I AM series #1
I AM the Bread of Life
John 6
INTRODUCTION:
Ever since I first saw those beautiful stained glass projects on our sanctuary walls, I have wanted to take a closer look at the I AM statements of Jesus Christ. In fact, I wish we could commission that same stained glass crew to make presentations for the other 6 of Jesus’ I AM statements. We could place them on the side walls and fill this room with the statements of Jesus about himself.
In doing some research I discovered that all of Jesus’ I AM statements are found in John’s gospel. They include:
1. I am the bread of Life which came down from heaven (6:35,41,51)
2. I am the light of the world (8:12; 9:5)
3. I am the door of the sheep (10:7,9)
4. I am the good shepherd (10:11,14)
5. I am the son of God (10:36)
6. I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)
7. I am the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)
8. I am the (true) vine (15:1,5)
Each one of the I AM ‘s represents a particular relationship of Jesus to the spiritual NEEDS of men and women. Jesus is the Light in the darkness, the Gate to security, and the Shepherd that guides. He is the way, the truth and the life. In every one of these we see that Jesus wants us to receive him, NOT for the gifts he can give us, but for what he can BE to us. Right after the feeding of the 5 thousand Jesus made the first of the recorded I AM statements.
This was the point where Jesus had reached the apex of his popularity. In fact, the crowds wanted to take him --- by force if necessary --- and MAKE him their King. Because of this, Jesus crossed the lake to get away from their demands. But the next day when they figured out where he was, the growing crowd commandeered boats and followed him across the lake.
It was at that point that Jesus told a record-breaking crowd: "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. John 6:35
John chapter 6 tells us they grumbled, they mumbled, they argued, they whined, and ultimately they left --- in droves. The text gives us some clues as to the kind of people that left Jesus behind when he preached the “bread of life” sermon. For one thing, the MATERIALISTIC folks just couldn’t stomach it when Jesus shifted from physical food to spiritual talk.
1. The Materialist
Many of the people who followed Jesus at this point were hoping for a political savior. They wanted political solutions, free handouts, and material goodies. For them Jesus was the latest and greatest gravy train. These people had watched Rome have limited success by instituting a sort of welfare program that they called a Bread for Peace. There were many hungry, jobless, homeless people in Rome. So the government tried to avoid riots by buying them off with goodies. The plan backfired, because the demands of the crowd simply grew and grew.
Well, Jesus knew that he faced a similar problem the day after he fed the masses with barley cakes and salt-dried fish. In fact, when the crowd arrived, look at how he greeted them. He said: "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. John 6:26
On a very minor scale, I can see how Jesus felt. (example of putting out a bird feeder) When we looked out the window we had a menagerie in the back yard. Squirrels were hanging upside down, gorging on sunflower seed. Birds were all over the ground and the deck, and even ramming into the windows. But did they appreciate us? Did they have any sense of loyalty in return for our generosity? The next day, when the bird feeder was empty, all we got were some disgruntled looks before the birds and squirrels completely deserted us.
Missionaries in third-world countries often talk about “Rice Christians.” These are people who will quickly convert to Christianity in exchange for food or some other physical benefit. The problem with Rice Christians is that when goodies are gone, so are they.
American Christians are not so different. Too many people use church for business contacts or community status. Rice Christians can be found all over the world. These people look to God only for what they can get. They are quick to turn their back on God the first time he fails to deliver.
Jesus told the crowd: Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. John 6:27
The MATERIALISTS turned away from his message. Others would eventually turn away also. They were the LEGALISTS.
2. The Legalist
They asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" John 6:28
If these people couldn’t get a free lunch, they at least wanted a list of rules they could hang on to. I never cease to be amazed that religion, by its very nature, draws some people who are actually looking for a dominating, charismatic leader to call the shots and take over their lives. There is a new cult group on every corner these days led by a control freak who turns his followers into some sort of “Stepford Christians.”
Throughout Christian history, the church has often fallen into the sin of LEGALISM. The problem is, it’s easier to make rules than to build relationships. Jesus wants to live in the heart of every individual believer. He has sent his Spirit to write His Law on our hearts. He calls every one of us to study His word for ourselves and learn from Him. When we do that, the church enjoys an amazing unity in morals and principles. That’s why you won’t find our congregation publishing a list of Castle Hills Christian Church Do’s and Don’ts. Instead, we want to teach the scripture and to encourage everyone to seek a personal relationship with the Lord.
But some people simply don’t want a deep relationship with God. They’d rather find a strong leader and memorize a set of rules. Jesus had no interest in these kind of followers. Jesus came to build relationships, not rules.
When the crowd demanded a list of works, Jesus gave this surprising answer: "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John 6:29
As amazing as it sounds, Jesus wants a genuine love relationship with every one of us. That kind of relationship can’t be bought with goodies, and it can’t be built on rules. The MATERIALISTS wanted the goodies more than they wanted God. The LEGALISTS wanted the LAW but not the GIVER of that law. They rejected Jesus as a replacement for the rule-keeping religion of that day. And one more group walked out on Jesus that day. They were the SENSATIONALISTS.
3. The Sensationalist
These people asked Jesus this absurd question: "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” John 6:30
Think about it. Jesus had just fed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. The very next day, they are asking him for a SIGN! Obviously the miracle of feeding the 5,000 gave them enough faith to climb in boats and row all the way across the lake to find Jesus. But yesterday’s miracle was not enough to last until the next morning.
We have plenty of these kind of churchgoers in America today. I like to call these kind of folks “pep rally believers.” Keep them “wowed” and you’ll keep them around; bore them and they are gone. These people crave spiritual excitement. They love spectacular entertainment. They want new experiences all they time. They want Jesus to take them from one mountaintop experience to the next with no valleys in between. They want all kinds of rewards but no responsibility.
It reminds me of a quote attributed to Ronald Reagan. With the nation in mourning over his death, the news has been full of stories about his life. One commentator remembered something he said about babies. Ronald Reagan was talking about the Alimentary canal of a baby. (That’s the digestive system.) He said: A baby’s Alimentary canal is a lot like the American public: Insatiable appetite at one end and total lack of responsibility at the other end.
Churches today are filled with these kind of people. Insatiable appetite for spiritual excitement, but total lack of responsibility toward the Lord Himself. The sad truth is that many believers are very fickle. That’s why so many people hop from church, to church, to church --- always looking for the newest style, the latest seminar, the most electrifying concert, and the most exciting presentation. The American church scene is clogged full with “Forty days of this… fifty day adventure to that… seven habits of successful whatever… 21 irrefutable laws of yadda yadda yadda…” It never ends! Now, I’m not saying these things are bad. We need to focus on special emphasis now and then, and some of these programs are helpful. But it’s way too easy for church-going folk to start chasing after the latest fad in the religious world.
Jesus did not come to give us endless spiritual highs. He came to give us a chance to know Him. Look at the message Jesus gave to the MATERIALISTS, the LEGALISTS, and the SENSATIONALISTS that day:
“The bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "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. John 6:33-36
The response of the crowd tells us a lot about the difference between what people WANT and what people NEED. So often the very thing people need the most is the last thing they are looking for. Look at the sad response of the crowd:
At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ’I came down from heaven’?" John 6:41-42
When you think about it, the people who walked out on Jesus wanted what he could give to them in the same way a customer might demand service for pay. They wanted to do business with Jesus the soup kitchen, Jesus the cult leader, Jesus the miracle-worker. Jesus, the Bread of Life didn’t resonate with them. It didn’t play well in Peoria. So they walked away.
CONCLUSION:
It turns out that even some of His closest disciples wanted Jesus only for what they could get out of Him. They had no real interest in a relationship with God. Verse 66 gives this sad indictment: From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
That led to what I think is one of the most poignant moments in the Bible. Jesus, who was totally God, was also totally human. He felt what any of us would feel. He experienced the pain of rejection … especially the rejection of those he had considered close friends. Jesus turned to his apostles with a question that must have been hard to ask: "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Thankfully, good old Peter came through for Jesus. He spoke for the group: Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:67-69
Peter understood what the crowds had missed. The Apostles weren’t there for fish sandwiches, or to start a Jewish revolt against Rome, or to find a new list of rules to keep, or to get in on a Jesus pep rally, or to hold a big miracle crusade. They were there because they believed and knew that Jesus was the Holy One of God --- the Messiah --- the Bread of Life. All they needed was what they already had --- Jesus himself.
Is He all you need? Is he YOUR Bread of Life? If you had been there the day Jesus preached the Bread of Life sermon would you have walked away, or would you have echoed Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.”
COMMUNION HYMN: Break Thou the Bread of Life
COMMUNION MEDITATION:
When Jesus fed the 5,000, the crowd remembered the days when God sent manna from Heaven to feed the Israelites in the wilderness. Maybe they hoped Jesus was the new Moses for their day. They must have seen all kinds of potential for a leader who could bring bread from Heaven. Such a leader could lead an army that would never have to worry about supply-lines. Such a leader could keep any population under his control. Such a leader could rule the world!
But Jesus did not come to feed the world with bread that would give physical life. He came to give Himself as the Bread of eternal life. In his explanation to the fickle crowd, Jesus pointed to the Communion Service that he would institute just before his death.
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 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.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 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.
“This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58
Remember these words as we take Communion today. When we take the bread, we are partaking of Jesus Christ. We are saying, “Yes, I believe you are the Bread of Life.” Jesus Himself is the nourishment that gives us eternal life. (Prayer)
