Verse of the Day 13/8
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. English Standard Version (ESV)
For today's verse we go to John chapter 6 and one of Jesus 7 "I Am" statements. We are now fully into the Christmas/Advent season and we sing Christmas songs at church, we hear them playing in the background in stores and likely listen to them when we're in the car. One of my favorite Christmas songs is O Little Town of Bethlehem and one of the reasons for this is the line "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Jesus, the Messiah's birth was prophesied in many places in the Old Testament and none was more specific that what we read in the book of Micah where we read:
Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days. English Standard Version (ESV)
Any time you read a Hebrew name starting with "beth" it means house. In this case Bethlehem means "house of bread". As with manna in the book of Exodus came down from heaven to give life to the Israelites, so Jesus coming down to earth gives us eternal life when we receive Him. Think of the importance of bread throughout the Bible and in our lives. When we celebrate communion we receive bread as a symbol of His body, broken for us.
David Jeremiah writes, "But why was He born in the "city of bread"? Perhaps Bethlehem was given that name because it was a center for growing grain as illustrated in the book of Ruth where Bethlehem is mentioned six times. The climax of Ruth's story centers around the grain harvest of Boaz. More prophetically, the One born in the "house of bread" eventually identified Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48).
Be comforted this Christmas by the prophecy and fulfillment that surrounds the birth of Jesus. God's promises for you are as certain as His promises were for the birth of Jesus….
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above
While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love
Oh morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth.
And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
At Christmas we celebrate His coming and as Christians we anticipate Him coming again."
Anytime you hear Bethlehem mentioned as year hear the Christmas story, remember today's verse as Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life".
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
John 6:30-40 New Living Translation (NLT)
30 They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'[a]"
32 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34 "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day."
35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day."
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