John 6:24-35 (NRSV)
Read John 6:24-35 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. Verse 25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Verse 26Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Verse 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal."
Verse 28Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Verse 29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." Verse 30So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Verse 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Verse 32Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. Verse 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Verse 34They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Verse 35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Devotion
I know why you came here, Jesus said. "Not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."
The crowd was looking for "the provider" because they were hungry. But Jesus told them, it is not about your stomach. It is about your heart and soul; it is about your life. You don't need food for today from me. What you need from me is the bread of life that God sends through me.
Follow me. Believe me. Trust me. Love me. I am the one who can end your hunger and your thirst. Seek me. Even more than me, seek the one who sent me.
How often do we seek to fill a hunger with something other than God? It is pretty easy to do, and we all have. But Jesus reminds us that there is something beyond today's hunger and someone who can satiate that hunger forever.
Prayer
Bountiful God, we are hungry for your presence. Lord, help us to dwell in the reality that you are ever-present and looking to share the bread of life with us forever. Amen.