Jesus is Bread
Why Christians often suck at “getting” metaphors
This past Sunday I gave a sermon on Jesus’ famous statement, “I am the Bread of Life.” It’s such a well-known statement that we often overlook just how strange this statement actually is: I am the bread of life. What an odd thing to say!
When Jesus says “I am the Bread of Life,” he is using a metaphor. A metaphor is, by definition, an unstable linguistic entity. Why? Because on the literal level, it is often absurd. Contained within a metaphor is both an “is” statement and an “is not” statement that exist in tension with one another. Jesus is, in one sense, bread. And in another sense, he certainly is not!
For the metaphor to retain its potency, the “is” and the “is not” must co-exist. To affirm or deny just one of them is to take away its power and effectiveness. We literalise the metaphor when we deny the “is not” — Jesus really is bread. We banalise the metaphor when we deny the “is” — Jesus isn’t really bread (well of course!).
The metaphor “I am the Bread of Life” is supposed to activate the imagination of the one reading or hearing it. It’s supposed to move the muscles of the mind to stretch and flex. It’s supposed to spark creativity.
Contained within that one phrase are so many possible directions of meaning and application.
If you’re not a Christian, or if you haven’t grown up around the Church, you are probably best primed to understand and engage with Jesus’ metaphors, ones like “I am the Bread of Life.” Your lack of familiarity might just be the key. The metaphor isn’t dead to you.
If you’re a Christian, and you find this metaphor boring and unprovocative — if it has ceased to have any effect on you — then pray that God might again, each day anew, renew your mind. Perhaps then the metaphor will shock you, and you might just encounter Jesus afresh.
Thank you for reading. The Coffeehouse Cleric is a Medium publication dedicated to asking the big questions of life. It features writing on three main areas: minimalism, spirituality, and learning. If you enjoyed this piece and it helped you in any way, please do share it with friends and family.
P.S. If you‘re interested, below is a link to the sermon.
