True Provision

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”—John 6:35 (NKJV)

For the past couple of days, we’ve been focusing on one of the most memorable miracles of Jesus: the feeding of the multitude. In fact, it’s so memorable that it’s the only miracle (aside from Christ’s resurrection) highlighted for us in all four gospel accounts. Clearly, it’s important to the Lord that we know and understand the many lessons that it holds.

Today, we’re going to look at the most important truth that this particular miracle points to. We fast forward to the next day and we find the multitude of people are still swarming around Jesus . . . and their appetites retuned! It’s important to know that although Christ deeply loved these people, He also knew they needed something much more than another meal. 

Their following Him was superficially based on the perks of what Jesus could do for them, not on delving deeper into who He was and how they might serve Him. In such a state, their stomachs might get filled, but their souls would remain empty because as Christ proclaims in the verse above, He came to be the eternal bread that brings ultimate spiritual life and satisfaction. He goes on to explain further: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51 NKJV). 

This is what the multitude needed to hear, and it’s the ultimate meaning of the miracle of their feeding. We saw how Christ was able to provide for their temporal physical need by multiplying bread and fish. But infinitely more important is His ability to provide for the eternal spiritual need that every human has. Through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and the surety of His   resurrection, Jesus has provided for all we need in order to experience eternal life with God.  

That is the true purpose for His coming . . . He is the bread of life for anyone willing to receive Him.

DIG: What essential truth did the miraculous feeding of the multitude ultimately point to?

DISCOVER: What does this say about how we should prioritize our lives?

DO: What has Jesus provided for you? Thank Him for it today!