Empty Breadbox

I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst. –John 6:35

Well, that sounds nice, doesn’t it? Jesus is promising to be there – to sustain us – every day, all the time. We will never be hungry again. We will never thirst again. How many of us though, come to the breadbox only to find it empty? We go to the well, and the bucket has no water. It feels like Jesus is not there. How can he promise to provide us with bread and water but then not be there when we come? That’s what I wondered as I read this passage. But then I read it again. Jesus never promises that he will provide bread every time we come to Him. He promises, rather, to provide that nourishment when doing so will prevent us from being hungry or thirsty. In other words, are we on the brink of hunger when we come to Him or are we full? I think Jesus wants us to come to him daily and seek him out. On those occasions, though, when it seems that He’s not there, where it seems that the breadbox is empty, it should not discourage us. Rather, it should cause us to ask: Am I still full? Do I still have some work to do to burn away these spiritual calories? Perhaps what Jesus is saying is “I’ve given you what you need to do the work I’ve given you to do. Now go do it.”

It’s kind of like calling mom on Thanksgiving morning after a big breakfast and she says, “I promise to feed you well. See you for dinner.” Then you get in the car, drive half way there, pull over, and call her up and say, “Mom, where’s my dinner – I thought you said you would feed me.” She replies, “I’m preparing a feast for you. Finish your trip and you will eat richly when you arrive.”