The Bread of Life

By Cal Cook

There is something about the idea of the bread of life…and living water. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” in John 6:35 and at the end of the verse Jesus also adds “Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” He told the ‘Woman at the Well’ in John chapter four that He would give her ‘Living Water‘ and later while at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem He tells the crowd “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37b-38. To be clear the scriptures refer to the water as the Holy Spirit, which of course Jesus promises all who come to Him and believe. This idea or image of bread and water…the basic sustenance of life brings depth to our understanding of Christ, that in Him not only do we find eternal life but the necessities for this life. That what we need to survive is found in Him, not just one time but an everlasting supply. Do we come to Him daily for our needs? How long can we live without food, one or two weeks? Amazingly I did a search on the internet (where everything is true) and found references to people surviving starvation protests for more than two months, yet living without water for more than a week is unheard of! Is that why David cries out to the Lord not to take His Spirit from Him in Psalm 51:11?