I Am The Bread Of Life – All You Ever Need In This World And The Next - Part 1 Series

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE – ALL YOU EVER NEED IN THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT - PART 1

Our studies in these powerful sayings of the Lord Jesus continue with the next one, and one so necessary – I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.

We will turn to John’s Gospel chapter 6 for our message on I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.

THE SETTING

Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Bread of Life” come down from heaven. Firstly, it is necessary to look at the setting for this. Jesus had just miraculously fed the people from the loaves and the fish, and out of that event this verse follows – {{John 6 v 14 “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.”}} As in all these eventful scenarios, there is a hero/celebrity worship mentality. We see it especially these days we live in, and particularly in the United States, so the people came to take Him by force, but the Lord retired to the mountain, no doubt to pray, and to be in silence with His Father. Not long after, He met with His disciples on the sea, again in trouble on the water (they seemed to have a habit of doing that).

The Apostle John records what happened a little later – {{John 6 v 22 The next day the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. John 6:23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. John 6:24 When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. John 6:25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” John 6:26 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. John 6:27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal.”}}

That was the crowd Jesus spoke to, this group, with their ulterior motives. The Lord did not beat around the bush. He put His finger on their motives straight away in verse 26. With the feeding of the multitude fresh in their minds, the crowd said, John 6 v 31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” Maybe they were hinting the Lord could do the same for them, and keep them fed. After all, 40 years is not a bad time for free food. Now there is much hypocrisy in this statement, because God gave them the manna indeed, but the people of Moses time despised the manna after a while, and craved for something else. I will speak about this later on.

Jesus replied to their statement with this – {{John 6 v 32-33 Jesus therefore 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.”}} The Lord moves the focus away from physical bread to Himself, the true Bread who has come from heaven. Jesus was the True Bread sent by the Father. Having dull ears, their minds were still lingering on physical bread, on the body things of the world, and not on spiritual issues. They could only understand all this in physical terms to satisfy their own appetite, for the natural man does not understand the things of God, hence their response – {{John 6 v 34 They said therefore to Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.”}}

Physical appetites were their concern, not spiritual appetites. They had no understanding, so the Lord told them plainly what the position was – {{John 6 v 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life”. He who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”}} That then is our great I AM for this next study.

We must move to finish the setting. The next verse reveals their stubborn hearts and their refusal to believe. “Don’t give me that religious stuff,” we could almost hear them saying. Nevertheless, the Lord witnessed to the message of the gospel and continued, {{John 6 v 36 “I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.”}} Then Jesus finished the discussion with these people with some verses that help open up what He meant by the comment, “I am the bread of life”. ? {{John 6 v 38-40 “for I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me, and 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. This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I Myself, will raise him up on the last day.”}}