In John 6, prior to today’s passage, Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand, He miraculously walked on water, and the crowed followed Him seeking more miraculous works. Jesus said to the crowd, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (v. 35) Jesus declared Himself the living bread (as represented by His physical sacrifice on the cross so that we can have eternal life), Who came down from heaven, and we see that the crowd struggled to accept this concept.
Friends, how often does Jesus miraculously show up and do something for you and me, our families, our friends, our spiritual family, our coworkers, etc., and we struggle to wrap our small human minds around what He miraculously has done in the Spirit? If we are being completely honest, sometimes we can struggle to the point of wondering if it was even God? Well, the Jewish leaders, when Jesus spoke these Words, could not wrap their heads around how He could be the divine Son of God and the human Son of Joseph and Mary.
As bread sustains our physical bodies, Jesus is the One Who nourishes our spirits. He points the crowd, the Jewish leaders, you, and me to focus beyond our physical realm of needs and understanding and to dig deeper with Him into our spiritual reality of eternity with Him. Paul reminds us that we are to not copy the behavior and customs of this world but rather allow God to transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. Only then can we begin to learn and know God’s will for our lives, which is good and perfect (Rom 12:2).
John 6:41-51 (NLT)
41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the Bread of Life for each one of us. Holy Spirit, help us to hunger for You, because we know that You alone offer the nourishment that satisfies our souls and points us to eternal living. We want to feast on You, Jesus, our Bread of Life. So, please draw us closer to You, and provide us with an awareness of when you are satisfying our souls. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.