The Bread of Life (John 6)
The Bread of Life: John 6 opens with two famous miracles: feeding 5,000 people and Jesus walking on water. What makes this chapter intriguing is John does not focus on the miracles, but on their aftermath—the dialogue that follows.
Review
The thesis of John’s gospel is the only way to gain eternal life in the kingdom of heaven is to believe Jesus is the Christ. John chose certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus to highlight certain themes.
- Theme 1: The importance of testimony. Why should we believe what we haven’t seen for ourselves? We believe because of the testimony of those who saw it.
- Theme 2: The only way to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus. What’s the point of all this testimony? That we believe in Jesus. Why is believing in Jesus so important? Because he’s the only one who can grant us eternal life.
- Theme 3: Those who believe do so because of the activity of the Spirit of God. We don’t manufacture belief. The Spirit gives it to us.
Feeding the 5000 & Walking on Water
08 How many loaves do you have? Mark 6:30-46
- John is primarily interested in the response (John 6:14-15).
- The people believe Jesus is the prophet Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 18.
- They want to start a revolution and make him king.
- The crowds seek Jesus the next day because they seek more bread, not because they recognize he’s the Messiah.
- The feeding of the 500 echos the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16).
The Bread of Life
- Jesus rebukes the crowd for seeking him for the wrong reasons (John 6:26-27).
- The crowd asks what they must do to do the works of God. Jesus responds: believe he is the Messiah (John 6:28-29).
- The crowd wants a sign (more bread) to prove Jesus is the kind of the Messiah they want.
- Just as Jesus did with the woman at the well, he builds on the topic under discussion: bread.
- But in this metaphor, he says not just that he will deliver the bread of life, but that he is the bread of life.
- The crowd refuses to believe Jesus is the Messiah because they are seeking earthly gifts when he is offering a heavenly gift.
- Jesus refers to Isaiah 54. The day is coming when God Himself will teach the children of Israel, implying He will teach them inside, where only He has access.
- Jesus adds something new: When God Himself teaches, He teaches his children to believe Jesus is the Messiah.
- Jesus explains his metaphor: He came to be the source of eternal life by offering his body and his blood.
- The crowd becomes confused and takes him literally.
- Jesus is confident the children of God will hear and understand.
- We see two responses:
- the crowd becomes disgruntled and leaves;
- the disciples believe Jesus is the Messiah.
Like the rest of John, this story involves issues of belief. There is a miracle. Some respond by believing in Christ and finding eternal life. Others don’t. Our response depends on what we truly want. Are we seeking forgiveness and mercy from God? Or are we seeking the approval of our peers and earthly rewards?
Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.
Further Study:
Do I choose God or does God choose me?
13 2 Peter 3:8-9 Free will and God’s sovereignty
32 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 Situation with Lord’s supper
33 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Significance of the Lord’s supper
34 1 Corinthians 11:27-34 Taking communion in an unworthy manner
Next: 14 Who is Jesus? (John 7)
Previous: 12 Sabbath Conflict & the Authority of Jesus (John 5)
Series: Gospel of John: Believe and Find Life
Study: Gospel of John Bible Study Resources
Podcast season 25, episode 13