Names of Jesus: Bread of Life

This week we will study one of my absolute favorite names of Jesus. This name is a difficult one to grasp, which is likely part of why I love it so much, but it is such a beautiful name to behold. Jesus is the Bread of Life; through this name, we can better understand who Jesus is and what He satisfies in the lives of those who believe in Him.

What does Bread of Life even mean?

In John 6:35 Jesus declared “I am the bread of life.” He goes on to explain what this means, and we are going to pull this verse apart to explore the deeper meaning in the context of the original Greek.

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.

John 6:32-35 NKJV

Bread of Life

• Bread – G740 – artos
  • as the Divine λόγος, come from heaven, who containing in himself the source of heavenly life supplies celestial nutriment to souls that they may attain to life eternal.

• of Life – G2222 – zōē
  • the Spirit, the repository and imparter of life, and which is received by those united to Christ

As the Bread of Life, Jesus is the source of heavenly life and He supplies the sustenance for our souls. By and through Him is spiritual life for those who are united to Him. We are told that if we eat of this bread – if we rely on Christ to sustain our spirits and fill our souls with nutriment, we will be given eternal life in Heaven.

⁵¹ 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.”

John 6:51 ESV

He also tells us that we must not live on bread alone, which in this context is literal bread made with flour and water and baked into a loaf. Rather than live on literal earthly food alone, we must live by the Word of God, which is also Jesus. Jesus is the Bread of Life, giving spiritual life and sustenance to our very souls, and we are to live by Him as the spiritual bread for our souls, and His Word as the means of receiving Him.

• Read more: Names of Jesus: The Word
• Read more: What is the Bible?

⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4 ESV

³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word^[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 ESV

Every day we should seek to be filled and satisfied by the Bread of Life, and pray for Him to sustain us. As our great Provider He takes care of our physical needs for sustenance as well as our spiritual needs, In the Lord’s Prayer, we are taught to pray for our daily bread. This should serve as a reminder that we should not live on physical food alone but on the Word of God and the spiritual nutriment that He provides. We must lean into Him, pray to Him, rely and depend on Him for all things and trust that what He provides is what we need.

⁹ Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.^[a]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,^[b]
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,^[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.^[d]

Matthew 6:9-13 ESV

When the Israelites were wandering the wilderness for those many years, the people had to go out and gather the manna God gave them from Heaven. They needed to commit and participate every day. Every day they would have to make time to go out and gather the bread from Heaven God had sent them. This was a foreshadowing of Christ to come, and Christ references this to help the Jewish people understand His role as the Bread of Life. Just as the Israelites needed to obey and trust in this Bread from heaven to sustain them, we are to obey and trust in Jesus, the Bread of Life, to sustain us spiritually into eternity.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

Exodus 16:4 ESV

²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

John 6:27 ESV

He who comes to Me shall never hunger

• Comes – G2064 – erchomai
  • to commit oneself to the instruction of Jesus and enter into fellowship with him

• Hunger – G3983 – peinaō
  • to suffer want, to be needy
    • the condition of one who is in need of nothing requisite for his real (spiritual) life and salvation

As the Bread of Life, Jesus tells us that all who come to Him will never hunger. This word “comes” is an active commitment to learn from Him and to enter into a personal relationship with Him. Those who commit to learning from Him, obeying His instruction, and entering a personal relationship with Him will never lack spiritual life and salvation. Coming to Jesus as the Bread of Life means we will be spiritually satisfied and the promise of eternity in Heaven ahead of us.

³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6:33 ESV

⁹ For he satisfies the longing soul,

    and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Psalm 107:9 ESV

NIV, Journal the Word Bible, Large Print, Imitation Leather, Blue and Tan By Zondervan

NKJV Comfort Print Journal the Word Reference Bible, Imitation Leather, Blue By Thomas Nelson

He who believes in Me shall never thirst

• Believes – G4100 – pisteuō
  • to have a faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to, Jesus

• Thirst – G1372 – dipsaō
  • absolutely, to suffer thirst; suffer from thirst
    • painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened

Jesus also tells us that those who believe in Him will never thirst. This belief is to be fully convinced, convicted, to have faith and give yourself up to Him fully. When we surrender ourselves and our lives to Jesus, He says we will never thirst, that is to say we will never suffer the painful want and longing for our souls to be refreshed, strengthened, and supported.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26 ESV

¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.^[a] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:14 ESV

When we give ourselves to Christ, our souls will be completely refreshed, supported, and strengthened. We will never lack spiritual strength and will have a constant source of spiritual refreshment. Our very souls will be content and satisfied in Him, the Bread of Life. God gave His Son for this, that we may never again have to feel the emptiness of a soul without the presence and sustenance of God, longing painfully for His presence.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 
¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 ESV

Hunger and Thirst for the Bread of Life

Coming to Jesus – following His instruction, obeying His commands, and being in a personal relationship with Him take constant diligence and intention. It takes active participation to remain faithful and obedient, and for all relationships to thrive. Jesus tells us to take communion, or the sacraments, in remembrance of Him as the Bread of Life. This is one part of training ourselves to continuously come to Christ and remain in our relationship with Him. When we remember the sacrifice He made for us, we are better able to actively learn, engage, and grow in our understanding and relationship with Him.

⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:54 ESV

¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 22:19 ESV

By committing to the instruction of Jesus, entering into a personal relationship with Him by faith, and actively remembering and growing in our understanding and relationship with Him, He tells us that our souls will be satisfied, our salvation secure, and our very spirit will be given life, strength, and refreshment for the days ahead preparing for our future in Heaven with Him. By reading scripture, praying, learning, and obeying what we learn every day, we can be better prepared for our eternal home when the time arrives for us to enter into glory with Him. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who feed on the Bread of Life – that is where true satisfaction is found. True contentment in life comes from a true belief in and commitment to Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

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