Hildenbrandt Ministries

In our journey through life, we all experience hunger – not just physical hunger, but a deeper, spiritual hunger that gnaws at our souls. We long for purpose, meaning, love, and fulfillment. But where can we find true satisfaction for these deep-seated cravings of our soul?

The answer lies in a profound statement made by Jesus: “I am the bread of life.” This declaration is the first of seven “I am” statements recorded in the Gospel of John. In it, Jesus invites us to explore a transformative truth about who He is and what He offers to those who follow Him.

To fully grasp the weight of this statement, we must first understand its context. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He identified Himself as “I AM WHO I AM.” By using the same phrase, “I am,” Jesus was – in the Jewish mind of His audience – making a bold claim to divinity, connecting His identity directly to that of God the Father.

This claim leaves us with a crucial decision to make about who Jesus is. As C.S. Lewis famously argued in “Mere Christianity,” we have only three logical options when considering Jesus’ identity: He was either a liar, a lunatic, or truly the Lord. We cannot simply dismiss Him as a good moral teacher; His claims are too radical for that.

Each of us must decide: do we believe He really is who He says He is?

The context of Jesus’ “bread of life” statement is equally important. It follows the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, where Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a vast crowd. The people, amazed by this sign, sought Jesus out – not because they recognized His divine nature, but because they wanted more free food.

Jesus, perceiving their motives, challenged them: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” He was pointing them (and us) to a greater truth: while physical nourishment is important, there is a deeper hunger that only He can satisfy.

We all have hungers and longings in our hearts. Perhaps you hunger to be truly known and loved. Maybe you crave a sense of purpose or self-worth. These desires are not wrong in themselves, but we often look to the wrong sources to fulfill them. We chase after accolades, accomplishments, fame, fortune, relationships, or material possessions, thinking these will finally satisfy us, only to find that they fail to deliver the satisfaction our souls so desperately crave.

Actor and singer Olivia Rodrigo achieved great fame, fortune and success at a young age. Only in her early twenties, she has already won multiple Grammy awards, several Billboard awards, and was even named Time’s Entertainer of the Year in 2021. Yet in spite of all these achievements, she admits to herself that they have all failed to deliver on their promises to deliver lasting happiness and success. She captures this sentiment in her lyrics in the song making the bed: “I got the things I wanted. It’s just not what I imagined.”

This is where Jesus’ offer becomes so compelling. He says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is offering Himself as the ultimate solution to our deepest longings.

What bread is to our physical bodies, Jesus wants to be to our souls.

But how does Jesus satisfy these deep hungers? He offers:

1. New Life: Jesus makes us spiritually alive through His indwelling Spirit, and leads us to experience abundant life
2. Belonging: “Anyone who comes to me, I will never drive away”
3. Identity: We can be adopted into God’s family as His sons and daughters
4. Worth: Jesus demonstrated our immense value by dying on the cross for us
5. Purpose: He invites us to join His mission of reconciling all things and making the world new

Jesus goes even further, saying, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.” Here, He points to His upcoming sacrificial death, which would open the way for us to experience true satisfaction and eternal life.

When asked what we must do to participate in God’s work, Jesus’ answer is beautifully simple: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” It’s an act of trust – believing that Jesus is who He says He is and that He truly has what we need most. This life doesn’t come to us through our religious accomplishments or spiritual acumen. It doesn’t come to us through hard work or “earning it.” The good news of Jesus is this: we are saved by grace enacted through faith. It’s taking Jesus at His word: believing that He is enough to satisfy the cravings of our soul, and that He desires to do just that.

This truth is powerfully symbolized in the Lord’s Supper. When we partake of the bread and cup, we’re reminded that Jesus gave His body and blood for us. When received in faith, the Lord’s Supper is a regular opportunity to reorient ourselves around the promise that He is the bread of life, intentionally laying aside other things we’ve been chasing for fulfillment. It’s God’s reminder to us that we are not called to live for the “food” that spoils – the next vacation, the bigger home, or to be seen as impressive and successful in the eyes of others – but to receive His food that fills us in the ways we truly need.

As we reflect on this profound truth, we’re invited to examine our own lives:

• Where are you searching for satisfaction?
• What “empty calories” are you consuming, hoping they’ll fill the void in your soul?
• How might your life change if you truly embraced Jesus as the bread of life?

The invitation stands: come to Jesus with your hunger. Bring Him your unfulfilled longings, your deepest needs, your most desperate cravings. Trust that in Him, you will find the nourishment, the sustenance, and the fulfillment your soul has been seeking all along.

For in Jesus, we find not just temporary relief, but eternal satisfaction. He offers not just a quick fix, but a transformative relationship. He promises not just to meet our immediate needs, but to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.

In a world full of empty promises and fleeting pleasures, Jesus stands as the true bread of life – the only one who can truly satisfy the hunger in our souls. Will you come to Him and taste true fulfillment today?