Blog - Joyful Curmudgeon - Blog
A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 

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Bread of Life – 26 September 2006
By Mary T. Hoffman

After Jesus had performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves of bread with which to feed the four thousand, He and his disciples left that place by boat. His disciples then began to discuss among themselves the fact that they had forgotten to bring bread and that there was only one loaf of bread on the boat. This was just after the miracle they had witnessed.

Hearing their discussion about the lack of bread, Jesus asks His disciples, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? He continues with, “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him," Twelve." "And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?" (Mark 8:17-21)

In John 6 He mentions bread again:

35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

48 "I am the bread of life.

51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh."
~ New American Standard Bible

Many people limit their understanding of what Jesus is saying by focusing on partaking of Communion (the Bread and the Wine) which symbolizes the Body and the Blood of Christ. One misses the point if there is no “heart change” which is what I think Jesus is trying to tell people. Taking Communion without having a true spiritual rebirth manifested by a softening of the heart that produces the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) – becomes empty ritual.

To partake of the Bread of Life is to internalize the loving, compassionate, and peace-making teachings of Jesus with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and to manifest these teachings in our lives.  

Go on to: Classical Music and Vegan Vittles – 27 September 2006
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