Activities
Spiritual Formation
More Than Bread
There seems to be a nutrition fad right now labeling different foods as, “superfoods.” I choose to side with Jim Gaffigan that this all started with the kale people. Gaffigan describes kale as hairy, bitter spinach, and he’s not that far off. Yet kale in the past twenty years has moved from salad bar garnish to star of Olive Garden’s Tuscan Soup.
Kale is just one of many superfoods, though. You see clickbait ads on YouTube (or whatever) that boast of superfoods that will ‘burn away all your fat in 30 minutes’ or ‘leave you looking twenty years younger overnight...’. Maybe some of these claims are true; I wouldn’t know. But I’m pretty certain that nothing we put in our stomachs will save our souls.
We are physical beings living in a physical world with natural desires, but that’s not all we are. We are also spiritual beings with souls and eternal needs that can only be satisfied in supernatural ways. Jesus said something in John 6:35 that must have sounded so bizarre to the people who heard it, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.” Jesus did provide for the physical needs of the people he interacted with and so should we. Caring for those who do not have bread, giving generously and serving selflessly, are essential aspects of a genuine Christian life, but giving someone bread to eat without introducing them to the bread of life can only go so far.
Did people roll their eyes at this “Wonder bread of heaven” sales pitch? Certainly, they came out in droves when he was passing out wine in Cana and multiplying fish and loaves in Gennesaret. But where was everyone when His power over death rolled the stone away? The problem seems to be that we don’t want “bread of life” that will save our souls, we’re content, just like the crowds who followed Jesus, to get real bread to fill our stomachs – we’re too easily pleased.
At the last supper with His disciples, Jesus brought up the bread again and instructed His followers to eat it in remembrance of his death on the cross. This was a practice given to His Church reminding us of our dependence on His sacrifice for our salvation. Jesus lived a sinless life, and then stood in our place to take the punishment we deserved. When He rose from the grave, He became the perfect provision to satisfy our famished souls. Oh, the wonder of this bread of life!
In our physical lives, we can eat all the kale we want, I’m sure it helps. In our spiritual lives, however, there is only one food we really need, Jesus, the bread of life! Our lives are temporary, and our bodies are dying, but through Jesus our eternal soul can live and thrive. We need to refocus our lives to look higher than the natural, we need to be people who see with supernatural eyes that we might experience eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In our physical lives, we can eat all the kale we want, I’m sure it helps. In our spiritual lives, however, there is only one food we really need, Jesus, the bread of life! Our lives are temporary, and our bodies are dying, but through Jesus our eternal soul can live and thrive. We need to refocus our lives to look higher than the natural, we need to be people who see with supernatural eyes that we might experience eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.