“I am the bread of life”: Reinterpreting Jesus’ metaphor in John 6:35 in the light of the contemporary society

Abstract

Metaphor is the creative link between an existing knowledge in order to comprehend the unknown problems, thereby getting new ideas. Studies on Jesus’ teachings have focused mainly on his use of parables and miracle stories. However, little has been done on how the contemporary believer can use metaphors in his language and culture to engrave the various teachings of Jesus in the heart of the contemporary believers. This study explores an exegetical study of the bread metaphor Jesus used in John 6:35, with the aim of bringing out its values for contemporary church leaders in communicating religious virtues to believers. The Johannine Gospel is selected because of its wide use of metaphors in proclaiming the message of Christ. The study adopts George Lakoff's theory of Conceptual Metaphor. The study affirms that the use of metaphors to communicate the Gospel message is very relevant in the contemporary society. Preachers and teachers of the word of God should use symbols in their local languages to communicate Jesus' teaching in appropriate contexts.