Got Bread?
As we travel through the Gospel of John with Jesus, the "Word" of God, we've seen many themes from Genesis 1 recapitulated. "In the Beginning", "Light" and "Darkness", and last week we saw again this idea of water giving birth to new life. (In the creation story where did the first animal life appear? In the waters above and below:
birds of the air and creatures of the sea.) In John 5, Jesus gave the "Living Water" that truly heals: his word. He commanded...and the lame man walked again! No need to dip in the pool of Bethesda! Jesus was Bethesda. And as Gene reminded us, we (the Church) are now to carry that ministry of healing and be the "Pool of Bethesda" for a lame and thirsting world.
This week we will explore another theme from the Old Testament that Jesus puts a spin on. Even as God provided manna from heaven to feed and provide for his people, so he provides a new man(na) from heaven to give life (eternal!) to a hungry people. Jesus, the Bread of Life. I encourage you to read John 6 in preparation for Sunday, and Isaiah 54-55 if you're really motivated...they go together.
I look forward to worshiping our great God and King together!
Dave