Today’s lesson is set in the immediate aftermath of what is undoubtedly one of the most powerful, supernatural and grand miracles performed by Jesus.  This is the only miracle apart from the resurrection, that all four Gospels record. 

The sixth chapter of John marks a major turning point in this Gospel, for it has now become clear that Jesus is not quite as popular as before with the leadership of Israel and Jesus' enemies are preparing to get rid of him. 

The chapter sets the stage for one of the great teachings of Jesus on the “bread of life”; ‘bread’ of course being the symbol for that which sustains and maintains life. 

This discourse of Jesus can easily be described as the one thing that led to Israel's ‘hour of decision’. The teaching confronted the people and caused many to stop accepting and following Jesus as their expected Messiah, despite His popularity among them.  They in fact joined the Jewish leadership who regarded Jesus as a false messiah. 

The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men happened after the disciples had returned from proclaiming the message of the Kingdom.  John the Baptist had been killed some months earlier and everyone was eyeing Jesus as his successor.   

There is no doubt that many Jews were ready to resist the shackles of Rome and secular history and the Bible records tells us that they were many nationalistic parties that were opposed to Rome.  

It was the time of Passover, with many zealous Jews in Jerusalem on their annual pilgrimage and we can understand that the religious expectation and enthusiasm was unusually high. The situation was explosive. The Feast of Passover is associated with the Exodus.  This was the time that God had taken Israel out of captivity and bondage from Egypt, led them into the wilderness and sustained them literally and spiritually with “bread from Heaven”. 

Messianic expectations ran dangerously high.  Chapter 6:14-15 tell us that the people were so impressed by the miracle, that they immediately recognized Jesus as the prophet that Moses had foretold and which they had so long expected. 

A group had followed Jesus into the wilderness and were so excited by His miracles that they were ready and planning to make him King.  We are told that they were planning to use force to install him as a King.  Jesus perceived that this was about to happen and so he sent away his disciples to have them leave the scene, while he himself went alone into a mountain, most likely to pray and converse with the Father.   

The people had been sent away in bewildered disappointment.  We can imagine their disappointment, but clearly they did not give up their dreams and made every effort to discover where Jesus and his disciples were. 

The Father as well as Jesus certainly did not want him to become a King at this stage. The situation was volatile and in the discourse that followed, we will see how Jesus diffused the situation when the crowd chased after him and the disciples.  They certainly did not want to let him out of their sight. 

Clearly the swelling crowd of followers wanted Jesus to continually fulfill their materialistic expectations of the messianic kingdom. 

Let us not totally condemn these people, for they were as sheep not having a shepherd.  They were being battered by terribly selfish rulers some of whom were openly complicit with Roman occupation, by Pharisees who did not respect or care for them, beset by vicious robbers like Barabas, or by the thieves that made traveling from popular destinations such as Jerusalem to Jericho a dangerous adventure.  There was no medical care, the economy was in shambles, the priesthood was substantially corrupt and they had nowhere to turn.  History tells us that the people of Israel were at rock-bottom.  They were poor and oppressed and longed for messianic deliverance. 

So Jesus had to deal with understandable but distorted messianic hopes and that is what He did in his discourse on the “bread of life” the following day. 

Now Jesus was about to be politically incorrect. When the people found him and questioned why he had disappeared and left them ‘high and dry’ so to speak, He began to expose their motives and rebuked them for the kind of “meal ticket” expectations they had about the Messiah. 

He made them confront the right reason for wanting to make him king, telling them that they just wanted another free meal. He would not accept that kind of attitude and so would refuse to be that kind of King.   

In verses 27 to 29 He made them understand that life was not all about food and economic success, but he had come to give them something that was more valuable and enduring than just common bread. 

Jesus shifted the discussion from focusing on the provision of literal bread to focus on himself, making it plain that they should be focusing on him.  

He told them that they should work for the food that endured to everlasting life and not work for food that perished.  He boldly proclaimed that he could give them this sustenance and so he called them to faith in Himself.  He backed up the importance of them having this faith by declaring that God the Father had sealed him, so he was in fact doing the work of his Father. 

Remember that the “seal” is the testimony which authenticates that he is the Son of God, the promised Messiah. 

The people appeared at this stage to be teachable and recognizing that he was now dealing with something deep and serious, they asked Jesus what should they do, to do the work of God.  He was placed in the position of the Teacher. 

Jesus was now offering a different kind of bread and the multitude thought that Jesus was encouraging them to do some “work” that would please God and in exchange for which they would earn eternal life. 

Jesus corrected their distorted interpretation of what God required, stressing that to do the work of God they had to believe in the One that he had sent.  At a minimum he was telling them that they could ignore the message he brought from God at their peril. In fact he went going beyond that and declared that he was the message. Obviously salvation of any sort would be attained only through him. 

This word “believe” carried a very powerful and all-encompassing meaning, for it obviously required them to listen to what he said and to look at life from his perspective. This would involve a dramatic change in their lifestyle. 

So the people asked Jesus for proof that he was as great as he was indicating.  They reminded him that their revered leader Moses had given their forefathers bread from heaven. If Jesus wanted them to believe and depend on him for everything, he should perform some appropriate miracle that would prove he was greater than even Moses. As far as they were concerned, Moses had led the children of Israel for forty years and provided manna for them all that time. 

Immediately Jesus corrected them and pointed out that Moses did not give them manna from heaven.  It was God that gave it to them. 

The bread given in the wilderness was not “true bread” for though they ate it for forty years the hunger never left permanently.  They all died eventually because the bread given in the wilderness could not give eternal life. 

His Father in Heaven had sent Him, the “true bread” from Heaven.  He was the “true bread” and he could give life; eternal life; satisfy all their deep inner longings; meet their expectations and finally fulfill what God wanted them to have. He was the ‘real thing’. 

Our text deals with the reaction of the people when Jesus called them to make a decision.  This was a time of decision to consider what they really were working for and compare it to the “true bread” from heaven which would give them life and ultimately fulfill the promises of God.

THE TEXT

Verse 34.   Lord, ever more give us this bread…

During the wilderness years the Lord fed the children of Israel with manna.  Historically the Jews believed that the manna they received in the wilderness miraculously took on the flavour of what ever food they desired to eat. To the old man who desired honey - the manna would have the taste of honey; to the young man who desired meat - the manna would have the taste of meat. In the minds of the people, if the bread that Jesus offered was greater than this, it would be the most desirable - not for a day or forty years but forevermore.  

Note what is happening, the people were behaving as if literal food was the answer to all their problems, even though they seemed aware that Jesus was speaking about something that went beyond physical bread.  They certainly recognized that there was a difference between “manna” and the “bread of God” which had come down from heaven to give life, not only to them but also to the world.   

It is also noteworthy that Jesus was speaking to a mixed crowd of believers and non-believers and so there would be people with different interpretations of what Jesus was saying. 

Our behaviour is quite similar to theirs as we think that the provision of material things such as food or money is the answer to the many practical difficulties that we face.   

Jesus had to lift their understanding, and ours also, to the spiritual realities which lay behind everything that happens to us.  Many people know and have a universal hunger for “bread” which is not just physical bread. We hear nowadays much talk about the desire to be “spiritual” and to embrace “spirituality”.  The problem in all this however, is that people do not want to accept Jesus for who he is and to recognize that if they are really interested in the “true spirituality” which leads to eternal life, then Jesus is the only way. 

We face many pressures to interpret things in light of the present and not in the light of eternity and its implications.  We, who are of God, have to labour to confront the world with this message that salvation is only obtained through the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of sinners. 

The multitude that followed Jesus was a persistent group. The day after Jesus performed the miracle, boats became available for them to cross the water. They pursued the disciples across the water hoping to find Jesus.  However, it is evident that they did not yet believe and still sought a miracle.   

Their concept of the Messiah was seriously flawed. They followed him for self-serving reasons. They expected the Messiah would come and crush their enemies and establish a paradise in which they would live a life of comfort, free of the tyranny they currently experienced.  They were not interested in the Messiah as a person - one with intrinsic worth, feelings, emotions and desires to be a brother to them but rather what the Messiah could give them. 

It is likely that amongst the crowd there were a few people who truly desire to seek Jesus, however the crowd was diverse and many followed merely because Christ had given them physical bread; while the religious leaders followed to gather information or evidence which they could use against Jesus. 

Despite the supporting evidence of scripture that Jesus was truly the Messiah, some were hell bent on getting rid of Jesus.  This was not the kind of Messiah they wanted.

Verse 35.   “I am the bread of life…”

Jesus explained ‘bread’ to them and  it was not the physical bread with which they had been fed with on the mountain; neither was it the manna which their fathers ate in the wilderness. 

Jesus now begins to make some outstanding assertions, as he reveals to them who he is.  The list of I AM’s that follow begins with the claim to be the true bread of life, words which if not true, warrant the title of lunatic, blasphemer. 

Jesus had furnished much evidence for them to discern the truth of his words, thus he does not merely state that ‘I am the Messiah’, but forces them to grapple with the evidence and believe the truth of the word of God concerning himself.   

He used the same approach with John the Baptist and with the disciples on the road to Emmaus who refused to believe the prophecies about him and the meaning of the works he did. We read the following: “But when John heard in the prison of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples. And they said to Him, Are You he who should come, or do we look for another?   Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John again those things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.” Mat 11:2-5 .   

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27   

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works themselves.” John 14:11   

“For all this they still sinned, and did not believe because of His wonderful works.” Psalm 78:32   

“…He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. “

In teaching the crowd, Jesus used some simple things to explain who he was so that everybody could understand him. Everyone understands hunger and thirst and so he teaches them about himself by saying that just as when they were hungry they would eat and when they were thirsty they would drink, so he would satisfy their continuing hunger and their thirst. 

Note the definition of the words “Coming”, “Eating”, and “Drinking”. 

Jesus said that eating him is coming to him and when one comes to him it must involve eating of him. 

When one drinks, one obviously believes, has listened to what Jesus said and is obeying. 

When a person keeps on eating, drinking, that person will never hunger and that person will never thirst. 

To receive and accept Jesus as the bread of life, is to receive his doctrines and believe in him.  The phrase shall never hunger or thirst pertains to the constant flow of spiritual nourishment that Christ alone can provide and not to one's desire for more physical food.

Verse 36.   Here we are faced with the mystery of conversion. In this regard Jesus says several things which we should note. 

First, he tells us that not everybody who sees him and is exposed to him will come to him in the biblical sense of the term just explained. They will listen to his words, possibly have some intellectual understanding of what he’s talking about, might even regard him as significant and important, but yet they will not “come”.

To “come” is to trust him, have faith that He is the only provision that God has made for eternal life and to commit oneself to him. 

Some people will not “come”, or in other words, will not believe. 

There had been many prophets and righteous men before them that had desired to see what they saw.  In the history of mankind they were the only ones privileged to see, hear and experience directly, the miracle working power of Jesus the Messiah. 

These people had already seen all these miracles but yet they were demanding an even greater sign. They were persisting in their unbelief. 

Jesus’ rise in popularity and the great following that he commanded, was due largely to the many miracles he performed in healing the sick, casting out demons and causing the blind to see.  Yet most people refused to believe him to be the Messiah.

Verse 37.   Jesus is not disillusioned by the response of the people, for he knows the success of his ministry is founded in the sovereign will of the Father.  This verse emphasizes the sovereign will of the Father in the election of men. 

All those who come to Christ and believe on him are actually love gifts of the Father to the Son for his work.

“Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities.”  Isa 53:10 

“…according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” Eph 1:4-5   

All the elect has been given to the Son and in the process of time they will come to him.  He keeps those given to him by the Father, for they are precious gifts and he will never let them go. See Romans 8:31-39. 

The fact that salvation is the sovereign work of God, gives the believer confidence in his eternal security.  The possession of salvation is given by God and kept by God; it cannot be lost for it is not dependent on the work of man, but the work of Christ by the sovereign will of God. 

The Scripture is replete with the teaching of God’s sovereignty in salvation, see (vv. 44, 65; 17:6, 12, 24).  The Father has predestined all those who will be saved. (see Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 Peter 1:2) 

Secondly we understand that all who have been chosen will come. The Spirit is calling, convicting and leading and the Father is drawing. 

If you truly come you know that you have been chosen.  You simply come, ‘keep coming, keep eating, keep drinking, keep obeying’. 

If you are out of the cycle and find yourself doing works of evil, justifying them to yourself, you know that you are not in the light.  The ‘bread’ and ‘water’ of Christ are of no use to you. The fruits of your life are displaying who you are and who your father is. 

Third, note that all who come are welcome. No matter how bad we might have been, what we have done, where we have been, how proud and arrogance, no matter our record.  There is no sin that Jesus cannot or will not forgive.  We will not be thrown out and rejected, so we are invited to come. We cannot trick him. He knows the thoughts and intents of our heart, so you are invited to come in truth and in faith. 

It is important to note the fourth thing, namely, that once we come, we are forever safe and will not be lost.  The reason for this is in the next verse.

Verse 38.   “For I came down from heaven…”

Jesus is speaking of himself and in this statement claims full deity and true humanity.  Prior to the incarnation Jesus exists in his divine glory being omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.  It is in the incarnation and in assuming a body in the form of servant that he can say he came down from heaven.   

The reason for his coming was very specific and is clearly stated here and explained in the verse. In no sense was the work of Christ independent of the Father, but he came to do the will of the Father.  His earthly experience and all that entailed was his mission to accomplish the Father's will. 

This is his own work and he came down from heaven to do this specific thing. God in human flesh came to save and because of who he is, there is an absolute guarantee that he will succeed.

Verse 39.   The Father's will is his purpose, desire and intention; this is what Jesus came to execute.  The will of God is always right and he has the power to perform it. Jesus is always faithful and all power in heaven and in the earth is given to him; he will accomplish the will of God. 

All those that were given to Christ believe in him and his mission is to eternally preserve them.  Although every Christian will die, yet he will not be destroyed. The work of the Redeemer involves raising all true believers on the last day to everlasting life. 

The ‘last day’ pertains to the day of judgement.  Some Jewish writers believe that the wicked would not be raised and therefore the phrase to be raised on the last day was a special privilege of the righteous.  The Jews believed that the righteous would be raised up at the appearing of the Messiah.

Verse 40.   The previous verses emphasized the sovereignty of God in the election of man.  In this verse the responsibility of man in response to the offer of God’s salvation is brought to the forefront. 

The responsibility of man in no way impinges on the sovereignty of God, for it is also the sovereign will of God that man come to salvation through faith.  Hence, man must believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God who alone offers salvation and redemption. 

Everyone who believes in the Son will be given the gift of eternal life right now!  This means that his body will be raised up at the last day. So we see that there is resurrection of the body. Death will have no dominion over those who believe in the Son and come to him. This is the great hope of the believer.  

So what are you working for? Do not live just to earn a living and to be led by the dictates of materialism? Live with Christ present with you, so that he makes you make the right decisions. Do what he says, obey him and be used of God to do his will.  

Note however that even faith is the gift of God.

 (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8, 9).

Despite the fact Scripture is clear concerning the sovereignty of God in salvation, many people still grapple with the idea of the sovereignty of God versus responsibility of man.  Humanly speaking it is impossible to intellectually harmonise the sovereignty of God in salvation and the responsibility of man; however, this has been perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God. 

John 7

The primary task was to teach people that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. The people had to be made ready for that under a New Covenant that would give them a new heart on which the law of God would be written. 

This teaching on the bread of life was a pivotal moment in the gospel, for Jesus’ claim to be the bread of life that came down from heaven, was also a claim to be equal with God.  The religious leaders considered this as blasphemy and even more sought to kill him. 

There were many false messiahs and none proved their claim by doing what the Scripture said the Messiah would do.  The work of Jesus however was backed by the Scriptures.  There is none like Jesus; the Scriptures scream that he is the Christ! 

Jesus claims that if one does not partake of him he has no life in him.  At this saying many followers began to reject Christ, saying:

“this is hard who can understand it?” 

Many of the people who were following Jesus now turned from him; thus Jesus turns to his disciples and asks if they also would go?  It is here that Simon Peter answers him:

“Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life”. 

Many people today settle for what has been coined as ‘easy believeism’ but when faced with the truth of what it really means to follow Christ, are offended and reject the light. They have therefore condemned themselves to roam in darkness. …“And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 

Beginning in chapter 7 we see that Jesus’ brothers did not believe either; in addition to this many people now sought to kill Jesus.  The Feast of Tabernacles was about to begin, but Jesus chose not to go with his brothers to Judea at this time. 

After his brothers left, Jesus went to the Feast secretly.  The religious leaders knew that Jesus would probably attend and were looking him. 

The people however were still divided concerning Jesus; though no one spoke openly; however some said he was good while others believe that he was deceiver  (7:11-13). 

During the feast Jesus is found in the Temple teaching, at which the people marveled, for they saw him as one with great understanding.  The fact that Jesus was able to teach openly revealed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders; as they said nothing while he was teaching, yet sought to kill him because of it. 

Verse 37.   The feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) was coming to an end, it had begun on the Sabbath and would also end on the Sabbath; it lasted eight days.  This was the referred to as the great day of the feast, it was also the last day of the last annual feast – it was a most holy convocation, on it no ordinary work would be done. 

The greatest rejoicing by far would break out on this day, singing, shouting and the sounds of trumpets would be heard for miles. The priests performed their final duties of the feast – filling the golden vessels of the temple with water drawn from the pool of Siloam and pouring it on the alter, symbolizing their salvation.

“On the last day of the feast it was customary to perform a solemn ceremony in this manner: The priest filled a golden vial with water from the fount of Siloam, which was borne with great solemnity, attended with the clangor of trumpets, through the gate of the temple, and being mixed with wine, was poured on the sacrifice on the altar. What was the origin of this custom is unknown. Some suppose, and not improbably, that it arose from an improper understanding of the passage in Isaiah 12:3; “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” It is certain that no such ceremony is commanded by Moses. It is supposed to be probable that Jesus stood and cried while they were performing this ceremony, that he might:

1.   illustrate the nature of his doctrine by this; and,

2.   call off their attention from a rite that was not commanded, and that could not confer eternal life.”

Jesus’ teaching and revelation of himself as the bread of life, was a turning point in his ministry, for he had to rebuke the people and correct their misguided concepts concerning the Messiah.  The multitude that once followed him enthralled by his miracles, ready to make him King even by force were now rejecting him in droves. 

The actions of Jesus during these days were remarkable, considering the number of people who desired to see him killed.  Yet he was not hindered at the prospect, for he knew the purpose for which God had sent him.  He would accomplish his Father's will and in doing so was guaranteed protection until it was complete. 

At the same time the reactions of the Scribes and Pharisees was astonishing. Their evil heart worked overtime and their behaviour was deplorable. Their deceit and cunning was employed in a massive effort to get rid of Jesus.  However, we see that it was not yet time for Jesus to die.

Even in the face of danger Jesus refused to be silenced. He continued to proclaim the truth, for in doing so then and only then would the people be truly free. 

Jesus had been among the crowds and preached in the temple; he was surrounded by thousands of people, when he took centre stage. ‘Jesus stood and cried out’ …whereas at other times when he talked to the people, he would sit, now he stood and spoke with a loud voice; both to show his fervor and earnestness and that all might hear 

“if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.”  This obviously was not meant to be understood in the natural sense, but spiritually. 

We naturally thirst for all sorts of temporal things; some chase various types of sensual pleasures, others prefer money, power and fame.  It is appalling that some so called ministers use and promote the gospel as a means to satisfy their fleshly appetites. 

This is exactly what the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day were engaged in, so they were extremely corrupt and did not care from the people.  In fact these leaders were willing to conspire with the enemy in order to maintain the status quo. 

The popularity of Jesus threatened to undermine their power and influence over the people, they had no interest in the true Messiah, as Scripture says,  their belly is their God. 

Jesus however was offering ‘living water’ to those who had or developed an unquenchable thirst for spiritual things.  The heart of every believer should be thirsty for spiritual things, such that only Jesus can supply; for true salvation, justification, righteousness, for the sincere milk of the word and a greater and ever increasing knowledge of God.   

This will inevitably give expression through the proclamation of the gospel and the desire to see many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Verse 38.   As previously stated, all those who believe in Christ are gifts of the Father to the Son; they believe and received Jesus as the true Messiah, according to the Scriptures.  They believe on him, his person, his birth, his conduct, his preaching and his miracles as written in Scripture. 

Every true spring is continually supplied with ‘water from deep beneath the surface’. The living water is likened to a stream that supplies the believer’s soul with light, love, liberty and all the other graces of the indwelling Spirit, as given to them by Christ. 

We see throughout Scripture that the influence of the Holy Spirit is frequently referred to by such metaphors as rain, fountains, wells, rivers, etc.  (See Psalms 36:8-9; Isaiah 44:3-4; Joel 2:23)

Note that the ritual of pouring water was associated with Jewish tradition that foreshadowed the eschatological rivers of living water as foreseen in Ezekiel 47:1-9 and Zachariah 13:1. 

Thus when Jesus stands in the Temple and proclaims that he gives the ‘living water’ he is claiming to be the fulfilment of all that the feast Tabernacles anticipated, for he was the one who would provide the living water that gives eternal life to men. (cf. 4:10-11).

Verse 39.   The Holy Spirit is this living water that Jesus would give; He is the source of spiritual and eternal life. 

Indeed the Holy Spirit has been given in certain measures from the beginning of the world; but the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as noted in Joel 2:28 would be the crowning glory of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit had not and would not come in his fullness until the ascension of Jesus and that is, after atonement was made by Christ.  Jesus says this in his own words as is recorded in (John 14:16-18,26; John 15:26; John 16:7-15).

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,   the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.”  John 14:16-18   

It is widely accepted that the fundamental elements that sustains all life are bread and water.  Both the bread and water are essential to life; and in the spiritual sense you cannot have one without the other. 

The work of the Holy Spirit stated in John 16:7-15, is essential in the life of the believer and share centre stage with the atonement of Christ as provided by the gospel. 

Thus Jesus’ teaching concerning the bread of life and living water are extremely important concepts that the Christian must grasp. In these they will find life, sustenance, the power and the wisdom to live and accomplish the will of God in their lives. 

Jesus is the supreme example, he lived not by his own power but by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the word of God.  If we do not follow his example, we cannot say that we abide him.  If we do not abide in him, we do not have the Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION

It is asinine to believe that one can wear a mask as did the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day, and yet profess to love God. 

If the love of God is in us and we abide in him, then the truth must abide in us.  We will then see the truth and the truth will make us free.  We will see Jesus as the true Messiah, the bread of life and the living water. 

In no way will the true believer fight against the work and will of God in their life. 

Those who find themselves grappling with the issue of who Christ is, are advised to examine themselves and see if they are in the faith or not.