The Bread Of Life Series

I so glad you joined we are starting our second week of our I am series, all about Discovering who Jesus says that He is. In the Book of John, there are 7 I am statements that Jesus uses throughout the book to help us understand that different aspects of his nature and who He is. All of these statements start out with the emphatic Greek phrase: ??? ??µ?: Translated I, I am.

Last week, we discovered that this phrase: e?? e?µ? was used in the Greek translation of the old testament, the Septuagint, often when we read the Exodus 3 story with God explaining that he is the great I am: I am who I am. This phrase becomes synonymous, within the Jewish culture, with the name of the Lord. So often the Hebrew phrase ni hu is used in replacement with ni Yahweh because of the way that God introduces himself to Moses. Furthermore, this phrase also indicates the timelessness of Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Last week we looked at 3 different times Jesus said the ??? ??µ? phrase to indicate his divinity.

This week we look at the first of the ??? ??µ? phrases found in John 6. Please turn there while I give you a little background to this passage. At the beginning of John 6 Jesus feeds the 5,000 on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After this miracle in verse 15, Jesus perceives that the crowd wishes to make him their king—even by force in needed. So, Jesus leaves them and goes by himself into the mountains. He sends his disciples across the lake to Capernaum. About 3 AM he decides to walk out to them and join them in the middle of a storm. When he reaches the disciples in the middle of the lake, he gets in the boat and immediately they find themselves on the shores of Capernaum. Many of the people came looking for Jesus when they realized He had left Bethsaida and came to Capernaum.

Vs 26 Read 26-35

1. The Bread of Life does not spoil nor feed the physical Body

Not much has changed in 2,000 years, people are still looking for the quick fix to all their needs. The people have come looking for Jesus not because they wanted to know him, or have him as their messiah, but because He fed their physical bodies. He took care of their needs. Everyday, people get up, go to work, go home, sleep and do it all over again. We do this so that we can provide for our families. Put a roof over their heads, put food on the table, and if we have extra then we buy things and have fun. We are working for our daily bread…the same as the people of galilee did 2,000 years ago, but look at verse 27 Jesus said “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Quickly it becomes clear that Jesus is not referring to earthly work and toil, he is referring to a spiritual work…work for the food that endures to everlasting life.

The Jews had become obsessed with the observation of the law…they took everything completely literal. They were convinced that by following the law faultlessly they could gain favor in the Lord. But misunderstood a few things about the Law,

Leave a finger in John, we will come back, Look with me at Romans 3:19-23:

First, the Purpose of the Law is to give knowledge of sin. The law is impossible to complete. All fall short of God’s glorious standard. Jump to Romans 7:12-14

Second the Law is Spiritual, but I am Carnal…of the flesh

The Jews were working with the law in the flesh, thinking that their actions in the flesh led to greater spirituality…they were laboring for bread that would perish, for everything we do simply in the flesh will die for the flesh can do nothing else than die because of the curse of Sin on this world…sin brings death! Period the end, but Jesus brings everlasting life, so he tells them to search for food that leads to everlasting life…he is telling them to search for Him, but they do not understand!

They continue to ask him for a sign…for a miracle…the day before…literally, Jesus just took 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed a crowd of 5,000 men (they didn’t even count the women and children) and they have followed him and they want to see another miracle, they want Him to prove himself AGAIN, they do not comprehend who is it that they have in front of them.