The
little town of Bethlehem was historically known as a fertile region that grew
ancient grain and provided bread for the whole of Judea including nearby
Jerusalem. The town’s Hebrew name “Beit-Lechem” directly translates to “House
of Bread”. Another symbolic significance of Christ’s birth for out of the House
of Bread came The Bread of Life.
Through
my research I discovered that unlike the genetically modified wheat today, ancient
grain was a highly nutrient-rich superfood. It was higher in protein, fiber,
vitamins and minerals. It basically contained every nutrient to sustain life which
makes it understandable why Jesus would have applied the title of The Bread of
Life to himself (John 6:35; 48)
With
the exception of the Atonement, there is no sadder time of Jesus’ mortal life
than the time He declared Himself to be The Bread of Life. Up to that moment,
the Saviour’s popularity amongst the common people was immense and people
thronged Him everywhere He went (Matthew 8:1,15:30; Mark 3:8,7:24,8:1; Luke
6:17,12:1) but finding this doctrine too hard to ‘bear’, many of His disciples
‘walked no more with him’ (John 6:66). From the time of this sermon, He was
headed for the cross.
The
sermon on The Bread of Life came on the heels of five loaves and two fishes. By
this extraordinary miracle the Saviour ignited the fire of the Messianic
prophecy. Hungry for freedom from bondage and oppression suffered for over 700
years, the Jewish nation was ready for deliverance. They did not expect to be
told to ‘eat’ His flesh and ‘drink’ His blood (John 6:32-35; 51-58). And so even the baptised and most converted to
the Saviour abandoned Him and thus began the rejection of the common people
easily manipulated by the leadership to propel Him to the cross.
This
is the sad point. The reality of ‘eating and drinking’ the Saviour’s flesh and
blood which they questioned was far more easily understood than it appears: “The
process of eating and drinking were figures in every-day use by the rabbis of
that time. Their failure to comprehend the symbolism of Christ’s doctrine was
an act of will, not the natural consequence of innocent ignorance. To eat the
flesh and drink the blood of Christ was and is to believe in and accept Him as
the literal Son of God and Saviour of the world, and to obey His commandments.”
(James E. Talmage, “Jesus the Christ” p 342)
One
cannot but wonder why the baptised and most converted were so easily swayed by
the Jewish leadership to reject Christ as The Bread of Life. I think it’s a
matter of being enlightened. Just as we eat bread on daily basis, we should be ‘eating’
Christ’s word every day to keep the fire of our conviction burning. That’s
enlightenement.
The
enlightened should see themselves in Peter’s response to Jesus when asked if
the twelve will also go away: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words
of eternal life.”
Maybe
Bethlehem didn’t give birth to The Bread of Life but to The Bread of Eternal Life…..
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: The Nativity by Eileen Whitehead)
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