Read: John 6:22-40
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (v. 35)
Occasionally after I eat out at a restaurant, I’ve complained that I’m hungry again after just an hour—the meal left me unsatisfied. We all want satisfaction that lasts. But cars break down, appliances fail, and we get hungry again after even the best meals.
Just before our reading today, we read how Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people (John 6:1-14). Now we find the crowd hungry again and seeking Jesus for more food, taking a long hike to find him. Jesus saw they were working hard to get the wrong thing: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (v. 27). Jesus had the capacity to meet permanent human needs. The people believed Jesus should provide a steady daily diet of bread (v. 34). But Jesus wanted them to redirect their effort to a devotion to him that leads to eternal life. That was and still is the need he has come to satisfy.
Sometimes we feel like Jesus isn’t meeting our needs. But if it’s the wrong need, he’s not going to meet it. If we can understand the needs Jesus has come to meet, we’ll learn to find our satisfaction in him.
As you pray, consider what you’ve been asking God for lately. Are you asking for anything more than daily needs? Ask God to show you what lasting, permanent needs he can meet in your life and in the lives of others and begin to devote part of your prayers to these.
Fred Van Dyke is a conservation biologist dedicated to the care for God’s creation. In this role Fred has served government agencies, private consulting firms, and academic institutions doing research, management, and teaching in conservation science. He is also the author of two books on faith and environmental stewardship.
