I saw an advert that simply said “Admire, Aspire, Acquire” and it struck me how accurately these three words can sum up life for many these days. Advertisers are constantly pointing out how empty our lives are without this or that thing and how our lives will be complete if we get it. We are in a constant cycle of wanting more and striving to acquire more and, the thing is, we are never satisfied. We live in a constant fear of missing out as our Facebook friends post update after update of all the marvellous things they are up to. Whatever we get, there’s always a bigger, better, more expensive model being released to make our things obsolete. Nothing gets us into debt like trying to keep up with those people who are already in debt.
Our reading today considers Jesus’ saying that He is the bread of life. Here we find there are three levels to the analogy. Jesus provides bread for the body in the miraculous feeding of the five thousand and the instruction to feed those who are hungry. He provides food for thought as He embodies the wisdom of God that is, at times, referred to in Hebrew Scriptures as the Bread of life. He also provides the bread of life through His sacrifice that we remember in the Lord’s Supper, food for our spirit. His point is simple, all we truly need for life is found in Him. If we live for Him, not the world, we will be satisfied mind, body, and soul. It is through living a life for Jesus that we find contentment and peace.
It’s exhausting trying to fill our lives. We are constantly looking for things to fill us all the while knowing that nothing we can secure ever fills the hole. We spend more and more of our resources seeking what can never satisfy us. Jesus invites us to set down this pursuit of what cannot satisfy us and find rest and fulfilment in Him. What if we could change and turn to God? What if we stopped seeking more and more, stopped exploiting the planet and those who live on it for our own gratification. What if we stopped seeking those things that leave us empty inside? What if we lived generous lives that ensured there was enough for everyone? What if we found fulfilment in following the call of Jesus to love and serve others? If we all lived like this, would we not already be living a life that closely resembled what we are told it looks like in the fully present kingdom of God? Would we not then know peace?