What food in the Bible is referred to as the sustainer of life?

Food plays a vital role in sustaining life, and the Bible recognizes this fact by referring to certain foods as the "sustainer of life." One such food is bread, which is mentioned throughout the Bible as a staple food that has sustained people for centuries.

In the Old Testament, bread is often referred to as the "staff of life" or the "bread of affliction." In Exodus 16:4, when the Israelites were wandering in the desert, God provided them with manna, which is described as a type of bread that sustained them during their journey. This miraculous provision of bread is seen as a symbol of God's provision for his people, and it reinforces the importance of bread as a staple food that sustains life.

In the New Testament, bread takes on even greater significance as a symbol of Christ himself. In John 6:35, Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." This passage emphasizes the idea that just as bread sustains physical life, Jesus sustains spiritual life.

Furthermore, in the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said, "This is my body, which is given for you" (Luke 22:19). This act of breaking bread became a symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, and it reinforced the idea that bread is a sustainer of life, both physical and spiritual.