In France we might share a Baquette.
In Israel a bagel or Matzo.
In the Philippines, Pandesal.
Germany, Pumpernickle.
Morocco, Pita.
Italy, Ciabatta or Foccacia.
Soda bread in Ireland, Challah in Damascus, before heading back to the States for Sourdough in San Fran, egg bread in Alabama, or the Midwest’s very own Wonder Bread.

Slice it, toast it, break it or butter it, with anything from margarine to mayonnaise to Marmite (God help us…). Bread was, is, and will always be the literal and metaphorical life-sustainer, the most essential form of nourishment the world knows.

For those with gluten allergies we’re not being literal.
For those on low-carb diets: same thing.
And lest anyone think Jesus had morphed into a giant poppy seed bagel as he delivered these words in John, Chapter 6, you and I are forced to ponder just what he had in mind when he continued to call himself ‘living bread.’

Jesus… the central sustainer and life-giver of our lives.
If this is what we’re meant to live on, then what are we doing with all that other stuff in the cupboard? Why do we feed so regularly off of fickle desires, self-centered appetites and the opinions of others? Sure, that stuff always looks good – scientists say give a chimp the choice between a banana and a Twinkie and he’ll choose the junk food every time.

Jesus is continually asking us what we are feeding on. Are we trusting in our business acumen, market metrics, or a generally favorable gene pool? Whose expectations are we trying to meet? What does it mean to us to put aside everything else and feast on Him?

Reading…
Life Together – Francis Wade
Religious Literacy –Stephen Prothero
The Year of Living Biblically - AJ Jacobs