Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
In his book, The Heart of the Enlightened, Anthony De Mello tells a story:
A Quaker had this sign put on a vacant piece of land next to his home: “THIS LAND WILL BE GIVEN TO ANYONE WHO IS TRULY SATISFIED.”
A wealthy farmer who was riding by, stopped to read the sign and said to himself, “Since our friend the Quaker is so ready to part with this plot, I might as well claim it before someone else does. I am a rich man and have all I need, so I certainly qualify.”
With that he went up to the door and explained what he was there for. “And are you truly satisfied?” the Quaker asked.
“I am, indeed, for I have everything I need.”
“Friend,” said the Quaker, “if you are satisfied, what do you want the land for?”
As we see in the story of Jesus feeding the five-thousand, everyone ate and all were satisfied. Satisfaction or contentment for many of us is elusive. I know it’s elusive in my life! The moment I feel like I am content with the things that I have, my lot in life, Apple releases a new iPhone and I find myself green with envy and dissatisfaction. So, the question that the Quaker asks is the question we strive to answer every day; are we truly satisfied? If we are looking for people, things, and gadgets to satisfy our needs, we will ALWAYS leave disappointed. Why? Because temporal things can never satisfy the eternal desires written on our hearts.
What the people don’t realize, and what Jesus so perfectly illustrates later in John 6, is that the only way to be truly satisfied and content is to partake of the bread of life. Jesus is the end of our quest for satisfaction. You will find nothing great and nothing beyond the satisfaction that only Jesus brings. It is through faith that Jesus becomes the well that will never run dry, and in the process, he not only satisfies our desires but he also sets us free from chasing the things that can never and will never satisfy. Are you truly satisfied? If your satisfaction is found in the sufficiency of grace, the answer is and can be yes.
Pastor Seth Redden
High School Ministry