“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’” (Matthew 14:14-16)
The Jews of Jesus’ day expected many signs and wonders with the coming of the Messiah. One sign would be that He would bring manna, bread from heaven, as Moses gave the children of Israel in the desert. For 40 years, God fed manna to the Israelites while they wandered in the desert. Manna was the only nourishment they needed. The Jews believed the Messiah would provide this bread.
Bread to the ancient people, we must realize, was the symbol of life, more so than it is to us who eat too much white bread to grasp the fundamental nature and life-giving properties bread possesses. Whole grains such as oats, wheat, and barley contain protein and fiber as well as vitamins and minerals essential to physical life. The Bible refers to bread as the staff of life in Lev. 26:26 and Ezekiel 4:16. It was the cornerstone of nutrition, that which supported physical life as a staff aided one in walking.
Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes as a sign to show the people that He was the Messiah, the leader of the new Israel. Like Moses, He would lead them out of slavery. Like Moses, Jesus was going to provide them with bread, but the bread that He would give was not literal food. He was going to provide them with the Bread that they needed for eternal life: Himself. He was saying that He is the cornerstone of life, as indispensable to them as bread. And only Almighty God is that essential.
Therefore, our diet should be the bread of Jesus. He is the one we should go to in order to partake of spiritual nourishment. We need to spend time with him in prayer every day. We should spend time reading His word and in fellowship with other believers eating from a diet that is filled with His scripture. And we should spend time doing the work the Lord has called us to. Whatever else we do or desire to do, is not more important than our relationship with Him. Nothing the world has to offer satisfies like Jesus, for He alone is the source of eternal life.