The first “I AM” statement of Jesus is found in John 6:35 where He says, “…I AM the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall NEVER HUNGER, and he who believes in Me shall NEVER THIRST.”
Observe the metaphors used here. Recall that the metaphors within Jesus’ I AM statements would present the sin problem then Himself as its solution.
Thus, the sin problem here is described as hunger and thirst, with Jesus as The Bread. Where man in spiritual hunger and thirst is dying, He is what we need Him to be— the Bread of Life!
It’s no coincidence that Jesus uses “Bread.” This has an Old Testament background:
John 6:30-33
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.’” (see Exo 16:4, Psa 78:24-25, Neh 9:15) 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.
In the Old Testament, God, through a miracle, had supernaturally provided bread for the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16). It is to THAT bread Jesus makes reference here (John 6). He also speaks of the “true bread” from Heaven. The word “true” means “fulfilled” or “real” as opposed to a type/shadow. Moses’ bread was thus a figure of speech to point to THE TRUE.
The True/Real Bread of God is, “HE (a person) who comes down from heaven and GIVES LIFE to the world.” (John 6:33). God’s True Bread is the Man, Christ Jesus.
What Moses gave in the desert could only satisfy PHYSICAL hunger. God’s TRUE BREAD however, grants eternal Life!
John 6:47-51 (NKJV)
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has EVERLASTING life. 48 I AM (I am what you need me to be) the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and ARE DEAD. 50 THIS (referring to the Bread of Life) is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of THIS BREAD, he will LIVE FOREVER; and the bread that I shall give is MY FLESH (synecdoche, meaning my entire self or life), which I SHALL GIVE for THE LIFE of the world.” (speaking of His death)
So God’s solution to spiritual hunger is the Bread of Life, which is Jesus, the Christ. To eat of Him is to believe to receive life eternal.
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2022.
