The Gospel of John - part 16
preached 2/18/2019
What does it mean that ‘Jesus is the Bread of Life’?
A quick review from last time
Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea after Jesus fed the 5000 and Jesus walked on the water. These miracles pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. Now, John will transition into a discourse to explain how the crowds reacted to Jesus who used the opportunity to explain himself to them.
John 6:22-27 : Jesus gets to the heart
On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
John 6:22-27
Some of the crowd left altogether, however those that remained crossed the sea to find Jesus. When they find Jesus, they ask him when he left. This detail here summarizes their lack of intimacy with Jesus. When He was feeding them, they were fixated and obedient. When he withdrew to avoid being made a king, they remained and focused on themselves. Once they realized He was gone, they went looking for their meal train and entertainment. Jesus addresses this attitude in verse 26:
"You are looking for Me, because I fed you and entertained you."
Instead the people should be looking for food from the Son of Man that gives eternal life.
The people's effort is in the wrong place.
Jesus was their tool for entertainment and free meals.
John 6:28-29 : Working for God
Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
John 6:28-29
The question seems oddly phrased, "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" Keep in mind, Jesus just told them to labor for bread that gives eternal life. So their question is, "What kind of work brings about this bread?" The people asked Peter a similar question in Acts 2, "what shall we do?"
It's the perennial question for anyone who has been confronted with their sins and failures. When we have reached the point where we see ourselves at our lowest; when we have realized the extent of our sin--the extent of our separation from God, only then do we ask, "What shall I do?" The crowds have found themselves in complete confusion:
Jesus is the Prophet who was to come, but He is not the earthly king they expected. They follow Him, because He is able to give them bread, but it isn't the bread they need. They are working hard to follow Him, but Jesus tells them they are working all wrong. This is the point when conversion can happen. People who believe they are doing fine do not seek salvation.
A person can't repent if they don't know what they are repenting from.
So, the people ask a legitimate religious question: What should we do to earn God’s favor?
Jesus’ answer points to one of the most important truths of Christianity. The ‘work’ is to “believe in Him whom He has sent.” Christianity isn’t about working to get to God, it’s about believing in the One who has done the work for us.
Jesus is calling them to repent and believe in Him.
Remember:
‘Repent’ means to change the way you think and act.
The people are thinking there is some work or task they have to do to earn eternal life. Jesus is telling them to think differently. It isn’t about working toward salvation, it’s about believing in the Messiah who gives eternal life freely and abundantly.
Salvation comes by turning away from the old, sinful way of thinking and trusting in Jesus for forgiveness…That’s it!
John 6:30-34 : The Source of our provision
So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
John 6:30-34
Verse 30 helps point to the radical claim Jesus has just made. For generations the Jews have been taught that God only loves the Jews, and only when they do the right things. These work-oriented people then ask a work-oriented question: “What are you doing to prove what you say?” They need a sign that Jesus speaks the truth.
In typical fashion for a mob, they offer ‘help’. They remind Jesus of the wilderness wandering when Moses brought bread from heaven. Ironically, in John’s narrative, the reader would have already connected the sign of feeding the 5000 with the wilderness journey (as we did last week). John is using a bit of irony here to emphasize the crowd’s inability to connect the dots of faith.
Jesus’ reply uses the emphatic “double amen” to correct them. Moses did not provide the manna, it was the Father. Look closely at verses 32 and 33:
“My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
The crowds are asking for a sign from heaven. Sure, Jesus fed 5000 people with a few loaves and fish, but could he conjure manna (a task the Messiah should be able to do)? Jesus corrects their thinking by stating the Father gives bread from heaven, but also corrects what the Father actually provides.
The Father does not just provide physical bread, but also “true bread”—life itself.
Then, Jesus says the “bread of God is He who comes down from heaven”. Well then, who came down from heaven? Jesus! The Word of God who took on flesh and dwelt among humanity.
Jesus is the Bread sent from the Father to give life to the world.
The people reply with expectation, “give us this bread always”. They want to receive life. But in the next section Jesus will explain the barricade between them and the Bread of Life.
John 6:35 : The Bread of Life
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
Verse 35 is the first of the traditional seven “I AM” statements. I would still assert that 6:20 is also an “I AM” statement, however it is a simple one which is a type of preface to the seven. In verse 20 Jesus tells the disciples they have no need to fear, because Jesus is I AM. The seven following statements explain why there is no need to fear.
A fuller examination of these statements will have to wait, but for now, here are the verses:
I Am the Bread of Life - 6:35
I Am the Light of the World - 8:12
I Am the Gate - 10:7
I Am the Good Shepherd - 10:11
I Am the Resurrection and the Life - 11:25
I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life - 14:6
I Am the True Vine - 15:1
Christians have nothing to fear in this world.
Do you wonder where your daily provision will be? Do not fear, Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Do you feel surrounded by darkness, whether the darkness of confusion or evil? Do not fear, Jesus is the Light of the World.
Do you fear what your next steps should be, or whether you are making right choices? Do not fear, Jesus is the Gate—if your choice includes Him, you’re good!
Do you fear where to find wisdom or guidance? Do not fear, look to Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Do you fear death? Do not fear, Jesus is the Resurrection and Life!
Are you just afraid and anxious about everything? Do not fear, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Cast out your fear and remember: Jesus is the True Vine, apart from Him we can do nothing, but attached to Him we can achieve everything we were designed to do!
Now, let us return to the first one: “I Am the Bread of Life”.
Jesus continues, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” If it sounds familiar, it is because it is similar to His statement to the Samaritan woman. There, Jesus offered living water that would forever quench her thirst. Here, he is telling the crowd what he told her:
The provision for what people need to live is Jesus Christ Himself.
He is the source for their life and being. If they want to be saved, they need to return to the source for life, but Jesus continues with a dire assertion of their lack of faith.
John 6:36-40 : The Sovereign Will of God to give eternal life
But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 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 I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:36-40
In verse 36, the people have been told, but they do not believe. Verses 36-40 are strong proclamations concerning the Sovereignty of God. Why do they not believe? They have seen the signs for themselves.
Verse 37: All the Father gives to the Son will come to the Son, and the Son will not cast them out.
Because salvation begins with the Father, we can do nothing to earn salvation or to lose salvation.
Verse 38: Jesus has come to do the will of the Father—to draw people to salvation.
Jesus is the author of our faith.
Verse 39: Jesus will not lose any who are saved, but will raise them on the last day. Those who trust in Christ will not be lost—whether by death or in the destruction of the last day. Those who are in Christ will remain in Christ forever.
Jesus is the perfecter of our faith.
Verse 40: The will of the Father is that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life.
It is God’s will for people to be saved.
Now, with these proclamations of God’s sovereignty over salvation, we find ourselves in some deeper theological waters. The logical next question is one addressed in several places in Scripture: If salvation begins with God, how can we be condemned? Or what role do we have? It is a perennial question in theology, and one in which Jesus-loving Christians have found themselves divided.
I would like to offer a few points regarding theology:
First, as with any doctrine, a good theologian cannot just use one or two verses as proof-texts and be satisfied. Here is no different. After all, John himself has left a bit of tension. Verse 36-37 imply the crowd has not trusted Christ, because God has not called them to trust. However, verse 40 states that whoever “looks on the Son and believes” will have life. To be saved, a person has to actively place their faith in Christ—it is a decision.
Good theology does not use a single ‘proof-text’ to make a case.
Second, therefore, in order to systematize a doctrine, the good theologian has to go beyond the present verse and examine Scripture as a whole. What does Scripture say concerning salvation? The wider New Testament, and even in the Old Testament, maintains this dual tension. That is why theologians can come to different conclusions.
Good theology examines the wider context of Scripture to systematize a doctrine.
For example: In the wider context of the New Testament (and the Old), God’s Sovereignty is equally taught as Humanity’s Free Will.
Many commentators will talk about a tension between the two, but I don’t personally believe there is a tension. “Sovereignty” does not necessarily equate to “micro-managing”. I believe God intervenes where necessary, but He has also created a system of Creation that works on its own as well. The forces of nature work consistently because they were established by our Creator to be consistent. Miracles, by definition, are instances when nature does not work as it’s supposed to. (Here, I should refer you to C. S. Lewis on Miracles.) Also, remember James 1:13 reminds us sin is not from God, but from our own desires. Adam and Eve chose to sin, because of their own desire to be more than what God had set for them. I could go on, but unfortunately that will have to be another sermon.
Third, it is more important and more beneficial for the good theologian to allow the author to say what they said rather than what we want them to say.
Good theology allows the author to speak for himself.
Some Christians relish these verses. “See! Calvin and Augustine were right!” Others read them and have to question their own pre-conceived notions. “Yes, but…” However, instead of reading our own thoughts into the text, the good theologian pushes that aside to ask, “What is John saying?”
So what is John telling us today?
That is summarized best in verse 40:
If you want eternal life, then look to the Son and believe in Him. Jesus gives life and provision for today, but also for eternity—even beyond the last day when all will be remade.
If that seems too simple, it’s because it is simple. Remember John writes his Gospel late in life and much later than the other 3. He is writing a deep theological work, but he is also asserting the simplicity of the Gospel message: salvation is for all who will believe. Regardless of race, gender, economic station, or any of the countless ways we divide ourselves, Jesus has come to save you.
Today, whether it is the first you’ve heard or you’ve heard it your whole life, place your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the source of your salvation and is the bread of life that feeds you for eternity.