SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 20, February 28, 2010

Who do you say that I am?
I AM the Bread of Life
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-2, Luke 11:3, Deuteronomy 8:3, John 6:25-63
Memory Verse: I AM the Bread of Life. John 6:35
      What do you think Jesus was talking about in the Lord's Prayer when he told his disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread"? Do you think he was talking about "wonder bread" or "whole wheat bread"? What do you think he meant by "daily bread"? What do you think he meant by calling himself the "Bread of Life"?
      Introduction The Bible uses the term Bread to mean a lot of things. What do some of these verses mean? "Fed them on the bread of tears" (Psalm 80:5)
"They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence" (Proverbs 4:17).
"She does not eat the bread of idleness" (Proverbs 31:27).
"Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
"Keep the Festival not with the old yeast of malice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth."(1 Corinthians 5:6-8 )
"Cast your bread upon the waters, and you will find it after many days" (Ecclesiastes 11:1)
What do modern politicians means by "bread and butter issues"?
Here bread refers to a quality and characteristic of the person's life and is symbolized as "Bread". It was what they took into their lives daily and "ate" it.
      Many people, like those in Haiti have barely enough to eat to survive. Actual bread was a basic food for people. Sometimes it was made from yeast but the most basic bread was like a tortilla or chapatti made with hand-ground grain, water and oil and cooked on a kind of griddle daily. Cereal offerings of grain to God were often in the form of flat cakes of bread. Bread was considered the gift of God and the Israelites remembered that God had fed them with manna in the wilderness where they could not grow grain. Every time they celebrated the Passover of God rescuing them from slavery in Egypt they recalled both the hurriedly made flat bread, made without yeast, that they made and ate quickly just before they escaped as well as the manna God gave them later in the desert in the early morning.
      Eating and Drinking Eating and drinking could be taken literally (Have a coke. Eat a donut.) or as an idiom (symbolic way of speaking). (There was a sentence like this in last week's Sport's section: "Saint's quarterback...drinks in the atmosphere after the Saints Super Bowl victory.") It could mean not only to eat and drink but to absorb, inhale, take into a person's mind/heart/spirit, that is your inner self and be the basis of living your life. What are you feeding your inner self? Is it anger, bitterness, greed. lust, doubt of God--spiritual junk food or even poison (like bitterness or hatred)? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talks about how ideas we "feed on" in our minds often become the cause of external actions or sins (like lust or anger). Or do we feed on and desire more of Jesus, his presence, strength, guidance in our inner selves, with thanksgiving. Do we feed on his word in Scripture, his present will for us? Jesus himself is also God's "Word made flesh". What we feed our bodies, minds and spirits has consequences. What are the consequences to too much junk food or feeding on anger? What does Jesus say are the consequences of feeding on him and his word?
      Eating together ("break bread together") was a symbol of hospitality and created a special relationship and was part of forming a covenant (1 Kings 13:8f). In the New Testament it came to include also taking part in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. (Acts 2:42,46). Eating together is still a very important symbol in the Near East today.
      In Deuteronomy 8:3 God speaks to his people: "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." God wants us to know that it is not enough to have our physical needs met but life--real life that God created us to have in fellowship with and obedience to him needs to be fed and nurtured on his WORD (both his Word in Scripture and his Word Jesus). This involves a choice. God has provided the means for this but we have to choose it--daily. We receive by asking and by faith--(we cannot manipulate God) receiving what God has made available.
      What do you think Isaiah was talking about in Isaiah 55:1-2? "'Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.'" (Isaiah 55:1) A word received: I want to supply you with my new life. Turn to me for provision that will truly satisfy.
      "'Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.'" (Isaiah 55:2) A word received: I want you to choose what will truly satisfy -- not the trivial stuff that is here today and gone tomorrow -- delight yourself in what I offer you.
      John 6: 25-63 is where Jesus talks about himself as the Bread of Life. This is another "I AM" statement. In Exodus 3 that was the name God gave for himself to Moses. Remember how Jesus said, "Before Abraham was (was born) I AM"--identifying himself as one with God.(John 8:58 ) Look at the context of Jesus' names for himself in this chapter, "Bread of Life", "Living Bread", "the Bread which came down from God/Heaven." The context is the feeding of the 5,000 and the nearness of the feast of Pentecost. Jesus showed both his concern over the physical need for food, (bread), of the crowd but also showed how he was able to meet that need even when it seemed impossible. We too can trust Jesus to meet our needs when it seems impossible. We just need to bring our problem and our little "lunch" to Jesus and see what he will do. The nearness of a Passover reminded the crowds of the manna that God gave them and Jesus uses this to talk about who he is.
      The crowd followed Jesus around the lake because they had eaten a free lunch/free bread. Jesus says, "Do not work for the food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." (6:27). Jesus is pointing them to their spiritual hunger--a hunger only he could satisfy. They had just seen a miracle but they "don't get it" and ask for a sign to prove who Jesus is---and talk about the manna God gave as "Bread from heaven". This gives Jesus the opening to say, "It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (vs/32-35) They still don't get it and want the free bread, so Jesus says, "I AM the bread of life"(vs.51). "I AM the living bread that came down from heaven." "He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (vs.35)
      The first step is to "believe in the one he (God) has sent."(vs.29). It is to believe Jesus is telling us the truth and to trust him and to entrust our lives to him. Then Jesus can give us--in himself--the "food that endures to eternal life"(vs.27). "He who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life."(vs.40). (Eternal life is not just life after death, it is a new life in Jesus now.
      Then in verse 51 Jesus adds something new, "I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." When they said, how can he do this?. Jesus added, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you."(vs.53). "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." (vs.56) D. T. Niles of Ceylon said, "Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread."
      This is hard to understand but remember what eating and drinking can mean. "Flesh" can mean either our physical bodies or the entire human being, the essence of a person. "Blood" in the Bible stands for life, the life of a person or animal. It was holy and not to be eaten. Jesus was referring first to giving his life on the cross for all people who would receive it and also referring to us receiving into ourselves, to live in us, Jesus' whole life and self. We renew this receiving of Jesus' life and self each time we obey Jesus ' invitation and command given at the last supper. "Take, eat" and "All of you drink of it, this is my blood of the covenant." Remember what Jesus said in John 15:4 about himself as the vine and we are the branches." "Remain in me and I will remain in you." When Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) he meant a lot more than remembering something past like 9/11 or World War 2, though it includes that, it also means, like the Passover, that though Jesus "died once for all" we too can experience in the present the results of his life and death for us. (Greek word for this is anamnesis) as we receive Jesus in the bread and the wine. (We are NOT discussing what churches have argued about the bread and wine itself.) Look at what Jesus says at the close of this discussion in vs.61, 63. "Does this offend you?...The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life." Our focus needs to be on receiving Jesus anew in Holy Communion and trust his promises. "'Incline your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you -- the sure mercies of David.'" (Isaiah 55:3) A word received: Come to me; I AM the bread which came down from heaven. Eat of me and your soul will be satisfied. "'So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.'" (Deuteronomy 8:3). A word received: I want you to know what truly satisfies, and I want you to choose what will truly build you up. Feed yourself, delight yourself in my word.