Bread of Life
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Scripture: John 6:51-59
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
Jesus was a big fan of metaphors. So am I. Metaphors are word pictures that enrich understanding by making space for nuance and layers of meaning. For instance, a person might say, simply, “I’m grieving,” or they might say, “I’m drowning in a sea of grief.” The first statement is certainly true, but it doesn’t really capture the whole truth the way the second statement does. Similarly, I might say that someone’s words hurt me, or I might tell you that a person’s words cut me like a knife. Again, the second statement tells you more than the first one, doesn’t it?
When Jesus used metaphors, He did so because what He was communicating was too big for simple, literal statements to capture. He needed the nuance and layers of the metaphor; He needed to engage the senses, memories, and experiences of His listeners if they were going to come even close to understanding what He was saying. So He talked about sheep and shepherds, vines and vineyards, gates and doors. And He talked about bread – this is the metaphor in our Scripture readings the next two Sundays.
In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Again, in John 6:51, Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” On Sunday we’ll be exploring this metaphor of bread as we focus in on John 6:51-59.
As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time thinking about bread. Have you ever had really good bread? Not the empty white Wonder bread that’s usually the cheapest option on the grocery store shelf, but really good, full-of-grains-and-taste bread. Maybe you’ve tasted bread fresh out of the oven – crispy crust and soft inside, melt-in-your-mouth bread. When Jesus refers to Himself as bread, what does that metaphor stir up inside you? What do you feel? What memories rise to the surface? What ideas does it inspire? As you prepare for Sunday, if you have the time and money to spare, perhaps buy or bake some really good bread that you’ll eat as we read and contemplate Jesus’ words from John 6 on Sunday.