I Am the Bread of Life - John 6:30-35

1:07John chapter 6, read verse 30 to 35. So they said to him, What then do you do for a sign, so 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 out of heaven to eat. Jesus then said, Said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of 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. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. Well, we're in this portion of Scriptures. We're working through John chapter 6, the bread of life discourse. And Jesus here holds himself out as that bread of life, the bread that satisfies the soul of man. And throughout this chapter, there's this extended metaphor about eating and drinking in Christ. And he uses the idea of hunger to describe or to compare a spiritual need, a spiritual condition. You know, just as physical food is necessary to sustain physical bodies, so there is a spiritual food necessary to sustain us spiritually. You know, physical hunger can be very intense sometimes, right? Some of you experienced hunger, and sometimes things that don't look good at all all of a sudden start becoming good. You just Go without food for a while, and all things can really start looking pretty good, even shoe leather. In fact, we just have read, you've probably seen in the news a whole lot of different things that people will do when they are undergoing intense hunger. In fact, you don't have to look farther than the Bible just to see how extreme physical hunger can be. In 2 Kings 6:24, read this words about a siege that came from Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, and he besieged Samaria. And in verse 25, we read these words: There was a great famine in Samaria, and behold, they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for 80 shekels of silver and a fourth of a cob of dove's dung for five shekels of silver. That's a lot of money, especially for a donkey's head. Who wants to eat a donkey's head? Who wants to cook it over bird droppings? That's the extreme. And all of a sudden, that donkey's head looks pretty good after a while. And then going on, it even gets even more graphic.

4:16As the king of Israel was passing by on a wall, a woman cried out to him and said, Help me, help my Lord, O king. And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And she answered, The woman said to This woman said to me, Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, Give your son that we may eat him. But she has hidden her son. Of course, when the king heard this, he tore his clothes.

4:52You see, the judgment of God on this people. But here's the point: physical hunger can drive a person to do the absolutely unthinkable. And so can spiritual hunger. Just as intense as physical hunger can be, there is an intensity, a need in humanity that is even greater than that of the physical body. Spiritual hunger can be very intense. Even when a person has everything, they can still long for more and not be satisfied. In fact, I never will forget that interview of Tom Brady. Remember Tom Brady, some quarterback, very popular, right? He's a man who really, by the world's standards, has everything.

5:46Some say he has the prettiest wife in the world. Well, I know that's not true, right? I know he can't have higher than number two for sure because I've got number one, but the point is, he's got. Got this incredible wealth. He's got all this fame. I mean, people get in stadiums and they just cheer for him. I mean, this guy has it all: money, fame, all of it, right? And in that interview, they asked him, is he satisfied in life? And he said, no. He says, I have this hunger for something else, and I don't know what it is, and I don't know how to fill it.

6:30Pretty profound. You see, we are more than physical bodies, aren't we? We're spiritual beings. That's what we are. And being such, we have this whole array of desires and longings and cravings that go with this spiritual being. And our passage this morning is all about the source of lasting satisfaction. It's all about how you can find absolutely, absolute, complete contentment in life. So let's just start walking through this. You remember last time, looking back to verse 28, the crowds said to him, What shall we do so that we may work the works of God? In other words, what shall we be doing so that we are doing the things that God wants us to do? In verse 29, Jesus gives the answer. He answered and said to them, This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. In other words, this is what God wants you to be doing. This is what God wants you to be doing. This is the kind of work. This is what he wants from you. He wants you to be believing in him whom he sent. So verse 29, where we left off last time, is nothing short than a summons to believe in Jesus Christ.

8:00This is what God wants from you and me. This is what God demanded of the crowd that day. This is the work that he wants you and me to be doing. That is, believing in Jesus. So there's a summons to believe in verse 29. Then there is a specific truth to believe, and we see that in our text this morning. In verse 35, in that incredible declaration, Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. So there is a summons to believe, but there's a specific truth you need to believe, and that is, as a matter of first priority, God wants you to believe that Jesus is the bread of life. In fact, that's what Jesus is saying to the crowd that day. He's saying, as a matter of first priority, I am the bread of life. That's the truth you need to believe. But as you go on, it's evident that they reject this truth. Look at verse 36. But I say to you that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe.

9:06As you go on, it's evident they didn't believe, and they don't even work at trying to believe. And their unbelief will shortly be manifested in a great defection, departure. In fact, you know what the 66 of the Bible is? Look at John 6, verse 66. As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. You see, we don't want to be like this, right? We do not want to be like this crowd that didn't obey Jesus' summons to believe.

9:47Jesus summons us today to believe. The question is, what did they not believe? Well, the answer is, they didn't believe his teaching on the bread of life. It's what he's going to teach on. And I don't want this to be us. So we need to understand, we need to ask ourselves the question: what does Jesus mean by the bread of life? What is in his mind? What is he holding out? We don't want to miss this one. Right? And so this morning, I want us to understand. Jesus means by this expression, I am the bread of life, so that we will come to him the way he wants us to come.

10:40Very simple outline today. First, we want to look at the bread of life, what it is not. Second, what it is, and third, how we should respond. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, there is no way we are going to come and understand this truth. We're not going to understand this declaration that you have made. I am the bread of life, unless by your Spirit you open our eyes, you illumine our hearts, you give us a desire for truth. Father, until you do that work, we're just going to see these things as words on a page. So we ask you to come, take this truth, open our eyes, apply it to our hearts, give us a thirst and a hunger for it, that we may respond in a way that most pleases you, Christ's name.

11:39I am the bread of life, he says. So, first of all, I want to look at what it is not, what the bread of life is not. We can say it very succinctly like this. The bread of life is not what the crowd had in mind that day. They had their concept of what. Perhaps the bread of life was, and it's not that. What did they have in mind? Well, let's pick it up in verse 30 and just notice that they demand a sign. Verse 30. So they said to him, What then do you do for a sign? So 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 out of heaven to eat.

12:33It's interesting to note. Jesus says, This is what I want you to do. I want you to believe. This is the work. They said, Show us. Let me see something. The antithesis of believing, right? Give us sight. We don't want to believe. We want to see. We want you to prove. Right? And he says, no, you need to believe. Got adequate evidence already. Just start believing. Incline your heart to believe. Don't incline your heart to be a skeptic. Some of us just have a disposition of a heart to be a perpetual skeptic. And what Jesus is saying is, stop that. Have a heart to believe. You have enough. There's enough evidence to believe. So be believing.

13:22But they want sight. Prove yourself. It's interesting that they take their mind goes. Back to the manna in the wilderness right after the Exodus. Something Jesus fed the crowd of all the bread that day before, triggered in their mind a blessing that had taken place in Israel right after the Exodus, after they came out of Egypt. You've got a problem. Israel, some two million plus, are out there in the wilderness, out there in the desert area, and they're going to go from Egypt into Israel, the land of Israel, the land of Canaan. And guess what?

14:02You need some food, right? That's a long stretch. And so God gives them bread out of heaven. In fact, in Exodus 16:31, we read these words. The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like a coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. It goes on in verse 35 to say that the sons of Israel ate the manna 40 years until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land in Canaan. That's a long time, quite a miracle, right? I mean, it was sustained for 40 years. Two million people. Now, that's a work, right?

14:54And the crowd attributes the miracle to Moses. He gave them bread. Back there, so what they're going at is, okay, Moses, we're expecting a greater Moses here. If you're the prophet, you're the prophet greater than Moses. I mean, feeding 20,000 a meal is pretty impressive. Show us a sign. You know, let's look at something that can maybe sustain 40, let's see something of a little more magnitude, something along those lines, something about feeding their flesh, feeding their bellies.

15:33So Jesus corrects their concept of this whole bread out of heaven idea. Look back at 32. Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who is giving you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. Notice in this verse, Jesus tells them three things that the bread of life is not. Three things that the bread of life is not. First of all, it is not something from Moses, but from the Father. So Jesus changes the subject from Moses to the Father. They seem to ascribe the manna miracle to Moses. No, it's the Father who gives. Second, it's not something that was given in the past, but something given in the present. Notice not only does Jesus shift the subject, but he also shifts the verb from the past, or what we'd interpret or translate as past, to a present. That is, it's not something he has given, it's something he is giving.

16:50Third thing makes it very clear: it's not the manna in the wilderness. Notice the distinction that Jesus makes. He calls it the what? The bread out of heaven is also the true bread. Notice he shifts gears. Okay, so the bread out of heaven, Jesus is now referring to the true bread out of heaven. So the bread of life is that true bread. Now, in what sense is he using that? Was not manna true bread? It wasn't false, wasn't pretend. So then, why does Jesus make a distinction here? The true bread versus the bread?

17:39Well, the answer is: Jesus is saying something about the manna in the wilderness. It was merely a shadow, merely a pattern, merely a sign pointing to a greater reality. The manna that they ate in the wilderness was truly food. But it was not the true manna out of heaven. There's something else. The true bread is not something you go out and pick up and eat. The true bread is something of a spiritual nature. And so the manna in the wilderness points to another kind of sustenance, a more important sustenance than just physical nourishment. So Jesus, first of all, tells them what it is not. Second, he's going to go on and tell them what it is, what it is. In verse 33 through 35, Jesus tells us what the bread of life is. If the true bread isn't the manna in the wilderness that they were thinking it was, then what is it?

18:50Well, there are five truths about the true bread, about the bread of life that Jesus is going to go on to show us. First of all, notice verse 33. For the bread of God is, and he goes on, for the bread of God. Notice that the bread of life is also the what? The bread of God. So here he shifts the gears again, right? First gear, bread out of heaven. Second gear, true bread. Third gear, true true true true true truth. The bread of God. That's where he's going. The bread of God, the whole idea of the bread of God, brings up another concept from the time of Moses. And that's the whole picture of the table of show bread that was in the very presence of God, in the very presence, in the very holy place.

19:52It's very interesting. You can go read about it. I wish I had some time just to spend a week here. In Leviticus 21, five times this whole idea of the food of God or the bread of God, as some translators put it, make it an incredible picture of what this bread does and who can offer it. Much of Leviticus 21 is about who cannot offer it. Only the person who is absolutely without defect. I mean, it's incredible how God makes much about who is offering this bread.

20:33Cannot be someone with a defect. But what is interesting is somebody with defects could eat it. Let me just read you a little bit about what the, or just communicate a little bit about what these 12 loaves, the bread of the presence, would do. Each week, a new batch of 12 loaves would be made and sent. Set on this table in the very holy place on the north side. It was the bread of the presence. And what made it different than pagan shrines is that that bread wasn't there to feed God, but as a reminder that God feeds his people. Very big distinction. The bread of the presence was to remind Israel that God is the one who continually sustains them.

21:41So the bread of life is the bread of God. Second truth, back at verse 33, for the bread of God is that which is coming down or comes down out of heaven. It is something that is coming down, something that disembarks out of heaven, much like Peter disembarked out of a boat and walked on the water to go to Jesus. Same word. Third, the bread of life is that which is giving life. Look at that. For the bread of God is that which is coming down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.

22:19And notice the scope of this life-giving power. It's the world, not just the Jewish nation in the wilderness. So the bread of God is that. Essential nourishment that man needs and that God gives, and he gives it to the whole world. And I don't think we should read into these words that there's an offer here, but a reality. I take these words in their plainest meaning. Bread of God is that which is coming down and is giving life to the world. It's not saying it is offering life to the world, though he is certainly going to offer eternal life and spiritual well-being. That's what this whole passage is about. I think he's stating something very plain here. That Jesus is the very creator. In him is life. And that even those around him that day were dependent upon him for life. You and I live today because Jesus says, as our creator God says we live, he is the one giving life. And certainly, he comes offering spiritual, eternal life. And that's what this whole passage is about. You see, all mankind own their very existence to the Son of God. In fact, Colossians 1.15 says it very clearly. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And it is wise for you to acknowledge who your creator is. He is the one who currently gives you life and holds things, holds you together. So the word, so the bread of life is the bread of God. It's that which is coming down. It's that which is giving life. And number four, the bread of life is Jesus.

24:44Look back at this. I mean, think about this. Jesus has been talking about some pretty good bread. And the people are very interested in this bread. Verse 34, then they said to him, Lord, always give us this bread. That's some pretty good bread. We like what you're talking about. At least we think we do. And look at Jesus' declaration in verse 35. Jesus said to him, I am the bread of life. That famous I am. Remember Moses, wilderness? Who shall we say that sent you? God says, I am. What's your name? I am. What is your name? I am that I am. And here's Jesus using the I am the bread of life. Notice the gears shift again. Remember, first gear, bread out of heaven. Second gear, true bread. Third gear, bread of God. Fourth gear, the bread of life. And what Jesus is doing is he is making it clear that he is the very nourishment that man needs to live.

26:01This is what he gives. This is who he is. He is the very nourishment that man needs. But look at what he does next. Next thing he does is he reveals one more incredible truth about this bread of life. So far, the bread of life is the bread of God. It is something that comes down, is coming down. It is something that is giving life. The bread of life is Jesus. And number five, the bread of life is something that completely satisfies man.

26:41Look at these remarkable words, incredible words. Verse 35. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. You want to get the impression. Emphasis, as the Greek puts, a couple double negatives, and then a statement, a word, emphasis on the end. You can put it all together like this: The one who comes and believes in me will never ever at any time be spiritually needing anything else from anybody else.

27:18That's a bold statement. Right? Could you imagine if somebody walks in and says, I can meet every single need you possibly ever have? That's pretty bold, right? Well, that's what he says here. It's an incredible statement. And I mean, he does it with emphasis. Never at any time will they thirst, never hunger. I mean, this is a very graphic way of depicting complete spiritual contentment. Listen, not only does Jesus promise salvation for his people, but complete contentment.

28:06So, if this is what he promises, we must ask ourselves the question: How come it is that many of us do not know such fulfillment? Even though many of us may even have known Christ for quite a while, why are there still some spiritual longings? Going on. Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, many of us do not respond to this truth the way we should. And that's what I want to talk to you about next.

28:46So we've looked at the bread of life, what it is, not, what it is, and how we should respond. That's what we want to look at. Look back at verse 35, and I want you to see the two ways Jesus wanted the people then and the people now to respond to his teaching on the bread of life. In other words, I want you to see two things, two ways that Jesus himself wants us to respond to this teaching. First of all, he wants us to be coming to him. That's what he wants. He wants us to be coming to him. Look back at verse 34. You remember they asked. They said to him, Lord, always give us this bread. And then Jesus answered and said, I am the bread of life. And then he encourages them to come. He who comes to me will never hunger. He who believes in me will never thirst. So he wants you coming to him, right?

29:47But notice something. You've got to watch what Jesus does here. He mixes his metaphors. He mixes his metaphors. Look, look back. I mean, how does one satisfy hunger? You eat, right? I mean, if I'm hungry for pizza, will going to the pizza shop satisfy me? Or eating pizza? Eating pizza. One has to eat to satisfy hunger. But look back, but here Jesus is saying the one who is coming to him will find his or her spiritual hunger satisfied. You see, he mixed his metaphors up there a little bit, right? The one coming is synonymous with the one who is eating. And that's going to be very important as he develops this thought later.

30:45But there's more. Okay, so physical nourishment is accessed by eating. Spiritual nourishment is accessed by coming. Okay, but there's more. So he wants us to be coming to him, number one, but number two, he wants us to be believing in him. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger. And he who is believing in me will never thirst. Guess what Jesus does there? He mixes his metaphors again. How does one satisfy thirst?

31:26By drinking, right? Not by believing. There's a glass of water there, and I am thirsty right now. In fact, I could use an object lesson. I can actually satisfy my thirst. But just believing in the water, does that satisfy my thirst? No, but what does? I hope I got the right bottle. There's a whole bunch of bottles down here. But what Jesus is saying here is the one who is believing is synonymous with the one who is drinking. So drinking in Jesus is a metaphor for believing in Jesus. He's relaying a spiritual truth. And the whole bread of life discourse is about spiritual truth and bringing in the spiritual realities of who Christ is and how that satisfies and nourishes and strengthens, gives life to the soul of man. But it's interesting to look back and see that Jesus' very name involves a present state. I am.

32:47I am. So those in relationship with him, guess what? Are also described in a present state because he is. We are and those in relationship with him are coming to him and believing. You see, he's an eternal being described in the present tense. So, who are we? We are also eternal beings described in the eternal in the present tense as those who are coming and those who are believing. So, faith in this life is never going to cease. It's an essence, or it's a state of continual coming and continual believing. And faith grows or can, should.

33:41You see, the reason many of us are discontent in life is because we do not come to Jesus and are not believing in him like we should. Some of you have never come to him, some of you have never believed in him, and Jesus remains some kind of figure out there, and so you do not know soul contentment. And Jesus is saying, You cannot and will not until you come to him. These are his words: he's your creator, he knows everything about you, he knows how to satisfy you, and he is the one who is given. And even if Christians, I think we all can improve in coming to him and believing in him.

34:38Come to him with the big things, the small things, every perplexity, everything. He wants us to come to him. You know what Luther said about verse 35? In fact, I will say if there's ever a verse in Scripture that you should memorize, memorize John 6:35. Memorize this verse. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. He said that. I didn't say that. I didn't say that about him. Jesus knew exactly what he was communicating when he said those words. And he is making an incredible, bold statement that speaks to the very core of your being. And you are to hear him. Let him in. Believe. Listen to what these words meant to Martin Luther.

35:41This is what he said. These are indeed dear and precious words, which it is not enough for us merely to know. We must turn them to account and say, upon these words I will go to sleep at night and get up in the morning. Leaning upon them, I will sleep and wake and work and travel. For though everything were to go to ruin, and though father and mother, emperor and pope, princes and lords all forsook me, though even Moses could not help me, and I had only Christ to look, yet he will help me, for his words are sure. And he says, Hold fast by me, come thou to me, and thou shalt live.

36:35Let us remember that faith is the movement of the soul, coming to Christ. Do not be still and wait. In light of a truth like this, you cannot be lazy and engage in a lazy waiting, but motivate yourself to an active coming. It's like the table is set. Do not wait for it to come to you. He has made the table. It is not wait any longer. It is arise and come. That's the purpose of Jesus' teaching on the bread of life. It's not so that you will wait around anymore.

37:31But you will rise and come. And let us make sure you understand that coming to Christ is and will ever be the only way of obtaining soul satisfaction. So, what does Jesus mean by referring to himself as the bread of life? This is what I think he means. Simply stated, I think he's saying this: I am that which completely satisfies your soul. Whatever your spiritual longings may be, however severe they may be, no matter how weak or desperate your condition, no matter what loss you've experienced, no matter what shortcoming, no matter what guilt you have in sin, no matter how ashamed you are in some of the things you've said or done or not done when you should have done, whatever your longings may be, no matter how weak or desperate, come to him believing, and you will find rest for your souls.

38:55Do you believe this? Then come. Are you struggling? To believe this, then come. Do you know you need to believe this? Then come. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks, knowing that none of us are going to come, Father, unless you draw. And so, in light of that truth, we ask you by your Spirit to draw us, draw us more completely, draw us more fully, draw us to you, help our unbelief, Father. In light of what you revealed, we know we want to be closer. We want to experience life with you. We want to take in what you give and help our unbelief, help our foggy brains and hard hearts.

39:47Father, we love you. Thank you for your Son. Have your way in us now, in Jesus' name. Amen.