Jesus – Just About Managing Without Him

Imagine if you could just eat a slice of bread and be instantly energised, happy, and fit. Wouldn’t that be amazing? We would do away with stress eating and comfort eating and be completely satisfied…

Just About Managing to Feed Myself

Honestly, I don’t know how I get through a day without falling apart. Perhaps it sounds a little dramatic, but I’m just so aware of my vulnerability. Each day I run at a bunch of goals, encounter a range of people, stress myself out over one anxiety or another, run to some sort of social and just about manage to feed myself.

Okay, there are a million joys too but we are all human. There’s always a few struggles. Some days are more hectic than others, but I’m sure you can relate; we all just about manage…

We have a huge material need and most of what we do is determined by this: what we eat, where we work, the hours we sleep, what we spend money on…

We get caught up in all of this and sometimes we can’t help but feel inadequate – because we are. This inadequacy isn’t just related to material needs either. We also fail at being emotionally happy and physically well.

Something Deeper than Material Need

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:35-37

Jesus had just fed the 5,000 with five small loaves and two fish when He said this. The miracle was incredible and after everyone ate and was satisfied, twelve basketfuls of leftovers were collected! As you would imagine, the crowds were amazed and followed Jesus to where He went next.

However Jesus wanted the crowds to realise something that goes beyond the material realm. Jesus actually rebuked the crowd for following him because they were just seeking another material provision. He challenged the crowds to look for something much deeper – a ‘bread’ that provides for emotional, physical and spiritual needs. This ‘bread of life’ would grant eternal life and the one requirement was that they simply believed in Jesus as the Son of God.

Bread Falling From the Sky…

In the Jewish scriptures, there is a story about a prophet, Moses who leads God’s chosen people through the wilderness to the promised land. In this wilderness, God chose to provide for their needs by causing ‘manna’ to rain down from the sky. This manna was simply bread – yes, bread falling from the sky! It was enough to sustain them for another day walking through the wilderness. It reminded them of the promised land to come…

When Jesus came to earth, He used this as an example. Relating to this story, He taught the people about how God, the living Father, had sent him from heaven, to come to earth as the ‘bread of heaven.’ But the difference is that Jesus was more than a material provision that could only fill the stomach. Jesus came to welcome God’s beloved children into his arms, to sacrifice himself in order that we may be reconciled to him. In sending his son, God promised to never drive us away and to be our hope of a promised land to come.

Ultimately, Jesus came to give us eternal life!

His Arms Are Wide Open

When I read about this ‘bread of life’ in John 6, I just can’t stop picturing Jesus with his arms wide open! He asks us to come to him and rest in him! He can’t force us and this is why we must believe that from him come all good things – we must believe that He is God.

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6:54-57

As christians we choose to live in Jesus – we choose to ‘remain’ in him. Jesus can provide all that we need in the material, emotional, physical and spiritual sense! We come to Jesus and find strength, dignity, love, value, purpose and the promise of treasure in heaven.

However that doesn’t mean that life is perfect. Often, to be honest, life is a mess.

So how can this all be true? How can we eat the ‘bread of life?’ Is it even real?

What on Earth does this Mean?

The thing is that Jesus himself, as the ‘bread of life,’ gave himself to be sacrificed on the cross. Jesus was God, embodied in a human form. He lived out God’s kingdom values of love, righteousness, peace… Because of this controversial way of living, He was rejected and despised. Jesus was killed on a cross. He suffered the worst death possible and his ‘blood’ is a symbol of this suffering.

When we talk about drinking Jesus’ blood, we are talking about the sufferings we face. When we find ourselves struggling, we can run to Jesus because He knows exactly what it is like. In him we find comfort, and He promises to strengthen us and not allow us to fall.

Despite our circumstances we can trust that He is good, He will strengthen us to face all things, and that we have God on our side; all that we need each day will be provided.

When we talk about ‘flesh.’ We are talking about what Jesus looks like in human form. We put our trust in Jesus and we try our best to live like He did. As we live like him, our relationships, our values, our desires change for the better.

I Flipping Need Jesus!

Lately, I have to truly rely on Jesus to be all that I need. I daily have to ask Jesus to provide all that I need – not just physically! Living out love, grace, truth, humility, righteousness is never easy in the simplest of circumstances, never mind when you’re having a tough time!

Without Jesus, I cannot cope.

I find myself daily needing to be strengthened in him, to be reminded that my life has purpose, and to be rooted and established in the love He has for me. It is so easy to look to friendships, relationships, material possessions, and educational success to affirm yourself.

But actually, we can only truly be satisfied in Jesus’ rich love for us.

Jesus has his arms wide open and all we need to do is believe that He can satisfy all our needs. He loves you so incredibly and He cares for you so, so deeply! Will you let him give you all that you could ever need?