How the Bread of Life Helps Us Experience Miracles

A powerful invitation that the Savior gave during His mortal ministry is found in John 6:35:

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

In the introductory post of this series, the analogy of how we individually like to tackle an all you can eat buffet was presented. Today, we are continuing the discussion of filling up until we are satisfied with the above scripture in mind. But first, we need some background on why Christ said that particular statement.

Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand by utilizing five barley loaves and two small fishes. Referring to the five loaves and two fishes, Andrew asked a question that can resonate with us when facing humbling circumstances: “but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9) Among five thousand people, how could they feed and satisfy the multitude with such meager food? Just like the widow of Zarephath recognized that she only had a handful of meal and a little oil left to eat one last time before she and her son would die (1 Kings 17:12), it takes faith for us to allow the Lord to turn impossible circumstances into miracles.

I love the next verses because they teach important principles that we need to study and implement into our lives:

John 6:11-13

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Jesus gave thanks to His Father for what was available to them. In the other gospels, we read that Jesus looked up to heaven before He blessed and broke the food items; He then proceeded to handing them over to the disciples (Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Luke 9:16). In His perfect way, Christ was demonstrating the measure of His stature at that moment. He didn’t cause the food to magically appear in front of those present so they could eat faster. He allowed His disciples to experience the miracle. Only two of His disciples are named in this part of John 6: Philip and Andrew. We don’t know how many disciples assisted with this task. There were five thousand people that needed to be fed. How many baskets did they actually start out with? What were the thoughts of each disciple as they reached down into the basket and just like the widow of Zarephath, found that it was not empty? What were their thoughts, especially Andrew’s, when they gathered the final fragments? They had so much more to spare than they had first started out with!

A lot of us may be questioning how we are going to make it when looking at our present circumstances. COVID-19 has affected many families in ways that they didn’t think they would be affected. It all happened so suddenly. You may be examining your bank account and wondering how in the world you will be able to stretch your finances over several months just to make ends meet. You might actually be looking at your pantry and fridge not knowing how you will be able to stretch your food items for longer than you usually would, just so that you don’t have to make another trip to the grocery store. When the thoughts first started to overwhelm me, God taught me a lesson. It was a humbling lesson. I had a tough decision to make. The answer to prayer was that it didn’t matter what decision I made as long as I followed Him.

Christ re-invited me to be His disciple. He showed us the way many centuries ago, and He continues to teach us as we feast daily in the scriptures. Just like He asked His disciples to distribute the bread and fish to the multitude, He is asking US as HIS DISCIPLES to distribute love and compassion at this time. He wants US to experience the miracle. He could literally just put an end to all of it, but then what lessons would we miss out on? He wants us to grow into the measure of the stature of His fulness. It is all individually prescribed by Christ. Each of our current situations vary. We are positioned geographically in a special way at this time. And yes, I understand that social distancing may make things difficult, but I know that our Father in Heaven knows who we can personally bless as we display true discipleship. It may take us several times to come to our knees, plead harder than we ever have before, and wait for answers. But I know that as we display true charity in the ways that Christ would, He will make sure that as we reach down into our baskets, that they will not be empty.

As you display this Christlike love to those who have forgotten His love or those who have never experienced this love, I know without a shadow of a doubt in my heart that Jesus Christ will fulfill the promises in John 6:35:

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

We are truly blessed. Jesus Christ taught us that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). We are not left on our own. We will find answers in the scriptures. We will receive personal revelation. Our testimonies will grow as a result of our experiencing the miracles He is so eager to demonstrate in our lives, and we will praise and glorify Him as we grow a few centimeters taller unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

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Fulness of Christ Series:

Introduction to the Fulness of Christ Series

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