“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.’”

                 Back in 1986 Christian theologian Masawo Takenaka of Japan wrote a book that had a simple three-word title:  God is Rice.  The book’s subtitle was Asian Culture and Christian Faith.  Its content, however, was not so simple and created no small discussion among those teaching missiology, the study of missions.  The subject was contextualization, always a struggle for most when the gospel goes cross-cultural.  The basic question is this:  How far should Christians go in making Christianity, Bible teaching and discipleship methods culturally relevant to the new culture where Christianity is negligible or non-existent?

Over 30% of the world’s peoples use rice, not bread, as its basic staple.  Thus Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life,” is typically lost on them.  Through the book’s title Takenaka suggested that to better evangelize and disciple those where rice is the staple, it was preferable to change bread to its cultural equivalent, rice.  No real harm done, right?  Or not?  Related issues such as inspiration — what did Jesus say, bread or rice? — suddenly arise.  And it quickly becomes obvious that it isn’t so simple or clear after all.  Likewise something wasn’t clear to the Jews in John 6.  Let’s set the scene from John 6.

In the early part of the chapter Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 men by multiplying a little boy’s lunch.  Family members probably put the crowd at 15,000-20,000.  Of the 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, the bread was the more significant item.  Typically when Jesus performed a miracle, he did so to point out something about himself as the Messiah.  His pattern was miracle first, teaching second.

As we jump into the middle of the conversation, Jesus said (v. 29) that the Jews should believe him.  Incredibly they asked, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?” (v. 30).  Remember, these were the very same folks he had miraculously fed just the day before!  What were they thinking?  “Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (v. 31).  In other words, their distant — and disobedient, I might add — ancestors ate “bread from heaven,” which was the manna God provided for them for 40 years of desert wanderings.  But the way God gave them manna was intentional:  “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3, with emphasis).  God required them to gather enough manna only for each day, which meant that they had to obey God’s word, or decree, for the manna to be effective.  Either that, or go hungry.  This was what the Jews in John 6 completely missed.

The crowd was more interested in bragging rights: “Hey, Jesus. Moses gave our fathers bread from heaven.  There were 2 to 3 million of them!  And Moses did that for 40 years!!  Now your little miracle yesterday was pretty good, but it doesn’t come close to what Moses did.  So if you want us to believe you, you better come up with a much better miracle.”  Such arrogant audacity!  But sinful stupidity often is.

While Jesus refuted their claim (vs. 32-33), he used the topic to build a bridge to this undeserving crowd:  “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (v. 35).  Never be hungry or thirsty?  Yes, in two ways.  First, in the ultimate sense.  Once a believer settles the issue of his eternal destiny by coming to Christ by faith, he never again has to worry or fear or look for another answer.  He secures us eternally (vs. 36-40).  Second, he fills us daily, just like the Jews in the desert.  But we, like them, must seek the heavenly bread daily.  And when we feed from him for the day he sustains us for the day.  He is the staple of life — bread or rice!

There is nothing like the feeling of satisfaction from eating your fill of what your body really needs to be healthy and strong and contented.  This is exactly what Jesus promises to our lives as the bread of life.  God doesn’t change: it’s either go hungry or be fed by his Word.  “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).  How hungry are you?