Zoe Bread

There is a cloud hanging over each person, that nagging stalker in the shadows of our existence, that lurks. Most of the time the stranger just seems present. At other times he seems more real when we see the open coffin, hands folded, undertaker makeup spread upon the face, and looking very "natural." We tell the funeral director what a good job he did in making the person appear life-like. But dead is dead, and it follows close on our heels, waiting to strike, often without notice to take us down into the ground from which we came. This is reality no matter how we can so order our lives so we don't have to think about it. But, there is a much more deadly stalker, the one that pulls us down into the second death. This is the one we must fear.

The Jews who followed Jesus for the bread conveniently forgot that their forefathers at the manna in the desert and died. Daily bread was so much coveted that Zoe Bread was left on the shelf like day-old bread. Do you realize how much Jesus talked about ZOE life? Eternal life was always on his lips. He held it up and barked out the call to buy it just as surely as the street vendors hawked their freshly baked loaves. The smell of freshly baked bread seem to attract more customers than the distant aroma of Zoe Bread. If they had known that Zoe Bread has the ability to save us from the dreaded second death they would have rushed to have it. The second death will hurt you if you do not overcome it (Rev.2:11). Jesus can take away the reign of the second death, making us priest-kings like Melchizedek, reigning with Him and the Father (Rev.20:6). Zoe Bread keeps us out of the lake of fire (Rev.20:14; 21:8). Whether this is eternal suffering or eternal destruction, ceasing to exist, it is to be avoided.

Jesus was trying to reorient people's thinking. Man lives mostly in the body/soul part of their makeup, trying to preserve earthly life and to find enjoyment here. Jesus did not dismiss the needs of the body/soul of man, but He knew the need of the spirit part of man was more critical. The person who made spirit priority would have more true enjoyment in body/soul. The man who tries to feed the body/soul dies twice. The man who feeds the spirit Zoe Bread only dies once. This is the choice. Eat Wonder bread and die twice or eat Zoe Bread and die once. BTW, Jesus is Zoe Bread.