Statement one... part 2...

Christ uses these statements to speak to our physical needs, and this one is particularly powerful, as it speaks to hunger and thirst.  However, as mentioned before, there is also a serious Spiritual meaning and understanding, as well. 

"'I am the bread of life,' Jesus told them. 'No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.'"

John 6:35, HCSB

HE is the bread... He IS the bread... He is THE bread... He is the BREAD... no matter where you place the emphasis in the sentence, the Truth of it remains the same, and that is that Jesus Christ is the only thing we can consume (I'll get to how in a moment) that will sustain us eternally.  There is nothing else, and that means that there can be no other way.  Only Christ offers this level of sustenance.

As to how we "consume," I would like to ask that we think figuratively for a moment.  When we read the Word, we soak up and consume the Truth of the Bible.  It comes into us, through our eyes and minds and hearts, and then is within us.  It is not so literal as Ezekiel, who ate the scrolls and made them a real part of himself (ref. Ezekiel 3:3), but it is the same figurative concept.  Some will ask about transubstantiation, and while I am not a Catholic myself, I do see the value in the symbolic act of the Lord's Supper.  Taking and eating the body, given for us for the forgiveness of sins, bringing Christ into ourselves, is what brings salvation.  Apart from Christ, there is no salvation.  Therefore, in order to have salvation, you must bring Christ into yourself. 

But it's not just that He is the bread, is it?  He is the bread of LIFE, as the verse tells us.  So the food we consume keeps us alive, free from starvation... but this bread is OF LIFE, and therefore we become something new when we eat of it, because we become alive!  We are sustained in an eternal sense from only a crumb of what Christ has to offer, and yet He offers more than we can consume or understand.  He laid out a feast the likes of which no human eye can possibly comprehend, because it is a feast of Himself that brings freedom and peace and grace and salvation... and ETERNAL LIFE!

Also, it goes on to tell us that those who partake will never have hunger again.  Spiritually, this is quite significant, because you can only be a "seeker" until you find what you're looking for.  If you've found Christ, then you are no longer "seeking," nor will you ever need to be.  Certainly there are questions that are asked, and topics discussed, and studies written (I know, right... shameless plug), but the Truth that you are saved from what you deserve is always there.  The Truth that your soul is freed by grace and fed with the Body and Blood of the Lamb is evident in all things you search for and through.  And so now, as a Christian, you are not seeking Christ... you are now seeking a deeper communion with Christ.

He is the bread of life, and He is the only thing that can sustain and protect and save, and He is the only One ever to have made such a claim... so either He's completely bonkers, or He's more right than we can fathom.  I'm banking on Him being right, and I'm taking in the Bread.

God bless you all!!!