"I Am The Bread Of Life"

“I am the Bread of Life.” John 6:48 This declaration happened at the high point of Jesus’ ministry. Just a few days before, Jesus had been in the wilderness along he east bank of the Sea of Galilee. When the Romans discovered this crowd of people gathering in the wilderness, they dispatched boats from their garrison to investigate. They would no doubt have arrested Jesus and his disciples if Jesus had not known that they were coming. During the night, he dispatched the disciples in a fishing boat, narrowly missing the Roman blockade. Then He joined them by walking on the water to them, and rode with them back to Capernaum, where they lived. There were two notable miracles in as many days When the people who had followed him into the wilderness finally caught up with them in Capernaum, they had a lot of questions. By this time Jesus was certainly looking like the Messiah for many of them. So they asked him the question that was on many of their minds. Verse 28"What must we do to do the works God requires?" Now why did they ask the question? First, because they knew that Jesus had to know the answer. No one could do what Jesus had just done unless God did it with them. Second, the asked it because it is what everyone in those days wanted. Jesus gave this unexpected answer. 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." This wasn’t the answer they expected. They expected some commandments or some ritual. They did not expect Him to say “Just trust me.” Trusting Jesus is more difficult than following rules. They were being asked to trust someone they barely knew. So they asked Him, What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Evidently, multiplying loaves and fish and walking on water wasn’t enough! They demanded something more! Then they gave a “for instance.”31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Make bread appear from nowhere. Moses did it. If He were from God, couldn’t He do the same thing? They were saying “If you give us free food from heaven, we might follow you. Bribe us with bread, and you’ll have your disciples.” But Jesus was not about to bribe anybody. Jesus replied in 32-33 "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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." “You’ve got it wrong,” Jesus said. “Moses did not send manna from heaven—God did.” The people of Israel were suffering from a condition called BOPS—Beloved Old Pastor Syndrome. They look at the glory days of a church, when they had Beloved Old Pastor Moses. They assume that their church was so great was because of their Beloved Old Pastor. It was he that made the church great. So ever since then, they have looked for the second coming of the Beloved Old Pastor. They did not like a single other pastor they had because they were not the Beloved Old Pastor. Everything that happened right or wrong in their church was because of the pastor. Their mistake is not in blaming their later pastors. It is in crediting old success to their Beloved Old Pastor. Whatever happens is the work of God, not the pastor. All pastors are weak, fallible men. God is the only one who can bring down bread from heaven. Then Jesus said something peculiar. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." He calls the bread “He.” I don’t know about you, but I never call my biscuits “He.” Jesus is saying something new. Spiritual words are bread. God’s Word is the bread from heaven. Before, God put His Word in the mouths of people. Now He made the Word a person. He will make God’s bread here on earth. In verse 34 The ask "Sir," from now on give us this bread." He identifies Himself in verse 35-36 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. The Bread has been staring them in the face, and they haven’t noticed. In verses 46-55, Jesus went into a long speech about His own importance. It is a typical Oriental style speech where the argument moves in circles, not straight lines. He makes his points, then goes back and makes them again and again. Since this form of convercsation seems strange to our Western ears, permit me to summarize His main points. 1. Believing in Him is essential. Jesus makes it crystal clear, that no one is going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without entering though Him. Here are some examples of what He says. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 7 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 2. We believe because God chose us. This is what we call “predestination.” God has to make our hearts to believe. If He make our hearts, then we will believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. Predestination is hard for many people to understand or accept. So why does Jesus introduce it to the argument? Two reasons. The first pertains mainly to His disciples. In verses 64-65 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him. He did not want the disciples to feel unduly angry at Judas. Judas did not have the regenerating spark of the Holy Spirit. That is why he would betray Him. But this too was part of God’s plan. The second reason is more general. He has been talking about the people’s question. “What must we do to do the works of God?” Jesus’ answer is nothing. There is nothing we can do. It is all of God. Even our faith is of God. It is a gift for those who God chooses. It is all His doing, and His work. 3.Everyone who believes gets eternal life. Verses 39-40 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Eternal life depends upon Jesus. We are saved by what He did, not by what we did. Jesus’ point is not to suggest that we can do anything we want. John even tells us later, that if we are believers, we can’t continue forever in sin. Jesus is not saying that you should not do what’s right. He is saying that doing what’s right is not what gets you into heaven. You can go to church every Sunday, never cuss, drink or smoke, be kind to kids and women and dogs, and still not have eternal life. What you do is not sufficient. What God does is. 4. We get eternal life by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Verses54-55 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 real food and my blood is real drink. At this point, Jesus understandably lost his audience. Many walked away—so many that He asked His disciples if they were leaving. Many thought Jesus was crazy, but He was not. He knew what He meant. Eventually, his disciples understood, too. Jesus did not mean that we should engage in cannibalism, but that we should partake of His divine nature. Through His body freely offered for us on the Cross, we partake of that forgiveness. In the Old Testament, animals were burned as an offering. But most people have a misconception about what happened to them next. Only certain portions were burned on the fire. Some portions were given to the priests. The rest was returned to the person making the sacrifice and eaten at a meal. By eating the animal’s body, they ate forgiveness to themselves. It wasn’t a senseless slaughter of animals, but the gift of an animal’s body for food. When Jesus wanted to describe His sacrifice for sin, He used this picture. He is the sacrificial lamb. He offers His body, and we partake of it. Life comes from living in Jesus. He wants us to totally and completely in His presence and power. If you want to know what you must do to have eternal life, then believe in Him, Live in Him, partake of Him. He is the miracle we seek. He is the life we seek. He is the sacrifice that lasts forever. .