In order to have fresh bread on the table to fill hungry bellies, my grandmother busied herself every three days to make nine loaves of bread. This was before the convenience of a bread machine or frozen dough balls were available to ease a homemaker’s every day tasks preparing meals. For my grandmother, it also included her only method of baking which was on a wood stove which also served as the main source of heat in a very modest farmhome in the 1920s and 30s.  How she determined the temperature level in the oven still astounds me as I try to imagine those days of bread making.

My dad was the one to tell me about her bread making days. He told me about a favorite after school snack he and his siblings enjoyed. By this time in his memory, she had a dough mixer that the boys took turns turning to create yummy mixtures of flour for bread, rolls, doughnuts, etc. The boys waited under great impatience for the sticky mixture of dough which grandma pinched off and rolled into small balls, dumping them in frying oil until crispy and then rolled them in sugar. She called them “jiggers” and dad said a few of those after a school day really filled a hungry belly!

In many cultures bread is a staple at mealsl. Throughout history bread took on different forms made from a variety of ingredients. Shop any bread aisle at a supermarket and observe the number of varieties available to us as consumers. Bread has evolved from long processes of loaves made from pantry ingredients to those directly from any store, sliced or unsliced, offering a variety of grains–flour, rye, oats, whole wheat…bread is indeed considered an important staple at tables around the world!

Therefore, is it any wonder that Jesus referred to Himself as the “bread of life”! In the range of 10-35 scriptures where “I am” statements are recorded, this one about being the very daily sustenance that people need stands alone with great power and assurance that Jesus is everything we need to survive life’s circumstances.

“I am the bread of life” is a statement made by Jesus in the Bible, specifically in John 6:35, where he expresses that He provides spiritual nourishment and fulfillment,  promising that those who come to him will never hunger or thirst spiritually. This phrase emphasizes the idea that true satisfaction and meaning in life come from a relationship with Him.

Too often, I think people–including myself–have fallen in the trap of looking to what the world offers in order to satisfy empty hearts…jobs and careers, social standing, measure of our wealth, leaning on the opinions of others for value…these cravings CAN be satisfied in this latter list but they run contrary to Jesus’s own words, especially for those who profess to be in relationship with Him.

I think Jesus described Himself as “the bread of life” to those who walked with him, who followed him from village to village, mountain tops to the shorelines of the Sea of Galilee, because the picture of being able to fill up a person’s hungry belly and spirit connected with the crowds. Poverty and hardships were prominent in Jewish families living under Roman rule and conditions. Life was hard. Work was often back breaking. Having enough to eat was a frequent struggle. 

In the season of Lent we can dig deep into the story behind the story, to learn that in the 3 ½ years of Jesus’ ministry many of His Jewish peers were looking for a Messiah that would come and conquer Rome. To their disappointment–and ignorance–He came to establish His kingdom on earth and become the ruler of hearts and minds, not a political victor. While many missed the purpose of His coming, we can rejoice in the few who followed, listened, and became the early church of Christianity as described in the first chapter in the Book of Acts.

As I return to my grandma’s wonderful bread making days, I have to smile remembering how my dad also reminisced about how “sliced bread” became an item on the store shelf near the family farm. “Oh, how we wanted to try this new thing out!”, he said.

“Really?!”, I asked. “Why”.

The answer is wrapped up in the notion that as humans we get caught up in routines, take good things for granted. In that moment of hearing about “store made bread–sliced and all–he thought this new convenience suddenly replaced the taste of homemade bread baked in a wood stove oven. And, I’m pretty sure the store version filled empty bellies, too. But did it taste the same? Were the ingredients as good as grandma used?

Likewise, the world has always–and continues– to offer things to fill our empty bellies and minds. The ingredients aren’t always the best. False religions and misinterpretation of the Bible are running rampant among mainline denominations. Progressive Christianity is on the rise, challenging sound doctrinal stances regarding God, the virgin birth, gender, the existence of heaven and hell.

When Thomas asked Jesus how he and the other disciples could know where He was going His response was “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.

Bread comes in a variety of textures and flavors. Salvation comes only one way, through Christ. This plan cannot be altered. Or sliced.