Question

In the Old Testament, we are told that man cannot live on bread alone, but in the New Testament Jesus claims that he is the bread of life. What do you think Jesus means by this? What message is he trying to convey? Why do you think bread is used as the symbol? Finally, does this passage speak to you in any way?

Answer 1

In the New Testament Jesus claims that “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt.

In the old testament, we are told that man cannot live on bread alone, This is the truth of the word of God. We need much more than the physical bread for our survival on planet earth. The bread that we eat is to nourish our body, to make us to grow and to give us physical strength, thus anyone that feeds only on the physical food can be healthy physically; looking robust, and fresh, but the physical body is not the only thing that makes up a man.

Bread is used as a metaphor for the gifts from God and is itself given as a gift from God. There are hundreds of references to bread as being a gift in the books that were sacred to the Jews. Jesus is clearly identifying himself as a gift from God. Even more importantly; however, Jesus is linking himself to the bread of the presence. The bread of the presence was bread that was specifically made to be kept in the tabernacle and later in the temple that housed the presence of God. The bread was a sacrifice to God. At the last supper Jesus is teaching that he is the bread of the presence but instead of being sacrificed to God he is being sacrificed by God to humanity (this is the significance of the 12 eating the bread, whereas the bread of the presence kept in the temple was reserved only for God). Personally, I really would have preferred if oatmeal chocolate chip cookies had been used as the body of Christ but “take this cookie and eat of it” wouldn’t have carried the symbolism necessary to support the lesson Jesus was attempting to teach.

Jesus Christ's perfect body which he gave on behalf of mankind, He considered himself his body synonyms to bread, through the passage the God Almighty gives the message that we have the life make to become meaningful as live for others and others hungry and sacrifice for them who are in pain.