THE BREAD OF LIFE
John 6:25-36
INTRODUCTION:
In Matthew Mark Luke and John, there are sixty-four different miracles recorded. There are also three occasions in which the gospel writer says that Jesus performed many miracles and healed many people. [eg Matthew 9:35] So when you read the gospels, you see that this was a significant aspect of his ministry. Miracles weren’t merely a sometimes event; they were a frequent occurrence.
Even so, quite often — even with all the miracles taking place, the people of His day still failed to recognize Jesus for who He was.
They overlooked the most important thing — in light of lesser important things.
Have you ever done that in life? Saw something small and overlooked something great?
Author Max Lucado tells a story about this in his life. It happened when His wife called him one day while he was driving home. She asked, “Can you stop at the grocery store and pick up some bread?”
And Max said, “Of course.” His wife Denalyn asked, “Do I need to tell you where to find it?” Max said, “Are you kidding? I was born with a bread-aisle tracking system.” She replied, “Well, just stay focused, Max.”
Max writes, “She was nervous. Rightly so. My mom once sent me to buy butter and milk; I bought buttermilk. I once mis-took a tube of hair cream for toothpaste. . . I am a charter member of the Clueless Husband Shopping Squad. But . . . knowing that Denalyn was counting on me, I parked the car at the market and entered the door. En route to the bread aisle, I spotted my favorite cereal, so I picked up a box, which made me wonder if we needed milk. I found a gallon in the dairy section. The cold milk stirred images of one of God’s great gifts to humanity: Oreo cookies. The heavenly banquet will consist of tables and tables of Oreo cookies and milk. We will spend eternity dipping and slurping our way through…OK, enough of that.
I grabbed a pack of cookies, which happened to occupy the same half of the store as barbecue potato chips. What a wonderful world this is—cookies and barbecue chips under the same roof! On the way to the checkout counter, I spotted some ice cream. Within a few minutes I’d filled the basket with every essential item for a happy and fulfilled life. I checked out and drove home.
Denalyn looked at my purchases, then at me. Can you guess her question? All together now: “Where’s the bread?”
I went back to the grocery store. I forgot the big item. The one thing I went to get. The one essential product. I forgot the bread.
I just wonder, how often do we make the same mistake as Max — but in more critical areas?
In an effort to live life and do good, to gather with our church family or serve one another. We feed the hungry, we encourage others, we pray with the hurting and seek healing for the afflicted, we try to do good and help those in need and serve our community. And we may even address racial issues and poverty problems.
And while all those things are good — sometimes, even good things can distract us from the most important thing.
Following, trusting, and believing in Jesus! This morning I want to make sure that in everything we do — that we don’t forget the bread!
The Bread of Life
In the account that we’re about to read, this is the longest chapter in the gospel of John, it’s the longest chapter in the entire New Testament, but we will see that everyone is hungry. We have hungry hearts – hungry maybe for comfort, hungry maybe for romance or for money, hungry maybe for power or for approval, but everyone is hungry.
In John’s gospel, chapter 6, verses 1 through 21, Jesus had arrived in the city of Tiberias, and there, along the shore of Galilee’s sea, He performed a miracle.
With only five barley loaves and a couple of fish, He fed a crowd of thousands — some believe as many as 20,000 hungry people. The people were so amazed that they desired to make Him a king at once.
But, Jesus knew this — and slipped away. The next day, He and his disciples docked at the town of Capernaum. It was not long, however, before the news spread and the crowd of people grew, once again.
Its here — at this point, that we pick up our study in John, chapter 6. If you have your bible, look at it with me, beginning in verse 25. Here John writes,
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:25-35 (NIV)
Jesus used the analogy of bread a variety of times in his life and teaching. And it makes sense, because bread is and was — a common, daily necessity in life. When he used the analogy, he did so to explain how in like manner, He sustains and satisfies people.
One of the clearest analogies in life is that we become what we consume.
It happens! We become like that which we take in. And for that reason, Jesus invites us to feast on Him and His Word.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we confess that at times our hearts are fickle, our mind are sometimes filled with everything except you. In our cravings we often overlook the one person who could fulfill them all.
But we confess today that we are hungry, and thirsty, and long for more. So this morning we ask you to enable us to taste and see just how good you are. Help us today to learn to hunger and thirst more for you than anything else. Teach us through your Word to find our fulfillment in you alone. We pray this in Jesus name, amen!
In this story today — John tells us how once again, Jesus was trying to do was to get his listeners to be passionate about matters of faith. He wants us to desire food for the soul in the way we desire food for our stomachs.
I want to consider a couple of things — and then we’ll concluder time together by celebrating communion.
The first thing comes right from the heart of this passage. And I’ll put it in the form of a question:
1. WHAT IS IT THAT’S DRIVING YOU?
What’s driving you? What are your passionate about? For what do you live? What is it that causes you to dream and wonder? For what are you spending your life to pursue?
In verses 26-27, Jesus shows that the people of His day had the wrong pursuit. The wrong drive. The wrong motivation.
When John tells us about the people looking for Jesus — he indicates that they weren’t coming after Him because of who He was — but because of what He could provide for them. Because of the miracle that He did the day before, they were hoping for another.
Rather than seeing Jesus as the MESSIAH, all they saw was someone who could do miracles. And they wanted another FREE LUNCH. Listen again to the way Jesus put it. In verse 26,
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
So here’s the thing — the people of Jesus day were’t much different than the people of our day.
Like many today, the people of this story thought only of their material things. To them the PHYSICAL—the TEMPORAL—was all that mattered! And because of that they saw the miracle—but the MESSAGE behind it went right over their heads.
And—we probably shouldn’t be too hard of them — because physical FOOD is still a priority in most of our lives as well.
Get this, eating is something we do between 20-25 times a week. And there’s a good chance you’ve already eaten today!
In fact, some of you are already making plans (RIGHT NOW) for where you’re going to eat lunch when this service is over.
I mean, think of it:
- Food is a major focus of our lives.
- We include eating in almost every festive activity.
- Our social media is filled with pictures of what we’re eating, where we’re eating, and what we wish we were eating.
- Beyond that, our cable and satellite providers give us multiple channels devoted to nothing but food and how to cook it — and how to eat it.
- Food is priority — and in many ways it dominates our thinking.
So we shouldn’t be too hard on the people of Jesus day — because we are obsessed with food too.
But another reason—is because we have an abundance of food, so it makes it hard to fully appreciate the perspective of these people struggling to survive in first-century Galilee.
The miracle we looked at last week was probably the first full meal many of them would have had in long time, because eating big meals (like we are used to) was a rare thing for them.
And Jesus didn’t really criticize them for coming to Him for more food. He just took the moment to teach them something even more valuable than just filling their bellies.
And here’s the message — so don’t miss it:
JESUS WANTS TO DO MORE THAN JUST FILL YOUR STOMACH OR MEET YOUR PHYSICAL NEEDS!
While He does want to care for you and meet your temporal needs — He also wants to meet your spiritual needs and fill your supernatural longs.
Because those are the only things that really last anyway.
You can be as rich as Bill Gates and still be hungry for more.
You can be as successful as Warren Buffet and have everything this world has to offer…and still be unsatisfied.
A couple of years ago there was an interview that Tom Brady, the famous quarterback of the New England Patriots, did with 60Minutes. And in this interview he was at the height of his career. He had won three Superbowl titles, he had won two MVPs, he had a supermodel for a wife, he was a multimillionaire. And so, his story was basically one of living the dream life — the All American Dream!
That was his story. And yet, his conclusion to having all of this was a bit surprising to many, because as he recounted his unbridled success, he inserted this question to his interviewer. He asked: “Why do I have three Superbowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I think it’s got to be more than this. I mean, this isn’t it. This can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.”
The journalist asked in response, “What’s the answer?” And Brady sadly responded, “I wish I knew.”
And that’s a story we’ve heard many times from people at the top – “I wish that I knew.”
We have many cravings in life — and we spend lots of time trying to satisfy our cravings.
Ravi Zacharias has said, “With all our ingesting and consumption, our hungers are still many and our fulfillments are few.”
While we pray for them and long to experience the miraculous provision of Jesus — what we really need is the fullness that only comes from the
closeness and comfort we find in Jesus.
And Jesus knew this — and that’s why He said verse 35, John tells us . . .
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.
Jesus was saying that it is foolish to focus only on your PHYSICAL satisfaction because He can satisfy much deeper cravings.
• There is the hunger for TRUTH and JESUS IS THE TRUTH…the answer to all of life’s questions.
• There is the hunger for LIFE and JESUS ALONE CAN GIVE US LIFE—ABUNDANT, ETERNAL LIFE.
• There is the hunger for LOVE and JESUS ALONE CAN GIVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME A LOVE THAT OUTLASTS even DEATH.
• There is the hunger for GOD. Only through Jesus can we come into relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Christ alone can satisfy the insatiable hunger of the human heart and soul.
So what are we to do in response to Jesus’ proclamation? Embrace His invitation to…
2. “COME AND BELIEVE”:
Look at verse 35 again, Jesus said:
35 . . . “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
His invitation is first to COME and second, to BELIEVE!
The thrust of his invitation it to “come” — come to him. If we’re honest with ourselves, this will mean that most of us will probably need to rearrange our priorities and pursuits. We will need to give some time to realigning our allegiances, our dreams, and desires.
It means that the things that matter most to those who don’t know Jesus shouldn’t be the things that define us — or orient our lives. Things like money, and prestige, possessions, people, etc. These things aren’t wrong (in an of themselves) but if they dominate our attention and distract us from pursuing Jesus — then they run the risk of become IDOLS in our lives.
And nothing should be more important that Jesus in our lives.
So, He invites us to COME TO HIM!
This may mean that there are some things we need to leave behind — because they will hold us back or weigh us down.
To Believe in Him means more than just accepting that He died for our sin (although that’s paramount). But it also means that we look to Him to provide for us. That we trust in Him over ourselves, our jobs, our resources, or anything else.
Believing in Jesus means — that we recognize that He will always honor His Word and will never walk out on us.
It means that we rely upon Him to supply our deepest needs.
Don’t miss this — when Jesus told His followers that He was the bread of life, He was giving them a solution—not just for temporal cravings, but for their emotional, their mental, and especially their spiritual cravings.
To “believe” in him means we trust Him to supply every need we have out of the abundance of His goodness. To care for our souls, to forgive our sins, to comfort us, to care for us, to love and never leave us.
And He will do all of this — because he’s a good and gracious God!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we confess today that we are hungry for the satisfying bread of life that you offer us. We long for the intimacy that comes in drawing close to your table to feast on something that lasts and fulfills and satisfies more than anything we can find in the natural.
And so we humble our hearts as we draw close to you — and we invite you to teach us and lead us and feed us with your Word — so that we might believe all the more!
And today, as we prepare to eat this bread and drink this juice that represent the most holy of elements (your body and your blood) — would you bless them and bless our lives as we live everyday aware of your presence? And help us to recognize the gift that we have in our salvation. We pray this in His name, amen.
COMMUNION