John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Meaning of Bread of Life

After hearing the news about the miracles that Jesus performed, A large crowd of people from different towns walked on foot to see Jesus who had traveled by boat to the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus saw the crowd, He had compassion on them and healed many sick people. When the evening was drawing near, His disciples went to ask Jesus to send these people away to buy food for themselves in the nearby villages. But, Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Jesus then ask Philip where they might buy bread for these people in order to test him. Having a quick calculating mind, Philip said that eight months' wages would not be enough to buy bread for each one to have a bite. According to common sense reasoning, there is no possible solution to the issue. For even they had enough money, the question was where to buy such a large quantity of food in short order and have the food transported back in time. But, to God everything is possible. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish they could find from a boy in the crowd, gave thanks and distributed to the crowd by the disciples. Jesus did the same with the fish. They all enjoyed a good meal. The number of people that were fed consisted of five thousand men plus the uncounted number of children and women.

After hearing the news about the miracles that Jesus performed, A large crowd of people from different towns walked on foot to see Jesus who had traveled by boat to the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus saw the crowd, He had compassion on them and healed many sick people. When the evening was drawing near, His disciples went to ask Jesus to send these people away to buy food for themselves in the nearby villages. But, Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Jesus then ask Philip where they might buy bread for these people in order to test him. Having a quick calculating mind, Philip said that eight months' wages would not be enough to buy bread for each one to have a bite. According to common sense reasoning, there is no possible solution to the issue. For even they had enough money, the question was where to buy such a large quantity of food in short order and have the food transported back in time. But, to God everything is possible. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish they could find from a boy in the crowd, gave thanks and distributed to the crowd by the disciples. Jesus did the same with the fish. They all enjoyed a good meal. The number of people that were fed consisted of five thousand men plus the uncounted number of children and women.

After this miraculous event, the crowd wanted to make Jesus king by force. But, Jesus withdrew to a place by Himself. The next day, the people found Jesus. But, Jesus told them the reason they came to find Him was not because of the miracle that He performed but the food produced at the miracle. In other words, the interest of the people was at the materialistic level not the deeper meaning and reason of the miracle that Jesus wanted to teach them. Since the people were interested in bread, Jesus use bread to teach them an object lesson. Jesus said that He was the bread of life and they should seek Him to give them the bread of life. Anyone come to Jesus will not go hungry and anyone believes in Him will never be thirsty.

Common World View of Life versus the Biblical View of Life The common world view of life is similar to the notion of life in medicine. In other words, life is almost synonymous to the physical body. When the heart stops beating and the lung stops breathing or the brain stop functioning, life stops. The spiritual dimension of life is totally ignored.

For example, a popular theory in psychology to model human behavior and motivation was proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1947 papers which divide the human needs in five levels: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self- actualization. The lower level of needs must be fulfilled before the higher level is pursued. The theory may not be absolutely correct but it is a good articulation and explanation based on real world observation and generalization of common human behaviors and motivation.The theory correctly portrays that people normally strive to obtain more satisfaction in life from the most basic physical level to the higher levels. The spiritual dimension and the eternity nature of human life as revealed in the scriptures are not taken into proper account or even totally ignored by many people.

The Bible reveals that God Himself is eternal and the human life created in His own image is meant to be eternal also. Death of a person is almost synonymous to sleep because the person will resurrect someday to continue living, in glory or in shame (Daniel 12:2). Moreover, the spiritual dimension of life missing in the world view of life is vital in the understanding and definition of life revealed in the Bible. The Bible teaches that spirit is an essential part of the human life (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and God's spirt, the Holy Spirit may dwell in a person's life to comuunicate and guide him or her (Psalm 51:11, Psalm 143:10). The reason that the spiritual aspect of life is missing in one's life is because of sin which leads to broken relationship with God. This is called spiritual blindness as revealed in the Bible (John 9:39-41).

Daniel 12:2

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Ecclesiastes 12:7

and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Psalm 51:11

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground

John 9:39-41

³⁹Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." ⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" ⁴¹Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The Bible also teaches that our physical body we know today is only temporary. In compare to the spiritual dimension of life, the body is like a tent as apostle Peter referred to his own body in 2 Peter 1:13. A tent is an external and temporary instrument and is not the person inside the tent. By the same token, the physical body is temporary and external to the essence of life. The body is important but is only the instrument to do many things good or bad according to the soul and spirit inside that controls the body. In regard to the value and importance of the spirit and body, Jesus teaches us that it is the spiritual and not the physical aspect of life that matters and His words are the nourishment that sustains and give power of a spiritual life (John 6:63). Moreover, according to God's plan, the span of our physical bodies are quite short and will return to the earth as dust soon and the limited span is full of troubles and sorrows (Psalm 90:3, 10). The best life to come is not in this present body living in the current world but the spiritual, glorious, resurrected, and imperishable body with closed relationship with the Creator God (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Jesus has demonstrated in His resurrection from the death that resurrection is true and sure. Also, the resurrected body is not just a spirit but a glorious body with power for He has shown Himself, talked to and even ate with many disciples in His resurrection for a period of forty days before returning to heaven (Acts 1:3-4).

Psalm 90:3, 10

³ You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men." ¹⁰ The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44

⁴²So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Acts 1:3-4

³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

Common World View of Blessed Life versus The Biblical Blessed Life

Having considered the meaning of life according to the common world view and the Bible, let us consider the difference in the implication of what blessed life is. The world view tends to emphasize the good things in the physical life in the life span on earth. After all, this is the perceived time duration of life for people holding the world view. Therefore, it is important for people holding this view to maximize the experience of good things in this time span. Moreover, the spiritual dimension of life is not emphasized or ignored, people who hold the world view will define what are considered good for themselves and are lack of the guidance of the Holy Spirit who works according to the words of God. The common things that are considered blessings in life by most people are prosperity, peace and good health. The Bible does also say that these are the blessings that God may give. What differentiate the common world view and the Biblical view are the importance of spiritual and eternal aspects of life. The Bible emphasizes the relationship with God in one's life which will last eternally. Without a relationship with God who is the source of life and blessings, there is really no future of life no matter how great a person may think his or her life is great and blessed because it will come to an end abruptly someday, and what follows is everlasting darkness and separation from God, the source of life and all blessings. Therefore, these are the emphasises of what a blessed life is according to the words of God the Bible:

A. Always emphasize salvation as forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God because of Jesus' redemptive work. The gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is the precondition of a blessed life: a life that is not under the wrath of God, but purified and justified before God and is included in the book of life (Revelation 21:27; Romans 5:9).

Revelation 21:27

²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Romans 5:9

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

B. Always emphasize the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life who makes the sinner a new creation, an instrument of righteousness, a born again life pleasing to God (Galatians 5:22-23). Moreover, the presence of the Holy Spirit in one's life means that God has placed a guaranteeing deposit for the eternal blessings to come (2 Corinthians 5:5).

Galatians 5:22-23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self- control. Against such things there is no law.

2 Corinthians 5:5

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

C. Always emphasize the eternity of life even at the expense of losing the prosperity and well being in the present life in the world. The reason is simple. The present prosperity and well being is only temporary and cannot compare to the eternal blessings of God. A little mathematics may help our understanding of this point. The blessings of God is like an infinite number, and the good things in this life is just a finite number. In calculus, division of a finite number by an infinity is zero even though the finite number may be a large number such as one million or one billion and can be ignored in the equation (Romans 8:18). Any teachings that emphasize the present good things and enjoyment while ignoring or underemphasize the future in God's kingdom are short-sighted and faulty in light of the Bible. The Bible treats the present life as a traveling journey only. The destination is eternal life in the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, people who think that the present prosperity and well being are everything they need in life are considered foolish according to the scriptures ( Psalm 49:18-19; Luke 12:19-21).

Romans 8:18

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Psalm 49:18-19

¹⁸ Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper- ¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.

Luke 12:19-21

¹⁹And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The Invitation to Blessed Life

To understand more deeply the blessed life that God desires to give to every human being, let us consider the origin of human life. The Book of Genesis reveals that mankind is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and is given the responsibility to rule over other living things on earth. The first man and woman Adam and Eve live in the garden of Eden and had a close relationship with God. Because of their disobedience to the command of God and gave in the temptation of Satan, sin entered the world. Mankind as descendants of Adam are born with a sinful nature. The Bible does not give a detailed explanation of how it comes about, but we can all acknowledge the presence of sinful nature by common observation. A newly born infant is innocent. As he or she grows up, he tends to manifest sinful thoughts and behaviors. The degree of sinfulness may be different from person to person and from situation to situation. Although the person is a law abiding citizen, however, all fails in light of the holiness of God who created humans in His own image. Sin eventually bore fruits resulted in all the immoralities, corruptions, and violence that we see in the world throughout history and today. Sin is like a dreadful disease attacking and destroying the whole world. Death is a definite destination of all mankind. Moreover, sinfulness brings separation and enmity with God as if darkness and light cannot be mixed together. God is holy and just and sinful people cannot communicate and approach God. Without the guidance of the Spirit of God, a person will feel that God is abstruse and even non-existent and he or she tends to live according to instincts without the words of God as guidance. In other words, sin brings spiritual death to humans and then physical death which happens later (Romans 5:12).

Genesis 1:27

²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Romans 5:12

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

A sinful life is not the life God originally intends people to have because it distorts the image of God inherent in a human life. A sinful life is under the influence of the person's sinful nature and the bondage of Satan. A sinful life bears all sorts of ugly fruits (Galatians 5:19-20) causing harms and sufferings to other people and the person who bears such fruits. The final outcome of a sinful life is death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23a). However, God is love (1 John 4:8). Although all people, Jews and the Gentiles alike, have fallen into sin, God still loves us. He demonstrated His great love by sending His one and only Son Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin (Romans 5:8). The Holy Spirit will come into believers' lives and turned them into new creations. This is what Jesus means when He says that we have to be born again in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3,5-6). The life of a new creation is the truly blessed life God gives. What is a truly blessed life in a more specific term? We all agree that a blessed life is a life bestowed with good gifts in life. However, we may not agree and understand the same way what the good gifts are. For examples, most people will agree that prosperity and good health are the very good things to have in life but still may differ in defining the notions of prosperity and to a lesser degree, good health. To resolve the disagreements and understand what a truly blessed life is, it is best to turn to God's written words the scriptures. A common view of prosperity and good health simply means possession of great wealth of money and a healthy body to live a long life, enjoy, use and manage the wealth he or she owns. Contrary to the common view, God's view and provision is infinitely better. The common view emphasizes the physical body, financial and materialistic resources in a limited life span while lacking the spiritual and eternity aspects of life as discussed above. These good things in life at present can be good resources and opportunities to apply in good and noble causes. In fact, the Bible has many examples of persons received prosperity blessings from God such as Abraham, Job, King David, King Solomon and more. But, these good things in life alone can also be applied in a misguided way harmful to others or in a self-serving way to feed lusts, pride and pleasures. These good things cannot truly fill one's life with true satisfaction and happiness. Therefore, even people who are affluent and healthy may not the happiest people even in this materialistic world and cases of suicide have been reported in the news. As a matter of fact, God who is infinitely wise and the creator of human lives warns us that these good things in present life, and in particular money and wealth the most commonly wanted thing can deceive us to pursue wrong goals in life and even commit evils in order to obtain it (Mark 4:19; Ecclesiastes 5:10; 1 Timothy 6:10).

Romans 6:23a

For the wages of sin is death

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:3, 5-6

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " ⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Romans 8:15-17

¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Mark 4:19

but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

In contrast, God's view and provision for a blessed life is not restricted to a limited time span and scope and will always satisfy requirements of life (2 Corinthians 4:18; John 6:35) because the full requirements of life are well understood by God, the creator of life. His provision for life lasts forever and its scope is infinitely rich and God is so loving that He is pleased to adapt even sinners to be His children (Romans 8:15-17). Who can be richer than God the creator of the universe? Will God hold back the good things to His children? The answer is an emphatic "No!" Jesus says that God is so loving and generous that He is willing to give the Holy Spirit to dwell in His children's life (Luke 11:11- 13, John 7:37-39). With the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, life is truly blessed. This statement is almost like a tautology.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Romans 8:15-17

¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Luke 11:11-13

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

John 7:37-39

³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Conclusion

Humans were created in the image of God. Eternity and spirit are important aspects of human life and should not be ignored. Otherwise, life is not true life and will be misguided and have no blessed but gloomy future eternity. Sin has entered the world and all human lives are like inflicted with terminal disease of sin that causes death and eternal separation from God, the source of life. Due to His great love of mankind, while we were sinners, God sent His only Son Jesus to save mankind from this terminal disease. Jesus came down from heaven as the bread of life. We may all take and eat of this bread freely such that our sins can be forgiven by God and have a new, eternal, blessed life that God desires mankind to have (John 6:51). This is the salvation grace of God that Jesus died for all sinners who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life (Isaiah 53:5; John 6:27, 40).

John 6:51

⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

John 6:27

²⁷Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

John 6:40

⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

In this article, we have not discussed other religions offered as alternatives to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of these religions may also address the eternity and spiritual aspects of life but are not true bread of life and cannot provide the requirements of life. The Bible clearly states that salvation cannot be found under other name apart from Jesus Christ. For a more detailed study of this important topic, please refer to the article: Jesus the faithful and true witness.