I AM: Jesus in His Own WordsНамуна

I AM…The Bread of Life

In the first of seven self-descriptions, Jesus declares himself to be “the bread of life.” This statement is made in the context of a discussion of manna—the bread from heaven during the time of Moses. In identifying himself as such, Jesus is drawing a parallel between that bread and himself. But as miraculous as that first bread from heaven was, there is one striking difference between that bread and this new bread from heaven. The bread from heaven that the people of Israel ate in the wilderness kept them alive while wandering. Yet, eventually, they still died. Jesus is not merely bread from heaven—amazing as that would be. He is bread of life. Jesus says believers will have endless life if they “eat him,” meaning, believe in and follow him.