Finding the Bread of Life: Josiah, Jesus, and the Word Hidden in Plain Sight

2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6


TODAY'S DEVOTION:

For generations, the Word of God was lost to God’s people—even lost right where you would expect to find it, right in the temple. But no one was looking. No one was listening. King Josiah, by God’s providence, would eventually find it. When it was read, it broke his heart and drove him to deep repentance.

In our reading from John today, we see that once again the Living Word is right where you would expect to find him: among God’s people, in the synagogue. And yet, he’s hidden in plain sight. Jesus is present, performing miracles, feeding the multitudes, walking on water. All of this points unmistakably to who he truly is—the Bread of Life, the Living Word made flesh. Yet, many still do not see him. They are distracted by their own needs, their own expectations. Their eyes are on the gifts, not on the Giver.

The living Word can be lost in the midst of ruins—the ruins of our past, the self-indulgence of our lives. The living Word can even be lost among God’s people when we lose sight of him, even when he is right before us. Jesus challenges the crowds because they are looking for provision instead of understanding the signs; they are preoccupied with the food that perishes, instead of seeking the eternal life he offers.

He tells them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” He invites us not simply to look for what we want, but to see who he is. The one who satisfies, who fills the emptiness within, who gives us himself. It is a call to shift our focus—from ourselves and our anxieties, to him, the One who has come down from heaven for us.

We see it in Josiah, who, when confronted with the Word, tears his clothes in repentance, realizing how far the people had strayed. We see it in Peter, who after witnessing Jesus’ power and presence, falls to his knees and confesses his own brokenness and need. We find Jesus, the Bread of Life, at the center of it all—our true sustenance, our source of life.

Are we seeing the Word of God that is right before us? Are we letting our hearts be satisfied—not by what we can acquire, but by who he is? Are we, like Josiah, like Peter, humbling ourselves before the living Word, turning from what is perishable to what is eternal?

May you see the bread that has been hidden in plain sight. May you take it, eat, and be satisfied. That’s my prayer for my own soul, for my family—my wife, my daughters, my son—and that’s a prayer I have for you. May it be so.