a jug of wine, a loaf of bread...

"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6: 35


"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever..." John 6:51

My grandpa loved bread. White bread. He ate bread at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I shared a LOT of meals with my grandpa and I never once saw him not eat a slice or two of bread with his meal. Sometimes he ate it as an accompaniment to his meal and sometimes he used it as a tool to keep food on his plate or sop up gravy. Occasionally he used home made jelly or jam and always butter. The weird thing is I hardly ever eat bread, especially white bread. A loaf a year would probably do me. I do like all kinds of bread especially home made bread. I am amazed sometimes at how many different kinds of bread there seem to be at the grocery store. We even have an entire store in our town, PANERA BREAD, dedicated to bread. In many cultures of the world, bread plays an important role in both dietary intake and social customs. We have the term " let's break bread" which means to eat together. However, if your bread is sliced and in a plastic bag you're not technically breaking bread.
What does this have to do with Jesus and 'living bread' you might be asking. Plenty. Jesus often spoke very figuratively to the people in terms that were familiar and understandable. And for many eating and drinking was a very understandable concept. The symbol of the bread being Christs body is a powerful one as bread was a central feature in the diets of both rich and poor in those times. Jesus said I am the bread and offered to anyone who will eat the benefit of everlasting life. By taking this bread and eating we partake, by our faith, the benefits of what Jesus did for us on the cross. So, maybe my grandpa was on to something. Perhaps, he knew this little symbolic secret which I missed for so many years. It is clear to me that we need more 'living' bread in our diets and less literal bread. How will we do that ? How will we take this deficiency in our diets and correct the ill effects of a lifetime of starvation ???...