said things like at other times in His ministry. When Jesus said “I am the vine” – was He saying He was a literal vine? Nooo. What He was saying was that every time you see a vine with fruit on it you need remember that the fruit depends on the vine for life. REMEMBER that I am your vine… and you depend on me for life.

And when Jesus said “I am the gate” He wasn’t saying He was a literal gate. He was saying – REMEMBER that just like a gate keeps bad things out and allows good things in, so also (if I’m your gate) I’ll keep bad things out, and I let good things in.

So, Jesus wasn’t talk here about a real vine, or a real gate, or – in this case - real bread. In this teaching He was talking about sacrificing His flesh on the cross. Notice what Jesus said here in : “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Bread gives life, and (like physical bread) Jesus’ body on the cross was going to give life.

Thus, every time you pick up a piece of bread at communion that’s what Jesus wants you to remember, and that’s what you should see. His flesh offered for your salvation.

At the Last Supper (which took place BEFORE Jesus was crucified) “… he took BREAD, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (). The bread at that meal wasn’t Jesus’ body because He hadn’t DIED yet!

What He was telling His disciples was – every time that you take communion, and you take of the bread, you need to remember what I did on the cross. When you eat the bread you must REMEMBER My sacrifice.

What He was telling His disciples was – every time that you take communion, and you take of the bread, you need to remember what I did on the cross. When you eat the bread you must REMEBER My sacrifice.

But that bread ISN’T JESUS anymore than a vine is Jesus or a gate is Jesus. The bread is there to REMIND US of what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus said “I am the bread of life”

In

Exodus 12:39 NIV

With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

“

said “And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.”

“Jesus experienced each part of the process of making bread: the growing, the pounding, the firing. And just as each is necessary for regular bread, so also each was also necessary for Christ to become the bread of life.” (“A Gentle Thunder” p. 40ff)

The Passover bread was without leaven because it had to be made with haste. And as I thought about that I realized, even in that bread we see Jesus. Haste? Why would Jesus (as the bread of life) be something we eat with haste? Two things:

Scripture tells me that Jesus (the Bread of life) was WITHOUT SIN, and that He was PIERCED for our transgressions, and that by His STRIPES we are healed. Every Sunday we gather to celebrate the fact that Jesus is our Bread Of Life. Through the bread of communion, we remember that Jesus gave His body to save us. He died on the cross to give us life. As Paul writes: “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” () In the breaking of the bread, you’re telling others Jesus is your bread of life.

CLOSE: I want to close with an observation made by one of Sunday School teachers after I preached the first service. He noted that said “And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.”

The Passover bread was without leaven because it had to be made with haste. And as I thought about that I realized, even in that bread we see Jesus. Haste? Why would Jesus (as the bread of life) be something we eat with haste? Two things:

1) Sometimes folks who want to become Christians will tell me they want to be wait and be baptized on Sunday. I discourage that. They might die between then and now. Salvation is too important to put off until another day. Jesus is the bread of life and we must make haste to lay hold of Him.

2) And, now that we’re Christians, each day is precious. Ephesians says “make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.”

You and I will not live forever.

2) And, now that we’re Christians, each day is precious. Ephesians says “make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” You and I will not live forever. Jesus is our bread of life and we must make haste to serve Him and do what we can with the days we’ve been given.

Jesus is our bread of life and we must make haste to serve Him and do what we can with the days we’ve been given.

3/4 c gluten free baking mix (I get it at King Soopers), or flour

INVITATION

1/4 cup crisco

1/2 tsp. Salt,

1/2 tbsp. Sugar

about 3 oz water.

Hi, Hans. Sure! For a batch that makes about 40 wafers I use 1 1/2 c gluten free baking mix (I get it at King Soopers), 1 tsp. Salt, 1 tbsp. Sugar, and a

For a batch that makes about 40 wafers I use:

1 1/2 c gluten free baking mix (I get it at King Soopers),

Copied from Sermon Central

1/2 cup crisco

1 tsp. Salt,

1 tbsp. Sugar

about 3/4 c water.

bout 3/4 c water. I roll it out, cut it with a biscuit cutter, and bake it at 350 for 18 minutes.

Roll it out, cut it with a biscuit cutter, and bake it at 350 for 18 minutes.