“I am the Bread of Life.”
This is the first of the seven “I am” sayings in the book of
John. This particular statement comes
after the feeding of the five thousand at the beginning of John 6. Jesus fed the people with only five loaves of
bread and two fish.
He left the people after the event because Jesus knew they
were going to attempt to make Him king by force. What people wouldn’t want a king who could
just hand out bread to them every morning? Jesus knew that this was not the kind of
kingdom He was building. In John 18:36,
Jesus says to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My
servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but
as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” NASB
The people sought Him out the next day, and He said to them,
“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 6:26
You can’t really blame them for seeking Him out. Bread was a significant part of their diet,
and He was capable of making it for them without all that pesky work that comes
along with it. But in their desire for
another free lunch, they missed what He wanted to teach them.
We are experts at chasing after God, asking Him for stuff,
but we don’t consider what He wants to give to us.
“Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it is
not Moses who has given you the bread from 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.’ Then they said to
Him, ‘Lord, always give us this bread.’” John 6:32-34
They were still looking for something to fill their bellies. Jesus explained to the people that God is the
One who gave them bread during the forty years in the desert, and He is giving
them true bread now, bread that gives
life. They were still not understanding
what Jesus was explaining to them, so He finally put it all out on the table.
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger;
and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
John 6:35
“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if
anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I
will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6:51
Suddenly, they realized He wasn’t talking about lunch
anymore. Jesus wants people to come to
Him and believe, just like He said in verse 35.
He’ll miraculously provide lunch sometimes, or whatever it is we need,
but what we really need is Him.
John 10:10b says, “I came that
they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Jesus wants us to live an amazing life, a better life here
on earth than we could live without Him, and He also wants to have eternal life
with Him and the Father in heaven, but we’re walking around asking for
something to eat.
Take a moment and ask Jesus, “Lord, what do
You want me to ask for? What do You want
to give me?” Listen for an answer; when
you get an answer, confirm that your answer is not contradictory to God’s Word
revealed in the Bible, and begin praying that God will bring it to you.
There are so many
different things going on in this chapter.
I only chose one piece. I suggest
you read this passage yourself and consider all of the things Jesus and those
around Him said. If you notice anything
interesting, closely related to this post or not, I encourage you to post your
thoughts in the comments so we can discuss it together.
