Let the true Christian feed on the truths contained in this passage, and thank God for them. Christ the Bread of life, — Christ the Receiver of all who come to Him, — Christ the Preserver of all believers, — Christ is for every man who is willing to believe on Him, and Christ is the eternal possession of all who so believe. Surely this is glad tidings and good news!
Notes. John VI. 35 — 40.
35. — [Jesus said...! am the bread of life.] In this verse our Lord begins to speak in the first person. Henceforth in this discourse we hear directly of " I " and " Me " no less than thirty-five times. He drops aU further reserve as to His meaning, and tells the Jews plainly, " I am the bread of life," — the true bread from heaven, — the bread of God which, coming down from heaven, giveth life to the world.
The " bread of life " means that spiritual bread which conveys hfe to the soul, — that living bread which does not merely feed the body, like common bread, but supplies eternal sustenance and nourishment to the eternal soul. It is like "the water of life" (Rev. xxii. 17), and " hving water." (John iv. 10.)
The reasons why Christ calls Himself " bread," appear to be such as these. He is intended to be to the soul what bread is to the body, — its food. — Bread is necessary food : when men can afford to eat nothing else, they eat bread. — It is food that all need : the king and the pauper both eat bread. — It is food that suits all : old and young, weak and strong, all like bread, — It is the most nourishing kind of food: nothing does so much good, and is so indispensable to bodily health, as bread. — It is food that we need daily and are never tired of: morning and night we go on all our lives eating bread. — The application of these various points to Christ is too plain to need any explanation.
One great general lesson is doubtless intended to be drawn from Christ's selection of "bread" as an emblem of Himself. He is given to be the great supply of all the wants of men's souls, "\yhatever our spiritual necessity may be, however starv- ing, famished, weak, and desperate our condition, there is enough in Christ, and to spare. — He is " bread."
Bollock remarks, that as soon as the slightest spiritual desire is manifested by any one, however ignorant and weak, he should be at once directed to Christ. It is what our Lord himself did. As scon as the Jews said, — "Lord, evermore give us this bread,"
371
He cried, — " I am the bread of life." He never " quenched the smoking flax."
[He that Cometh... hunger. ..helieveth... thirst] The words "coming" and " beheving" in this sentence, appear to mean very nearly one and the same thing. To "come" to Christ is to "beheve" on Him, and to " believe " on Him is to " come" to Him, — both ex- pressions mean that act of the soul whereby, under a sense of its sins and necessity, it apphes to Christj lays hold on Christ, trusts itself to Christ, casts itself on Christ. — " Coming," is the soufs movement towards Christ. " Believing," is the soul's venture on Christ. — If there is any difference, it is that "coming" is the first act of the soul when it is taught by the Holy Q-host, and that "believing" is a continued act or habit which never ends. No man "comes" who does not believe; and all who come go on believing.
When our Lord says " shall never hunger," and " shall never thirst," He does not mean that a believer on Christ shall no longer feel any want, or emptiness, or deficiency within him. This would not be correct. The best of believers will often cry, like Sr. Paul, " Oh, wretched man that I am!" (Rom. vii. 24.) The man who "hungers and thirsts after righteousness," is blessed. (Matt. V. 6.) — What our Lord does mean is, that faith in Christ shall supply a man's soul with a peace and satisfaction that shall never be entirely taken from him, — that shall endure for ever. The man who eats and drinks material food shall soon be hungry and thirsty as ever. But the man who comes to Christ by faith, gets hold of something that is an everlasting possession. He shall never die of spiritual famine, and perish for want of soul nouri^ment. He may have his low feelings at seasons. He may even lose his sense of pardon, and his enjoyment of rehgion But once in Christ by faith, he shall never be cast away and starved in hell. He shall never die in his sins.
(a.) Let us note in this verse how simple are the figures by which our Lord brings His own sufficiency within the reach of man's understanding. He calls himself "bread." It was an idea that even the poorest hearer could understand. He that would do good to the poor, need never be ashamed of using the simplest and most familiar illustrations.
(6.) Let us note that faith is a movement of the soul. Its first action is "coming to Christ." Its subsequent life is a constant daily repetition of its first action. To tell people to " sit still and wait," is poor theology. We should bid them arise and come.
(c.) Let us note that coming to Christ is the true secret of obtaining soul satisfaction and inward peace. Until we take that step oiu' consciences are never easy. We " hunger and thirst," and find no relief.