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Object Lesson - Bread

The Bread of Life Bible Lesson

Most of us eat bread daily.  This simple object lesson can plant an anchor into our memory to connect the object of bread to thoughts of "The Bread of Life" - Jesus!  Even in the busyness of life, object lessons are a great tool to help us keep our focus on the eternal, on Kingdom Life!


Bread - John 6:35 - An Object Lesson

"Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

What a statement!  Who wouldn't want to never hunger or thirst again?  Jesus meant so much more than physically hungering or thirsting though.

Jesus began his seven "I AM" statements of Who He is with this one - "I AM the Bread of Life."

Demonstrate

Hold up a loaf of bread.  

Ask a few questions:  

  • Where does bread come from?
  • What ingredients are used to make bread?
  • When do we eat bread? 

We all have probably eaten some type of bread today whether it was a slice of bread for toast or a sandwich, a bun, a biscuit, a bagel, crackers, a tortilla, etc.

In Jesus' day bread included all these types; it was simply made up of mixing flour, oil and water together and it was the number one type of food eaten at every meal.


bread object lesson

Photo by Javey Du @ Pexels

Meditate

Scripture makes so much more sense when we don't take it out of context.  Let's look at what was happening around Jesus when He spoke these words in John 6:35.

If you back up to the beginning of this chapter, you'll see where Jesus fed over 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish.  Most of us have heard of this miracle; remember the story of the little boy who shared his lunch? 

Many of the people who were listening to Jesus talk about this Bread of Life were the same He had fed the day before on the other side of the lake.  He knew their motive for following Him, for in verse 26, He says:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves, and were filled."

Think about a time when you were hungry.  What did that feel like?  Did you know how to fill that hunger?  Of course, you did; you went to get something to eat!  This is the point Jesus is making.  He is the only One Who can fill our deepest hunger, our deepest need.

Jesus continues in John 6:33:

"For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."  

His audience would have immediately remembered the manna God fed the Israelites in the wilderness...bread from heaven. (Found in Exodus 36) Jesus used this story they knew and the object of bread with which they were familiar on a daily basis to point out how all of this ultimately pointed to Him - The Bread of Life.

Back in chapter one of John and verse 14, it says -

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus, the Bread of Life...God in flesh, stepped down out of Heaven and came to earth in the form of man to live among us.  His love for us caused Him to lay aside His majesty and glory for a time, to walk in our shoes, and to reveal Himself to us...that we might see with our eyes and touch with our hands.  To show He is real and He is near! (1 John 1:1-4)

I love to bake sourdough bread.  Bread just seems to complete a meal.  My daddy used to call it the "staff of life."  This "Bread of Life" though is meant to sustain more than our physical bodies or our physical hunger; it represents the gift of Christ's life.   As He took part in the Passover meal with His disciples -

"And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Luke 22:19

He came down from Heaven giving His very life for us...and we are to remember.  Today as we eat or see any type of bread, may it cause us to remember all He has done for us and be thankful.  May our praises go up!


Prayer:

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be our Bread of Life!  Thank You for satisfying our deepest need with Your Only Son.  You allowed His body to be broken and given for us because of Your great love.  Please help us love others as You do by sharing Your Bread of Life that they may receive this eternal and abundant life also.  (John 10:10)


Activate

Take the loaf of bread and share a piece with each one in the group, or if it's just you, think of different people God is calling you to share His Bread of Life.

When you eat any type of bread, let it remind you that Jesus came to fulfill all your needs.  Just like we cannot be sustained physically for a whole week on one slice of bread, we can't be spiritually well and strong if we only allow Jesus to be a part of our life when we attend worship on Sundays.  We need Him daily!


Bible reading plan group

Extended Object Lesson Activities
for families or Groups

Serve up Bread!

Bring different types of bread, crackers, tortillas, bagels, etc. to share on a snack board.  Make it a time of review and have each person share one thing that stuck out to them in the lesson or that they remember.  This will give them access to choose a snack from the board!

Bake Bread

object lesson - Bread of Life

Bread is actually very easy to make and bake; we usually already have the ingredients we need in our cabinets!

Here's a really easy recipe for flat bread that uses only flour, oil, water and a bit of salt for taste!  These are cooked in a skillet on a stove; so if you are in a classroom environment, you could use a hot plate.


Shop for Bread

The next time you're at the grocery store or bakery shopping for bread, think about or talk with your kids about the cost of bread and how Jesus paid the price for us to receive the Bread of Life!



More Object Lessons "As We Go..."

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