HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU FOR JESUS?
(6-minute read)
People today pursue a variety of activities that give them the “dopamine rush”. We experience a flood of pleasure when we get our hands on a desired object in a Pop Mart blind box. It is the momentary feeling of satisfaction when we set out on another expedition or adventure. It is the emotional pay-off for being the ‘saviour’ who once again "picks up the balls" when others slack off. While a good dose of dopamine is good for mental health, we are all vulnerable to the danger of not examining any reliance on quick-fixes for happiness.
No one speaks on what motivates human behaviour more directly than Jesus who said, ‘My food… is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.’ (John 4:34). One day, He found a great crowd following Him to Capernaum from across the Sea of Galilee. It was the same crowd that had been part of the mass feeding of 5000 men. When they approached the Lord, He flat out told them, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.” (John 6:26 NLT). To be sure, Jesus cared enough to provide them with food when they were far from home and from where they could get food to eat. (John 6:5). But now, He was introducing them to the idea that there were two distinct types of hunger in everyone. “… don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given Me the seal of His approval.” (John 6:27 NLT).
Their conversation quickly became an intense back and forth around this novel concept of spiritual hunger; something that was foreign to the people. They kept pressing Jesus with the line of inquiry focused on works and not His offer of relationship with God through Him. But Jesus kept up the new Bread of Life discourse that alluded to a personal relationship with Him.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again.
Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35).
At this point, the people became offended with His message when it became clear that Jesus was what they needed. “Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:41-42). Finally, Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said… Yes, I am the bread of life!” (John 6:43, 48).
The Lord had picked an everyday food staple as a metaphor for what we all need for spiritual health and well-being. Today, how do we respond to Jesus as our Bread of Life and what does it mean?
The Bread of Life is Our Source of Life
Source is where everything originates, where everything begins. Source must not be confused with supply chain. Source has the power to generate and create, whereas supply is a pathway where supply flows. The source never runs dry and never faces scarcity. When Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever”, He was not referring to Himself as a product made in Heaven, but His ability to give eternal, zoe life.
Jesus had spoken about this zoe life earlier in John 10:10 when He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." He was not referring to a lifetime’s guarantee of materialistic rewards or hedonic pleasures. He was talking about living with purpose, meaning and fruitfulness.
Source is also revealed in quality and enjoyment. A meal sourced from the best ingredients tastes different through its taste and the experience it provides from ordinary convenience food. The water that Jesus turned into wine at a wedding tasted far more superior to the common wines that were ordinarily served in bulk at weddings. So when we say that Jesus is the source of our lives, there must be a discernible difference in how we experience life, how we live life and how we do life with others.
If there is little difference, we must go back and examine our source.
The Bread of Life is Our Sustenance for Life
The rise of literacy and education has led to a turning away from ritualistic religious practices and a preference for more book-based religions that have textual authority. The concept of heaven and hell is like pass or failure, much like how students are graded according to how well they demonstrate recall and application of concepts. Not uncommonly, many believers associate having a head knowledge of God and the Bible with enjoying an intimate relationship with Him and living a purposeful life.
In truth, Jesus taught His followers that “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NLT). Jesus used a bread metaphor to tell us that it is not enough to stay alive, we must cultivate a hunger for spiritual, mental and relational wellness. Having a head knowledge of Scripture will not sustain us through life’s ups and downs because new Bible knowledge does not change us on the inside if it is not applied to real life issues.
The prophet Jeremiah said this about God’s Word, “When I discovered Your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.’ (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT). Yet, it was not during peacetime that he said those words but when he was experiencing constant hostility and great mental distress as God’s prophet of gloom. In response, God assured him of safety and protection, “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.” (Jeremiah 15:19).
Only when we allow the Word of God to confront our own shortcomings and expose the hidden mental models that motivate our behaviour, will we ever understand the power of transformation that comes from the Word of God.
This is not an intellectual challenge! It is a life experience.
The Bread of Life is Our Satisfaction in Life
The constant pursuit of short-term pleasures often conceals a deeper root of discontent within. It is like a constant signal on our phones looking for connection to a source. The good news we have is that no one apart from God can satisfy any deep-seated human need.
Facing our own inadequacies does not mean we lack faith in God. That is just wrong theology. In fact, we find God when we come to Him without masking our fears, weaknesses and vulnerability.
This is what God promised in the Bible:
For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish. (Jeremiah 31:25 ESV).
He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:9 NKJV).
Has your life turned out different from what you expected and you are trying to cover up your disappointment by creating a persona to tell yourself you are fine? Are you on a treadmill retracing a path that had brought success before but is now taking you nowhere? Have you lost real joy in your living (when no one is around)? Then, ask the Holy Spirit to surface any hidden dissatisfactions that you need to bring to Jesus. In Him alone, you will find an unmatched level of joy that empowers you to live well and relate better (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 14 June 2025.
