Hard Words of Jesus- I am the Bread of Life; John 6:35-40

I am the Bread of Life; John 6:35-40

John 6:35–40 (ESV)

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.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Recall the context of this conversation: From the miraculous feeding, which happened 1 day earlier. (they ate until satisfied) The crowd is seeking more of this miraculous food. It multiplies as you use it. The closest to this story is that of history, the manna in the wilderness. This is what Jesus was setting up all along. This is the Segway into his declaration of mission and identity.

Issue #1: Bread that fills/satisfies for life.

Is this the Jesus that you believe in? Does he satisfy you? “is he enough”

Issue #2: Water that satisfies forever.

Is the your Jesus? Does he refresh you life? (water from the rock, Moses) Is Jesus your Satisfaction?

Issue #3: The Source of Jesus’ identity. “…came down from Heaven.”

How do you identify Jesus? Is he real? where did he come from? Do you believe that he is from Heaven? This answer is hinged to the first 2 question & answers. Many who say they believe Jesus is from Heaven, thus not of this world, merely are seeking an improved version of humanity. (Buddah,etc. like him). Higher moralism.

Issue #4: Impact of this Bread: “50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

We now get to the core of the conflict. The grumbling has begun. Jesus knows it. Yet Jesus pushes the matter to his conclusion! It is underlined on the slide. “My Flesh”. Jesus connects the bread that is mysterious to his fleshly body.

#1. Eats: eats believing for satisfaction

#2. Eats: this is the source of life from Heaven.

Can’t or Won’t Believe...

Francis Chan stated in this book, Erasing Hell, Pg. 218-224; Do you want to believe in a God who shows His power by punishing non-Christians and who magnifies His mercy by blessing Christians forever? Do you want to? Be honest. Do you want to believe in a God like this? Here’s my gut-level, honest answer: No. No way. I have family and friends who reject Jesus. I do not want to believe in a God who punishes non-Christians. Okay, maybe He should punish extremely wicked people—that makes some sense. But punishment in hell for seemingly good people, or those who simply chose the wrong religion? That feels a bit harsh, at least according to my sense of justice. But let me ask you another question. Could you? Could you believe in a God who decides to punish people who don’t believe in Jesus? A God who wants to show His power by punishing those who don’t follow His Son? The problem is that we often respond to the second question because of our response to the first. In other words, because there are things that we don’t want to believe about God, we therefore decide that we can’t believe them. I want to believe in a God who will save everyone in the end. But is this what God says He will do? Do the Scriptures teach this? Despite what we may want to believe, we’ve got to figure out what God told us to believe in His Word.

Jesus Conflict Conditions: Words that Contradict my desires; Words that Confuse previous conclusions; Words that Confront my false reality

Is Jesus your Bread & Water for Life?

Is he your satisfaction and refreshment? When you are learning of him, how do you handle the hard words that create discomfort in your life, faith?