April 14, 2026
Jesus 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. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
John 6:35-36
Bread, in the modern world, is complicated. Partially because our knowledge of science and biology has improved, and partially because we grow, process, and use wheat differently, more people in the West and modernity avoid this food that around the world and throughout history was central to sustenance and culture. It’s no mistake that the Hebrew language central to God’s people of Scripture emphasizes the connection between bread and life. The word for both contain the same consonants. And ancient Hebrew only had consonants (no vowel letters). So, lachem and lachaim, could only be told apart from context clues in writing.
If you’ve ever heard a Jewish toast given in real life or in cinema, you’ve heard “lachaim!” And if you know where Jesus was born, you’ve heard lachem… Bethlehem is in Hebrew… Bait-lachem… House of Bread. Anyone who has studied the language is not surprised that The Bread of Life was born in The House of Bread. Nor, do they miss the symbolism that the man who wandered for 40 days in the desert with no bread (tempted by the Tempter to make stones into bread) is a callback to the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years with nothing but bread from heaven to eat. Jesus famously says he doesn’t live (lachaim) by bread (lachem) alone, but by the word of the Lord. He’s saying life is sustained by bread and God’s words to us.
Pastor Margo preached on this scripture this week and reminded us how critical true bread is to sustaining us in hard times. When other things threaten to harm us or tempt us to fill ourselves with that which doesn’t satisfy or sustain, we are called again to seek true bread, bread of life… lachem halachaim. Are we in worship each week in the house of the Lord with our family? Are we finding time to study scripture with our family and our family of faith? Are we carving out time to teach our children, volunteering to be teachers, youth advisors, and confirmation mentors? True bread is the wisdom of God’s words to us about serving the needy, enacting justice for the oppressed, and loving one another and our enemies. How do we receive and serve that true bread of life? What will you do this week to feast on it and serve it to others who are hungriest?
Prayer
Lord, help me to seek your true bread in worship, study, fellowship, nurture of children, service to the needy, rescue of the lost, and justice for all. Amen.
Rev. Brian Daoust
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