Bread of Life

 Bread of Life

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he instructed them to approach God with affection by calling him “Father” and to revere his name. They were to seek his kingdom in heaven and ask for the same on earth, and seek forgiveness as well as forgive others, and ask for help in time of temptation.

In the midst of this prayer – which is a guide for all prayers – he included the portion of requesting bread. This would not have been a surprise instruction. Deut. 8:2-3 speaks of manna provided to the nation of Israel in the wilderness. Later in their journey with Jesus, he instructed his disciples there is more to life than bread. In John 6:35 “Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never go thirsty.’” When we pray for bread – for the physical nourishment the human body requires – we are to pray for the spiritual nourishment our spirit requires. Jesus is that spiritual nourishment. He gives us what we require to resist temptation and be a light to the world. (Matt.5:14)

Not only are we to pray for ourselves and our family, but also for our neighbor. Our neighbor is the one without bread. This is the reason Jesus used the plural pronoun “us.” When Jesus fed the multitude he was speaking to a wide variety of people in their respective journey with Jesus – his twelve disciples, other followers, seekers, doubters, and those fascinated by his miracles.  This prayer extends beyond the family of God. When Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount he said “… love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matt. 5:44) The “us” also includes those who oppose Jesus.

When a follower of Jesus the Christ prays, “Give us this day our daily bread,” the prayer is not a selfish one – praying for just what I need, or what my household needs. It is a prayer of love as we ask God the Father to provide for our neighbor and our enemy. He knows our physical need for food and water; he also gives required spiritual food to his believers in order to light the way for those who do not know Jesus – the eternal bread of life.