Christ is the Living Bread

John 6 contains the first of seven statements John records where Jesus says, "I am . . ." something. This first instance features his claim that "I am the bread of life." What is behind this claim, and why does this episode flow the way it does? John's technique in this part of his grand parable is meant for the reader to conclude that we must depend on Christ for spiritual nourishment, and this is perhaps best seen in our practice of the Eucharist.