Jesus is Offensive

John 6:23–59 NASB95

There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so 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 has sent.” So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will 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 certainly not 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 Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “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 eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Preliminary Explanation

Just before this passage, Jesus had fed 5,000 men

After Jesus fed the 5,000 men, the people were trying to take Him and make Him king by force, so Jesus got away from them into the mountain.

The next day, Jesus was in Capernaum and the people that He fed previously came looking for Him.

Then Jesus calls them out in v. 26 saying they didn’t come for Jesus but for the food.

Jesus tries to turn their attention from physical food to spiritual food in v. 27

Basically be interested in Jesus and not the food, that’s what He is saying.

So people ask for a sign so they may believe.

Jesus explains that it wasn’t Moses who gave their forefathers manna but it was the Father from heaven.

People respond saying “give us this bread” in v.34

Jesus responds and says “I am the bread of life” in v. 36

People start to get little confused and weirded out.

Like.. wait what? You’re the bread of life? What does that even mean? Huh?

Not only that, but they knew His father and mother, Mary and Joseph! So they were like “What does He mean He is the bread of life THAT COME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN? We know His parents and where He was born....”

Jesus takes it a step further

No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him (v.44)

Only I have seen the Father (v.46)

If you believe me, you will have eternal life (v.47)

I am the bread of life (v.48)

Your forefathers who ate manna died, but if you eat of this heavenly bread, which is MY FLESH, you will not die (v.49-51)

Jesus, Take it Easy

Let’s break it down event by event.

People were looking for Him for food.

Okay, we get that’s bad. But Jesus, why can’t you just fill their bellies and be chill about it?

Try to get on their good side, you know?

People asked for a sign.

Jesus, if you just fed them again with the same miracle, you could have killed two birds with one stone.

You could have filled their bellies and got on their good side

Gave them the miracle that they asked for

OH WAIT! He just DID a miracle last night!

Not only that, if you look at the life of Jesus in a chronological order…

He did 15 miracles that we KNOW of.

He had already raised the dead, made the mute speak, made the deaf hear, walked on water, cursed a tree to death, healed the sick, cured a leper.

People were not asking for a sign so that they may believe, they asked for a sign because they didn’t want to believe.

So they don’t want to believe? Jesus makes it even harder.

In the OT law that was given by Moses, drinking blood was strictly forbidden; even to the point where eating with with blood in it was forbidden.

Yet, here is Jesus, saying eat my flesh and drink my blood.

Flesh and Blood, What Does it Mean?

We know Jesus isn’t saying “eat my flesh and drink my blood” in a literal sense. So what does it mean?

This one is very easy. The Eucharist. That thing we do every first Sunday of the month. The breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine.

So Jesus saying, eat my flesh and drink my blood is pointing to the holy communion. Then what does the holy communion mean?

Holy communion

It’s a time where we gather together as a church, as a body of Christ and remember His body broken and blood spilled for our transgressions.

It does not stop at Holy communion

You see, holy communion is a corporate event that last for just 30 seconds.

We are you remember…COMMUNE…with Christ at all times.

Conclusion

The discourse started with Jesus saying this in John 6:27

John 6:27 NASB95

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

The point is, don’t waste your time and energy working so desperately for food that perish.

Work for the food that does not spoil and gives your eternal life.

That food is Jesus. Eat His flesh and drink His blood.