Are You Satisfied?

Scripture:

John 6:35   Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Observation:

Jesus was declaring that he could provide for the needs of his people. As the bread of life, he is the sustenance needed for living. As the living bread, he was more than the manna that they had received from heaven. The manna had provided for the peoples’ physical needs for a period of time. Jesus is our eternal food and water, symbolizing everything that we need can be found in him. To be satisfied, or filled is to never hunger and thirst for those “empty calories.” Jesus provides at a much deeper level, satisfying the most important needs. 

Application:

When I think about what Jesus has to offer us, I am challenged to think about living in the place of rest, and having enough. The common mistake that people make is thinking about what Jesus is saying in the physical sense. This is no heath and wealth theology, but this is about meeting our very deepest needs. Within the core of our being we have a need to be connected to our Creator. It’s in this place that our longings and desires exist and when these are not met by God, we will seek to become satisfied in others ways. 

It’s the other ways that become a problem in this world. People try to become satisfied by a myriad of solutions including:

Food — we even call some of it “comfort food.” The feeling that our tummy is full makes us feel good and satisfied. But Jesus is saying we don’t need food to give us that sense of peace or comfort, for the comforter has come!

Relationships — we look to family, friends and loved ones to satisfy our need for connectedness. Because this hunger is so deep we may even remain in abusive situations, all in a desire to be loved. 

Material Goods — we fill our homes and lives with things that we hope may fill some kind of a need deep inside of us. Some people even refer to shopping as “therapy.” 

This list could go on and on, because we are all looking for a place in which we can be satisfied. That’s what Jesus was talking about here. Jesus is enough. We were created to have the void in our lives filled by the daily bread that we receive from him! When we seek after him with all of our heart, the void in our lives is filled, the hunger is satisfied and the thirst quenched. Jesus is enough to meet and supply all of our deep needs. He becomes the conduit that connects us and brings us into fellowship with the Triune God. There we are welcomed to the table where holy love becomes the overwhelming ingredient that unites us in becoming a partaker of the divine nature. This satisfies on a level that reaches to the very depths of need.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to be satisfied by you! Amen.