Matt Brown: 0:06

happy new year, friends, and welcome to the rooted and grounded podcast, matt wayne. What's up?

Wayne Miller: 0:12

happy new year. Hey, same to you, man. Yeah, glad to be here, man. Yes, what good way to get the new year started.

Matt Brown: 0:19

Yes, absolutely, and so I mean by now. Everyone knows we like to start off the episode. It's pretty light-hearted and I assume that you're thinking we're going to talk about some cheesy resolutions, like Wayne's going to take less vacation days this year False.

Matt Miller: 0:35

Not happening.

Matt Brown: 0:37

Actually another week.

Wayne Miller: 0:40

And maybe one on top of this.

Matt Brown: 0:43

Or that, matt, you're going to cut back on your text messaging, not?

Wayne Miller: 0:47

happening False, not happening False. The first one to come near being true to that one.

Matt Brown: 0:56

Or maybe that I'm going to join the welcome committee this year. Not happening, false.

Wayne Miller: 1:04

I'll talk to people here. Well, at least we're about in 1,000. We're three for three. Yeah, we are.

Matt Brown: 1:09

But instead of resolutions, I want us to talk about identity, because that's what our episode is going to focus on is really the identity of Christ. But it takes some work to figure out who you are, who you're going to be, where you fit in the world. And especially like you think of the high school years, the early 20s, oh yeah, really kind of surfer dude. It takes some time to figure out who you are, and so, guys, I'm I'm curious do you have any like either funny identity crises?

Matt Miller: 1:38

you went through maybe some cringeworthy moments you look back on and we were talking about it, one for me, and I don't even know if it's like a identity crisis, but I first day at uh, I moved from california to hendersonville and I was trying to figure out where to go, who to hang out with, and I needed to go to the restroom, but I went into the wrong restroom, um, so I immediately started off as the guy who went in the girl's bathroom, so that was not a good kickoff for my identity, that one would be hard to live down.

Matt Brown: 2:16

Yeah, not as big a deal today. I'm glad I brought it back, exactly Right.

Wayne Miller: 2:23

Yeah, exactly.

Matt Miller: 2:24

Um, just now living that down when you want now, after that.

Wayne Miller: 2:31

After you just shared. I can't wait for the comments on that. Yeah, you're going to get lit up, Wayne. Do you have any Nothing to top that? No, nothing. I've always nowhere to go.

Matt Miller: 2:48

All right nothing I've always nowhere to go all right before we get completely off the rails. Love it, love it so, so what?

Matt Brown: 2:55

what we're going to do really the first two or three months of the year is look at the I am statements of jesus and really looking not so much at the stories themselves or even the statements themselves, but looking at who Jesus is revealing himself to be and then, from that, having a better understanding of him.

Matt Brown: 3:17

Then we assess our identities and say I can be more like Jesus in this area or that area, or maybe you're doing good in an area. And so that will be the focus for this episode and then the episodes to come, as we look through who Jesus really is. And so we will start today in John, chapter 6, as we think about his statement that says I am the bread of life. And so, if you would, if you're following along, we will read John 6, verse 35, and it says Jesus said to them I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. So, Matt, give us some background on this passage. I mean, obviously we're picking up in the middle of something big going on, but what leads Jesus to make this statement that he is the bread of life?

Matt Miller: 4:03

Yeah, you know, you think about the beginning of John six and uh, verse four. It says the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Um Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great multitude coming and he begins a statement that he's. You know verse six, after he says where shall we buy bread that these may eat? He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was about to do. Not only is he going to feed 5,000 plus, he's going to talk about this concept of the beauty of that bread. And I think you know there's so much, there's so much in this when we talk about, you know, them seeing those miracles, but not recognizing who he is. I mean, he walks on the sea, in this part too, you know, in John 6. So, like there's a lot that's happening, especially with this bread, and I think he sets it up by giving them this idea of physical nourishment and a blessing for all kinds of people. And it's no wonder he says I'm the bread of life, you know, for the whole wide world you know.

Matt Brown: 5:18

So, yeah, I kind of get the feeling of like, um, whenever you get ready to pull off a big surprise and, like you know, something big that, no one else does.

Wayne Miller: 5:29

And like as Jesus is talking to the 5,000, he's just like you'll wait and see what the next 24 hours are going to look like Absolutely yeah, because he knew it was coming.

Matt Brown: 5:40

He knew what was about to happen and even when it happened, I don't think the apostles and the followers really picked it up yet. No, I agree.

Wayne Miller: 5:48

Which is part of his identity. Yeah, he knew what was coming. Yeah.

Matt Brown: 5:52

Yes. So when we think about the bread, obviously bread and life go hand in hand. Throughout Scripture, I mean, we see stories like the Passover, Elijah and the ravens man in the wilderness, the temptation of Jesus. But the conversation begins to shift from bread for a meal to bread for life. But a lot of people found this to be a controversial or unwelcome teaching. And so, Wayne, why were there so many people in the crowd who scoffed at Jesus declaring himself as the bread of life in the crowd who scoffed at Jesus declaring himself as the bread of life.

Wayne Miller: 6:29

You know, I really it seems to me when I read this whole chapter that they'd really missed his identity because they couldn't get off the physical I think I mean they were talking about. Well, won't you give us? And I think that's the reason we see a statement in verse 26. Before Jesus said I'm the bread of life, he had their attention. You know, and we've always known, that when Jesus says truly, truly, or you may be ready to translate he says verily, verily. In other words, that's a double statement. For a reason, I believe he was setting that up so that they wouldn't miss that he's a bread of life. Because what he said to them is look, you've got this all wrong in 26. John 6, 26. I'm saying to you you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. In other words, guys, you missed it. You saw the miracles that Matt just talked about feeding of the 5,000. They saw that, but they didn't see the truthfulness of it. They didn't see the true sign that is about his identity. Because they're now thinking about hey, man, just give me some of this bread I'll never have to get any more. I'll never carry more wood in to fire up the oven. I mean, this is nice, right here, just go ahead and lay it on me. And so they're all thinking about the wrong thing. So when jesus says no, wait a minute, you've missed it.

Wayne Miller: 7:52

You know verse 33, for the bread of god is that which comes down out of heaven. Do what? Because they're thinking only temporary, they're thinking the physical. So it seems to me that when they got upset, maybe down in verse 41 and following, and when he says I am the bread that came down out of heaven, they go no, you're not. We know your family, we know your mom and daddy in verse 42. What do you mean? You came out of heaven. And they started grumbling among themselves because Jesus is on one plane, they're on another. Jesus is about spiritual life, he's about the eternal, not the temporary and not the physical, and so therefore it was a little confusing for him. It was out of their box. They wanted to be that bread that they could get a hold of physically. Yeah, and jesus said missed it missed it.

Matt Miller: 8:37

Well, he said I mean verse 27 don't labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures everlasting life, which the Son of man will give you, because God, the Father, has set his seal on him. You could see they're trying to get there.

Wayne Miller: 8:55

Verse 28,.

Matt Miller: 8:56

What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Well, then he says, well, okay, y'all, here we go, you're coming, this is the work of God, you believe in him, who was sent, and they're like. And then he makes, then he goes into this statement about. It's almost like, and I think we sometimes maybe even have this struggle too. I'm willing to hear it until it maybe becomes a little bit confusing or challenging or doesn't kind of fit the way I thought it was supposed to look. And then all of a sudden I'm like what? That can't be true. Then you know it's like he gets them with the miracle, he pulls them in, and then they're thinking physical and he says, no, don't, okay, you see this physical blessing. Well, I'm the guy who made this happen, but I'm talking about something deeper than that.

Wayne Miller: 9:54

I can do something deeper for you, because they saw him as the bread of life, not as a son of God. That's right, and he makes a statement.

Matt Miller: 10:03

He says which the Son of man will give you, because God, the Father, has set his seal on him. They just didn't. It's like they just right over that. I'm like what?

Wayne Miller: 10:14

Because it seems to me like they had the same challenge or mistake I often make, and then I think a lot of us do. They were only looking at the physical and the temporary Always. God is always concerned about something deeper than that, and his identity as the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is he's always concerned about the eternal, not the physical or the temporary.

Matt Brown: 10:36

Yeah Well, it's like that song we've started singing and taken from Psalm 34, taste and see that the Lord is good. They tasted, that's right, and they saw that he was good.

Wayne Miller: 10:47

But their definition of good and Jesus' definition of good were completely different and they wanted to be filled.

Matt Brown: 10:52

They wanted free lunch. They wanted I mean lunch for as long as they lived. But Jesus is saying I've got something more, and so let's look at the more that Jesus has to offer. Let's go down to verse 47. It says so, Wayne, let's think about this. Jesus gets really deep, really quickly. And I think we need to talk through two key messages that Jesus gives here, and so, Wayne, from you. What is Jesus meaning when he says that the bread that he will give is his?

Wayne Miller: 11:46

body. Okay, well, let's look back at the verse 47 again. Notice that double statement, the truly truly. In other words, he's trying to get their attention again. Okay, double statement, the truly truly. In other words, he's trying to get their attention again. Okay, it's like I think, matt, you just said a few months ago, it's kind of like it's zipping right over their heads, like it does me so many times I'm the bread of life. But then he makes a contrast. You know what your fathers, your forefathers, et cetera, that you're all familiar with. They've eaten some bread before. That was called the manna in the wilderness, right. And he said but there was a problem, that was physical, it was temporary. Guess what happened to them? They're dead, they're gone, that's right.

Matt Miller: 12:27

They're gone, they're gone.

Wayne Miller: 12:29

They'd be dead. Okay. So he says so, I've got good news for you, and the good news is the same God that gave them the manna is the same god who sent me from heaven I'm from. He's already established that I'm the one that is from heaven. And so therefore, he says I'm not talking about now, we're talking about that living bread, not that bread of like your fathers, and that living bread is you've got him in person. In other words, this is just amazing to me that the giver of the bread is himself the bread.

Wayne Miller: 13:02

It's through his life, through his teachings, through his sacrifice that they could live forever, not some piece of little bread or physical bread that you can get. It's much deeper than that. As you said a minute ago, matt B, what was it Curly? Curly said last year Welcome committee yeah welcome committee there with that hair I noticed this year hasn't changed anything, it's still not growing.

Matt Brown: 13:31

Okay, maybe next year Maybe next year.

Wayne Miller: 13:33

We've got 12 more months to see. Okay, but the bread, guys, it's not bread.

Matt Miller: 13:39

It's a somebody. Yeah.

Wayne Miller: 13:41

And the bread is Jesus, the Son of God that came down from heaven, and he says so. Therefore, make no mistake about this, guys, Do not miss this that the giver of life to the world is Jesus.

Matt Miller: 13:58

It's my life, you were saying it. There's a couple times where it's like he does so good, just like a good shepherd. He helps the sheep have a chance to listen, even when they're confused, and he says type, you remember what the Israelites or your fathers did in the wilderness? What that manna represented? It was something from God to you to bless you and to feed you, and you guys I mean, understand what that bread was actually doing for the people. It was supplying something that they needed. Well, just like in that, any type or corresponding to that.

Matt Miller: 14:43

However, we want to say it, which we see this in the Bible all the time. He's doing it right here in the moment I'm that sustainer of life, I'm the thing that's going to keep you alive, I'm that source, I'm the source, right, it's like, and it's my flesh, it's me, it's my body, I'm the guy and they just I mean, look at that next statement, verse 52. The jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying how can this man give us? They just wouldn't. It's like they couldn't let go of it, and it's deep and it's deep.

Matt Brown: 15:18

Well, but really that takes us to the second part we need to look at, and that is when jesus says those who eat the bread will live forever. So, man, how does one partake of jesus to receive eternal life?

Matt Miller: 15:28

well, I think you know you. You talk about this idea of uh jesus says it back there um uh. In verse 29 jesus answered, said to them this is the work of God, that you believe in him, whom he sent. So if I'm going to partake of that bread and I understand who Jesus is, then that I mean this starts dropping all kinds of points. I think the first is you fast forward and you think about the life of Jesus Christ sacrifice, unblemished lamb, without spot, without wrinkle. He did it because he's saying it here, but when we look back on it, he proved it right. He's that propitiation, or the satisfying sacrifice.

Matt Miller: 16:18

So then the next thing is you think about Jesus as resurrected Lord, and he says all power, all authority has been given to me. I need you to go out and tell these people, I need you to tell them about the gospel, but then I need you to teach them how to follow me. So it's not only the power of you know his blood, but it's also the power of his words, Because he says in verse 63 it's a spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing.

Wayne Miller: 16:49

The words that I speak are spirit and life and you think about how did this book start in john one?

Matt Miller: 16:56

yep, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god and the word was god.

Wayne Miller: 17:02

That's right. The same was in the beginning with God, and then in verse 14, and that Word, what happened?

Matt Miller: 17:08

Came flesh.

Wayne Miller: 17:08

Came flesh and lived, fleshed out, among us.

Matt Miller: 17:13

And so when you think about his words of eternal life, that he is that Word of God, Well, and you know you said that John who writes 1, john, john two, at that beginning statement he's like we touched him, we were around him, we listened to him and I want you to hear what he said and the things that he's talking about, because I want your joy to be full too, because if you eat this bread you'll be satisfied, you will get that nutrients that you need and it will be able to sustain you through life, that's. I mean he says right there in verse 54, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I'll raise him up on the last day. But then he says in verse 56, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him, which we know he's going to go on to talk about. I'm the vine and you're the branches. But he's setting up this idea of this continual relationship. And we know that you've got to eat food.

Matt Miller: 18:18

But what did Jesus say? Man don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds. So he doesn't exclude the fact that, of course, you got to eat to survive, but I'm, I'm using that thing that you know. Uh, jews, you understand what your fathers ate. I'm using that example, that kept them going, just the same as what I can give to you. But what I give you, you'll abide forever. I mean guys, the fathers that you had, they're dead, but the bread that you eat for me, you never die.

Wayne Miller: 18:54

Man, what is happening? What Jesus is taking them to another level. Man, because he knows that his identity is the Son of God.

Matt Miller: 19:03

He didn't have an identity crisis. He didn't he never crisis. He didn't he never had. He did not Jesus.

Wayne Miller: 19:09

He said I always came down to do will of the Lord, I always came. I know that's not my purpose.

Matt Brown: 19:14

Oh man, come on, so you all actually set up the transition this time instead of me.

Matt Miller: 19:17

Oh really, so thank you for that. We got you. We're so in sync. Yeah, we got you. It's a new year.

Matt Brown: 19:22

It's taken us a year, but we are there, that was a good one. I feel like it took like three episodes, but we'll make the joke, okay. So as we look at each of these. I am statements of Jesus and like we said at the beginning not looking so much at the story, but at who jesus is revealing himself to be. So who is jesus revealing himself to be with these words?

Wayne Miller: 19:51

oh man you know, I just I just want to remind everyone that don't, please, don't overlook the. I know we're going to talk about the seven I ams and this is the first, but as we go in the next, you know, look at all these individually. I just don't want anybody to miss the power of those statements. I am Because you know we might use those statements and just I am and it just kind of if I'm not careful, I'm like these fellows here, just right over my head. But I mean Jesus is really emphasizing. It's not just a quick passing by that he is saying, but it's really important, it's a powerful statement, but it's more like I, even I. So I would just encourage all of those viewing in and those who are listening don't forget the power of the statement I am.

Wayne Miller: 20:36

We could talk about all the way back in the book of Exodus, 13, or chapter 3, rather when God told Moses. So when I look at that, I am, I see him as the son of god. When I see him here, bread of life, yes, but he's the one who came down from heaven. So to me, when I read this, one thing stands out to me is just his identity is deity yeah, the the one thing that I this always gets me.

Matt Miller: 21:05

Jesus would always use this for his nickname is the Son of man. And I think about the power of the Son of man phrase from Daniel 7 when it talks about this idea of the ancient of days and nobody could stand up to him, of the ancient of days and nobody could stand up to him. But then, in verse 13, I was watching in the night vision and behold one like the Son of man, coming with clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all these people, nations and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed, like Jesus, is setting up.

Matt Miller: 21:54

Just like Wayne said, you have no idea who I am, but I'm about to show you, and when I show you you ain't even going to believe it. Man, you are going to be in awe of who I am. And he's so gentle. I mean. No doubt he presses in on the Pharisees and there's no doubt that his teachings become stern, but I mean, jesus is so smooth man in the way that he just layers, just his teaching.

Matt Miller: 22:22

I just love that man, the master teacher man. He's so good.

Matt Brown: 22:27

And those are both such strong parts of who Jesus is and who he reveals himself to be. And I think a big part of this story is that it's twofold. There's the immediacy of it, and Jesus is saying partake of me, now, follow me.

Matt Brown: 22:44

Follow my teaching, follow my teaching, follow my words. But then there's almost that prophetic side where we think about the Lord's Supper and this being one of those situations where the apostles would have probably gotten it after the resurrection, no doubt. And they think back. This is what Jesus means when he says he's the bread of life, and so I think, as we have that piece there, for me I see Jesus as a giver, because he's giving of himself while he's on the earth. He's giving of himself when he gets to the cross. He is continually giving of who he is so that we can be part of him, and I think that is part of his identity.

Matt Miller: 23:25

That we see from this statement yeah, it's that, john 10, right, I came to give you life and I came to give it to you more abundantly. Yeah, that's good stuff. It's good stuff All right guys.

Matt Brown: 23:38

Well, we have, I think, worked through at least the biggest parts of Jesus as the bread of life, and I know we could go on and on about this story, but let's start to wrap things up and make it real. So, Wayne, start us off this week.

Wayne Miller: 23:52

Well, once I read it, I think it's just when he talks about if you partake of me, you'll never hunger again, you'll never thirst again. I mean, guys, this is real simple One who brings clarity to life is. Jesus, that's right. The giver.

Matt Miller: 24:05

Yeah, I think one of the ones that I just love is verse 39 and 40. This is the will of the Father who sent me that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing, but I should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the sun and believes in him may have everlasting life. And I'll raise them up at the last day. He talks about the bread of life. Sustaining us now, but he talks about the bread of life is actually what will raise you up at the last day.

Matt Brown: 24:39

Man, that is man.

Matt Miller: 24:41

Yeah, bread is good Bread is good Bread is good Bread is good man, and I would say for me receive the gift that you've been given.

Matt Brown: 24:53

I know, just coming off of Christmas, some of you probably were exceeded with the gifts you received. Some of you may have been disappointed. You may have already returned or re-gifted it, but with Jesus he gives the gift of himself and in turn he gives the gift of life.

Wayne Miller: 25:08

That's awesome.

Matt Brown: 25:09

And we can't pick and choose which parts of Jesus we receive. That's right so receive the gift that he gives and then from that live the life that he gives.

Wayne Miller: 25:18

Very good.

Matt Miller: 25:19

Good job, guys, man.

Matt Brown: 25:21

Thank you much Thank you. Thank you to everyone watching and listening. We hope you have a great year.

Wayne Miller: 25:26

See, you have a great week.

Matt Brown: 25:27

Take care, see you.