People are hungry. They are searching for something outside themselves to fill the void inside themselves. In John 6, Jesus and his disciples encounter a crowd of people who are physically hungry. They are hungry because they have been following Jesus, walking up hills and crossing over lakes, in hopes that he would heal their sick family member or friend. Like many of us, their hunger led them to Jesus. What begins as a conversation about food for their stomachs turns into a teaching about food for their souls. Jesus compares himself to bread because, throughout the story of Scripture, bread is always provided in places of want.
I AM the Bread of Life
February 12, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 6:35
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I AM Risen
April 9, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 20:29
This I AM statement is not one Jesus communicates with his words, but one that he communicates with his presence. Thomas was having a difficult time believing that Jesus is alive. Thomas was grieved that Jesus had died. He was angry Jesus had been unjustly crucified. He was in denial that someone so good would be so horribly treated. He was asking, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In the end, Thomas believes. But I think he believes something about himself as much as he believes something about Jesus. He was no longer the odd one out. Jesus appeared to him, and only him. This was the real Jesus Thomas knew. The Jesus Thomas was willing to, and ultimately did, die for. The Jesus Thomas wanted to be with wherever he went. The Jesus who changed Thomas’s perception of himself. There is something very personal about this encounter. And I think that’s the point. The real Jesus is as personal as he is powerful.