The Risk of Eating Well

So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. “              John 6:32-35

I love watching travel shows hosted by Anthony Bourdain. I can’t say I agree with everything in his philosophy of life, but you have to respect someone willing to eat anything, in any part of the world. He demonstrates to his viewers that the world is more interesting and diverse than we allow ourselves to believe. If the Internet makes our world smaller, watching his travels on a television screen makes the world seem big again.

He has a saying that I find very thought-provoking: “Good food and good eating are about risk.” Giving one’s self the chance to discover something new and wonderful sometimes requires us to step outside our comfort zone. We can choose to continue ordering chicken nuggets and mac & cheese just like a child all our lives, or we can risk it and try something from a place outside of our everyday environment.

In the 6^th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowd about bread that He provides that will take away our hunger for all else in this world. They immediately ask to be given this bread. He responds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” What those in the crowd perhaps do not yet understand is that to partake in this bread will entail a great risk! Yes, they will hunger and thirst for nothing else, but they will also enter into a reality filled with trial, temptation, and persecution. They will also be asked to give all they have and live a life totally indebted to Jesus for the sharing of this bread.

But make no mistake this bread is very good. It is the best, and to partake in the best requires risk. Faithful Christians for two thousand years have proven Anthony Bourdain to be correct.