Jesus said he’s the “bread” of life. Not the “grain.” Here’s why that matters.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” (Mark 14:22)

We’re in a four week series exploring what the vocations of some of the characters of Easter can teach us about our own work today. This morning, we turn our attention to someone in the background of today’s passage: The unnamed woman or man who baked the bread Jesus used at the Last Supper.

Scripture gives us zero detail on who this person was. But I think it’s safe to assume that they viewed baking this bread as just another mundane task on their to-do list, much like you might view the emails you have to type, the papers you need to grade, or the nails you have to hammer today. 

And yet, today’s passage shows that God used the work of this baker’s hands to accomplish something extraordinary. Their bread helped Jesus reveal something about himself—namely the way his body would break to redeem the whole of creation on Good Friday.

This is not the first time Jesus used bread to reveal a spiritual truth. In John 6, Jesus pointed to another piece of bread to point out that he was the “the bread of life.”

The bakers of the bread in these passages point to an important truth—namely that the things you and I create at work have the power to reveal things about the Creator God. Here’s how pastor Joe Rigney put it:

“…it's not merely that God's creation reveals who Jesus is. Human culture reveals who Jesus is. Jesus says that he is the bread of life, not the grain of life. Grain is something that God makes. Bread is something that people make out of the grain that God makes. That's what culture is—a mixture of God's creation and man's creativity. And this tells us that not only is creation designed to reveal God, but human culture is also capable of showing us what God is like.”

The question then is this: What is your work revealing about God today? Are the emails you’re typing, the papers you’re grading, and the nails your hammering revealing God’s excellencies? Can people look at your business and see God’s character of grace, mercy, and justice in the way you treat your team, vendors, and customers? Is the way you engage with your co-workers reflecting a God who loves his enemies?

Like the baker’s bread, your work has the power to show the world what God is like. Work to ensure you’re revealing an accurate and winsome picture of him today!