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Bread Maker


      Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but 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.”
        Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”
       Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:32-35)
            A little over a year ago, I bought a bread maker and discovered the joy of homemade bread. I learned that there were breads filled with grains and herbs and healthy stuff, and there were breads made with all kinds of tasty stuff that isn't so healthy. Even the supposedly healthy stuff, I was told, can have chemicals on it or possibly be genetically modified in ways that are unhealthy for people, and there are even people who have sensitivities to those ingredients. What might be healthy for one person causes another problems. Store bought bread (especially   white bread) seems to have very little nutritional value left.
        When the Israelites boasted to Jesus that Moses gave them "bread from heaven," they were talking about manna. At the time, they called it "What's'it." God also directed the Israelites to put twelve loaves of bread on the table in the tabernacle and the temple every day. That bread was called the "Bread of the Presence" because it was always in God's presence.
            In effect, Jesus was saying that the Manna and the Bread of the Presence were store bought white bread with no real spiritual-nutritional value. Worse, they were Twinkies in comparison to the true bread of life. He, however; is the organically grown, non GMO multi-grain, all natural, minimally processed super-bread.
          In this passage Jesus also made the first of several "I am" claims that infuriated the Pharisees. They understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, the I AM. To make such a claim was and is blasphemy, unless it's true. What does this claim tell us about the I Am? He is the that which gives and sustains life and provides the basic necessities. He comes from God and is in God's presence. He is satisfying and sufficient, so much so that those who "eat" (which He explains means to believe in Him) the bread will not only never be hungry, but never be thirsty. He also makes it clear that there is no work involved in producing this bread. It is heaven-made and given to any who will.
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Birthday of Elizabeth Barret Browning

 


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