Day 37 of 49
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
Jn 6:25–41.
This is the first of the I AM names of Christ, letting us know that he is essential to our spiritual well being, providing all our needs, and sacrificing himself so that we can walk in relationship with God.
The Greek artos and the Hebrew lechem both mean a food made from grain. In Scripture the word can take on symbolic meanings such as: nourishment, provision, or doctrine. It not only provided daily sustenance, but also played a part in the Hebrew festivals and sacrifices.
The Table of Showbread in the Tabernacle and the Temple held twelve loaves of bread signifying the twelve tribes of Israel. The priests, and only the priests, ate this bread every Friday before a new set of loaves was placed on the table.
Most sacrifices included a bread offering in addition to the animal sacrifice.
An interesting note: Bethlehem means house of bread. That is just another one of God’s connections throughout Scripture, identifying Christ as the Messiah.
Today, bread is just a part of our meal, and usually carbs to be avoided. In the first century and today in poorer nations, bread provides a means to survive. It fuels the body to do what must be done. One can survive on bread and water.
I taught with a woman who escaped from behind the Berlin Wall. She gave a devotional one day about bread and its part in her survival. They did not have much to eat and looked forward to a daily ration of hard brown bread. Her hunger made it more delicious than cake.
Prior to Jesus calling himself the Bread of Life, he fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-15). What does this reveal about Jesus as the one sent from God? It showed his power over the elements and nature. It proved that he was able to provide what was needed. It showed his concern for the people.
The OT has some parallels.
- God gave the people manna in the wilderness. (Ex16:12-26)
- God multiplied the oil for a woman whose husband left her in debt, enough to provide for her family. (2 Ki 4:1-7)
- God multiplied the bread and oil for a widow and her son who hosted Elijah until the famine ended in Israel. (1 Ki 17:12-16)
After this event, many people began to call him “The Prophet” who was to come…not sure if they were speaking of the one to come before the Messiah or the Messiah. They wanted to make him king, by force if necessary.
The people sought Jesus for more bread. They did not see him walk on water (Jn 6:16-24), but they followed the route the disciples had taken. After the people found Jesus, they asked him how and when he had come.
They sought more signs and an easy life with their bread provided for them. They wanted him to prove himself and used Moses as the example. They asked the right question, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”, but their motives were questionable. Did they really want to know? Did they think they would get more bread? Did they think they’d be able to have a share of the power?
Jesus answered the question: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
The one who God sent stood among them, they had seen the multiplication of bread, they had heard by this time of the water turned to wine, the nobleman’s son healed from afar, the paralytic healed at Bethsaida, and probably heard about the walking on water…and they asked for more proof.
Jesus corrected their misconception, Moses did not give them the bread, God did. That bread only provided for their daily lives, the people in the wilderness eventually died.
But in front of them stood the Bread of Life, the true bread from heaven. Jesus, as the Bread of Life, would provide eternal life to those who believed. He made several promises about believing in him: no hunger, no thirst, never cast out, raised up on the last day, and eternal life.
- Comparison of manna and Jesus:
- Both came from God
- Both were under-appreciated (people complained about manna and Jesus)
- Manna satisfied for a day
- Jesus provides eternal life
- Manna was a sign that Yahweh was the Lord God
- Jesus provided signs that he was the One sent from God
- Manna was white, Jesus was pure
- Manna spoiled and Jesus was never tainted by the world
Jesus also made some comments about his relationship to the Father. He did not come to do his own will, but the will of the Father. The will of God, Jesus would not lose anything of what God had given him and all that God gives to him will come to him. God promised that anyone who looked on the Son and believed would have eternal life.
Jesus referred to God as “My Father”. This is a very intimate relationship, indicating submission to the Father, but also he came in the name and authority of the Father. Jesus walked in obedience to the Father.
The people of the day did not think of God as Father, they considered Moses or Abraham their father. Jesus introduced them to a new way of thinking about their relationship with God. Moses and Abraham could not make any demands of them, but a Living God, the Father…that relationship required obedience.
In John 6:41-51 we find the people’s response. They did not like what they heard. Their immediate response was confusion, after all, they knew his parents. Some of them had watched him grow up.
Jesus expected some to refuse to believe in him. He acknowledged that it was only through the work of God that anyone could believe in Jesus.
We don’t want to respond as the Israelites did to manna, nor the Jews to Jesus.
We don’t want to grumble that it’s not good enough.
We don’t want to consider ourselves self-sufficient, not needing a Savior.
We do want to be submitted and dependent on God for all of our needs, physical and spiritual.
Because Jesus said “I AM the Bread of Life”
- I have_________________
- I can_______________
- I will (I will try to; I hope to)________________
TRICIA LATHROP 