People tend to care deeply about the food we consume because what we eat directly impacts our overall health, but do we take spiritual nutrition as seriously as physical nutrition? We should, because Jesus fulfills both our physical and spiritual nourishment.
At the beginning of John 6, a large crowd followed Jesus to the Sea of Tiberias, and looking at the throng, Jesus asked His disciples how they could feed the crowd. Jesus then took five loaves of bread and two fish, fed the five thousand people, and even had leftovers!
The next day, after walking across the sea, Jesus arrived at a synagogue in Capernaum and began to teach. Starting in verse 35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
The Jews listening began to grumble and reject His words. Some followers even said it was a hard saying, and many left. But Peter, when questioned by Jesus regarding whether he and the other eleven disciples also would leave Him, replied simply in verse 68: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Imagine for a moment you were one of the five thousand Jesus fed. You had no idea where He got enough food that everyone was satisfied, or how there were leftovers. The next day, after following Him into the synagogue where He explained this miraculous meal provided only a glimpse into the spiritual food He provides, you reject Him and leave.
Not only did the Jews and other skeptics around Jesus reject the idea He could fulfill their physical needs, but also their spiritual needs. They ultimately rejected the Father, which resulted in eternal separation from Him. Perhaps this was why Jesus was so hurt by those who still refused to acknowledge Him as Messiah. [1] The Jews who claimed to follow God, but who rejected Christ, ultimately rejected their faith in God. [2] In John 10:11, Jesus declared He was sent by the Father to be the Good Shepherd, not just to Israel, but to all who would put their faith in Him. [3]
Today, we think how foolish these skeptics were for leaving after experiencing this miraculous meal firsthand, but I think John provided a glimpse into the type of nourishment they craved. They were not ready for spiritual food (although they desperately needed it). Instead, they were overly focused on their physical needs. Jesus, having a physical body, knew hunger and thirst, and He cares deeply about our physical health, but how much more does He care about our spiritual health?
Psalm 119:135 reminds us that just as food satisfies our stomachs, our spirits long to be satisfied. What can satisfy the growling hunger in our souls? Jesus — the Word made flesh. The One sent by God the Father to deliver us from our sins and fulfill the deep longing in our spirits.
The Word of God provides food for our famished spirits. The feast all of God’s children will attend one day will be the most fulfilling event ever experienced. We will never fear going hungry again, whether physically or spiritually. If you’ve accepted God’s gift of salvation, find comfort in Jesus’ words when He says anyone who comes to Him will never be cast out (John 6:37b).
If you have never accepted Christ’s salvation, come feast with us! The Word of God can provide everlasting nourishment, and there will even be leftovers, as we saw with the bread and fish. This is the call to the “dinner table” — the call to salvation: believe in Jesus as the Messiah who was sent by the Father to pay for our sins.
Make no mistake: Jesus is the only eternal food for our souls. If we want to have eternal life, we must come and eat, because “eating is believing.” We might ask, “How do we begin to feed ourselves spiritually?” [4]
First, eat the Word. Develop a healthy and balanced diet of the Word of God. [5] Although we are living under God’s new covenant, we need to explore and understand the “old” promises God made to His people. Uche Anizor explains: “God’s law is to be obeyed, and His promises trusted.” [6] But how can we trust His promises if we don’t know how to obey the law? If we only study the New Testament, we miss out on God’s total work of redemption.
Second, feed one another. As fellow Christians, we have a responsibility to others in the flock of God, looking out for their spiritual nourishment. In Galatians 6:1-2 Paul admonished, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness…. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
This may include feeding one another physically. My wife and I visited a “well-fed” Hispanic church just outside New York City. Once the morning service began, the church members remained at the church until the conclusion of the evening service. After the morning service, they ate lunch together, studied the Bible in small groups, and then worshiped together again in the evening.
Third, take in only what is nutritious. Paul identified these nutritious spiritual ingredients in Philippians 4:8: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” If you feel starved today, does your spiritual food meet Scripture’s criteria for what is good?
You and I certainly do not remember every instance we were fed (whether physically or spiritually), but whatever it was, it sustained us and led us to where we are today. If you are only eating the Word of God at church, make no mistake, you are malnourished.
Do you feel far from God today? Eat His Word. Read, meditate, and pray through Scripture, and find comfort in knowing you are holding the Word of God, full of life and power, and sufficient to meet your cravings for all eternity.
The table is spread, and there is a seat for you. Come and eat!
About the Writer: Nicolas Cruz serves as academic office assistant at Welch College in Gallatin, Tennessee. He received his B.A. from Welch and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Indiana Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Humanities at Welch College. Nicolas also serves as a counseling intern at Serenity Counseling. He and his wife Emily are active members at Cofer’s Chapel.
Calvin, Jean, David W. Torrance, Thomas F. Torrance, and Parker T H L. The Gospel According to St John, 11-21; and the First Epistle of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979, p. 50.
Wilhelm, Meyer Heinrich August, W. Urwick, Frederick Crombie, and A. C. Kendrick. Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Gospel of John. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1983, p. 382.
Cowan, Christopher. “The Father and Son in the Fourth Gospel: Johannine Subordination Revisited.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, March 2006, pgs. 117-118.
Anizor, Uche. The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture. Wheaton: Crossway, 2026p. 112.
