The Bread of Life
Notes
Transcript
And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Intro:
Intro:
TS: Last week we looked at 2 miracles. The feeding of the multitude set the stage for Jesus’ greater intent, the discourse we look at today. They had full bellies and had seen miracles. To the crowd, Jesus must have magically teleported across the sea since they hadn’t seen Him get in the boat with thh apostles and there was no other boat there.
He knew they were looking for more signs and He gives them a sermon. He was far more interested in meeting their spiritual need than their physical needs.
In this message, He gives the 1st of 7 “I AM” statements
Today He declares, “I Am the bread of Life”
this reinforcces John’s theme of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God
John has recorded several BIG miracles, or signs, to establish His deity
He now is shifting to Jesus’ discourse on the realities of His Person in order to clearly define who Jesus is.
Today’s discourse takes place at the synagogue of Capernaum.
Let’s begin by looking at....
The Public comments (6:25–66)
The Public comments (6:25–66)
1. Christ and the curious (6:25–40)
a. He speaks concerning God’s salvation (6:25–36).
And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
(1) Their confusion (6:25–26, 28, 30–31, 36)
(a) They want to know how he got there (6:25).
Logic said He should still be near the area in which He fed them
This prompted the question
(b) They seek him only for physical bread (6:26).
Jesus knew they were only following Him for the miracle.
They were fans, not followers
They sought Him out because they ate of the bread
They were motivated by a desire for food rather than understanding the significance of Jesus person and mission
V. 27, Jesus rebuked them for materialistic notions of the messianic Kingdom
It would (and will be) a physical reality
BUT the greater is the eternal spiritual reality
He came to bring Eternal LIFE
(c) They don’t know how to please God (6:28).
They thought Jesus was going to list several works to do in order to please the Father and join the Kingdom
in fact, this would be the perfect opportunity in which to do so.
Instead, Jesus in v. 29 gave 1: believe
same as in 3:16
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Faith, trusting in Jesus as Messiah and Son of GOd, is the only work God desires of us to receive eternal life
He offers it to us
We respond in faith
there is no other plan or formula
No additional steps are required
(d) They assume the Old Testament manna came from Moses (6:30–31).
It came from God!
They were wanting Him to feed the nation of Israel as big as God had.
They were focused on the materialistic
(e) They don’t believe in him even though they have seen him (6:36).
But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
Sadly, even after all the signs, they didn’t believe in Him
(2) His correction (6:27, 29, 32–35)
(a) They are to seek him for spiritual bread (6:27, 33–35).
(b) They will please God by believing in him (6:29).
(c) He says the Old Testament manna came from God (6:32).
manna was temporary, What Jesus gave was eternal
He wanted to fill their hearts, not just their stomachs!
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Jesus makes the 1st I AM.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary
“I AM the Bread of life” (6:35, 41, 48, 51).
“I AM the Light of the world” (8:12).
“I AM the Door of the sheep” (10:7, 9).
“I AM the Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14).
“I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).
“I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6).
“I AM the true Vine” (15:1, 5).
He is the Bread
He is the “food” they really need
They need a saving relationship with Him
All who come are eternally satisfied
The life He gives is eternal
never hunger and thirst again!
b. He speaks concerning God’s sovereignty (6:37–40).
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
(1) Guaranteeing that all the elect will come to Christ (6:37):
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
From God’s perspective, our salvation is a settled deal long ago
All the verbs are past tense!
He foreknew us
He knew all who would be saved
He predestined us to conform to the image of Jesus
He called us
He justified us
He glorified us
Wait a minute! I need glasses still, My back hurts, I’m not glorified yet!
In God’s eyes I am!
He sees us today as we will be in eternity
Time isn’t an issue for God!
They will never be rejected.
All who come to Him will be saved
Nobody begs for salvation only to find out that grace has run out and they have no hope.
(2) Guaranteeing that all the elect will continue in Christ (6:38–40):
All who believe in him will be raised at the last day.
He won’t loose anyone!
Nobody who is genuinely saved will lose it!
Jesus is powerful and won’t let any slip!
2. Christ and the critical (6:41–59)f
They push back against Him. They don’t like the shift away from the signs.
a. Their criticism (6:41–42, 52)
The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
(1) He is simply the son of Joseph (6:41–42).
(2) No one can (physically) eat his flesh and drink his blood (6:52).
The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
b. His correction (6:43–51, 53–59)
(1) Jesus says he is the bread of life (6:43–51).
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
God draws people to salvation
The Holy Spirit convicts and calls people
(2) Jesus says that anyone who wants eternal life must (spiritually) eat his flesh and drink his blood (6:53–59).
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Though it sounds similar to the Lord’s Supper, He is not saying you must take communion in order to be saved
He had just declared that the ONLY work was belief!!
He is making a point using the illustration of being bread
This is analogy of spiritual not literal significance
just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is belief in His sacrificial death on the cross necessary for eternal life.
THIS is the sticking point!
The Jews couldn’t believe that Messiah had to be crucified
They miss the suffering Servant of Isa 53.
to them, their own suffering is what is referred to.
3. Christ and the carnal (6:60–66)
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?
What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
a. Many of his followers now decide against him (6:60–65).
b. Many of his followers now depart from him (6:66).
The Private comments (6:67–71)
The Private comments (6:67–71)
Jesus now addresses his chosen ones.
1. The Savior and all the apostles (6:67–69)
Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
a. Jesus asks, “Are you going to leave, too?” (6:67).
b. Peter answers, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God” (6:68–69).
2. The Savior and the evil apostle (6:70–71)
Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
a. The nature of this apostle (6:70):
He gave himself over to Satan.
b. The name of this apostle (6:71):
He is Judas Iscariot!