Bread of Life – John 6:28-40

There have been many explanations given as to what the manna was that God provided Israel during their forty years in the wilderness.  The crowd following Jesus since he multiplied the bread and fish to feed 5,000, are trying to persuade him to provide like manna was provided in the wilderness.  They quote the Scriptures about it, but they don’t quote the Scripture (Numbers 11) that says the people got sick of manna.

So they said, “What should we do to work the works of God?”  Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one He sent.”  So they said, “What sign can you perform, then, that we can see and believe in you?  What work can you do?  Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you this bread from heaven, but my Father gave it to you, the true heavenly bread.  For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  So they said to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”  Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will not go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never thirst.”

“But I said to you that you have heard me and you have not believed.  Everyone whom the Father gives me, comes to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out, because I have come down from heaven not to do my will but the will of the One who sent me.  And this is the will of the One who sent me, that I not lose anyone He has given me, but rather I will raise him up at the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees and believes in the Son should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”  (John 6:28-40)

Jesus has just told the crowd not to work for bread that perishes but for bread that endures to eternal life, so they ask what kind of works must they do to earn such bread.  Jesus’ answer is that the work is no work at all, but simply believing in him.  That they are still trying to manipulate him to do another miracle is evident, because he has already given them all the sign they need to believe him.  He has multiplied the loaves and fish to feed 5,000.  They refer to the manna their fathers ate and want something like that from Jesus, but he tells them he is the bread from heaven that gives life.

Jesus emphasizes that salvation is by faith alone in him alone.  In parallel phrasing “whoever comes to me shall not hunger” is equivalent to “whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”  Coming to him, an act of trust and humility, seeing him as the only source of life, and believing in him, are synonymous acts.  And Jesus promises that the ones who come and believe will never be cast out by him, never be lost from him, but will be resurrected on the day of judgment.  Our salvation is eternally secure, vouchsafed by the Savior and the Father forever.

Discussion Questions

1. How hard have you worked to get an autograph or to meet someone famous?
2. Why are the people in the crowd working so hard to get a sign from Jesus?
3. Why do you think they quote Scripture?
4. Why does Jesus think they haven’t believed in him?
5. What does “whom the Father gives me” mean?
6. How secure do you feel in the ability of Jesus to keep you, not lose you, and in that day to raise you from the dead?