Christology Through Figures
The sixth chapter of John opens with Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000, a miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Commonly, we identify as purposes for that notable miracle both feeding a hungry multitude and furnishing a backdrop for Christ’s Bread of Life teaching that follows the miracle account. Thus, we add Bread to the figures of speech that refer to Christ.
Bread of life
In calling Himself the Bread of Life, Jesus gave the first of seven “I am” claims recorded in the Gospel of John when He declared, “I am the Bread of Life.” In His teaching, Jesus referred multiple times to Himself as the living bread “which came down from heaven” (John 6:41, 51, 58).
Christ did not come into existence in a birth in Bethlehem. He has had eternal existence with the Father from eternity past. Only His incarnation had its beginning with a human birth.
Describing Himself as “the Bread of God … who comes down from heaven,” Christ went on to declare that He “gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Thus, two verses later He could accurately claim, “I am the Bread of Life.” Not only does He have life in Himself, Christ also gives spiritual life to those who trust Him as Savior. This life He gives is also everlasting, as He promised, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:51).
In short, we confess that the living Christ gives eternal life to His own.
As the Bread of Life, Christ nourishes His people, thereby satisfying spiritual hunger. Thus, as the Bread, He sustains the spiritual life He imparts. He uses the inspired Scriptures, illuminated and applied by the Holy Spirit, as our spiritual nourishment.
Chapter 3 of Ezekiel opens with an object lesson in which God commanded the prophet to eat a scroll, filling his stomach with it. Ezekiel testified, “So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness” (v. 3). We might remind ourselves that when we seriously ingest the Scriptures, we find ourselves spiritually nourished inasmuch as the Bible serves as spiritual food served up by the Bread of Life Himself.
The figure of bread thus serves to inform us concerning the person of Christ — that He is the eternal Son of God, sent by the Father, saying, “My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven” (John 6:32). This same figure reminds us concerning the work of Christ that He imparts and sustains the life He gives us, making it both satisfying and eternal.
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