Jesus is the Bread of Life

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How am I like the “bad guys?”

John 6.30-31 – So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

I always ask myself how I am like the “bad guys,” when I read the Bible. What is happening here?

People have chased Jesus. Do I chase after Jesus, so I can be in his presence? Or, do I seek his Jesus for what he can give me? Do I have a regular time and place where I meet with Jesus?

People in this passage chased Jesus for what they thought they can get out of him. Their request for a sign revealed that they wanted another self-benefiting miracle.

What are my motives for chasing after Jesus? Do I want him to give me something, or do I simply want to be in his presence? Obviously, a combination of both is an okay answer. But if my attention is largely on myself, I need to examine my motives critically.

God gives people true, life-giving bread.

John 6.32-34 – Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave 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 that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus is the only Being to have descended from heaven to earth. He is the only Being qualified to give the best life possible to people (see John 1.1-18).

How to never be hungry again.

John 6.35-36 – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.“

Jesus does not dispense bread. Rather, he is the bread of life. As we chase after him and live with him in a friendship relationship, life is a natural result.

If we are only after Jesus for what we can get from him, then we are missing the best God has for us. Jesus’ words are strong and are worthy of our serious consideration.

Jesus shows us how to be a servant.

John 6.37-40 – “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 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. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

Jesus never operated independent of a relationship with the Father. He was always aligned with the Father’s will. This way of living is the KEY to abundant life.

Jesus did not come to earth to serve himself. He came to give people a quality of life that can only be described as “eternal.”

Your Turn

Please do some self-examination around today’s verses. Here are some questions: (1) Am I chasing after a friendship relationship with Jesus? (2) Is my life with Jesus producing a rich quality of life? If not, what needs to change. (3) Have I learned the secret of aligning my will with God’s plans and purposes for me?

Today’s Prayer

Dear Jesus, Bread of Life, thank you for a chance to have a life-giving relationship with you. Today, I choose to chase after you, not for what gift I desire. Rather, I come to you to experience friendship with you. Please help me to do this and to align my life with you desires for me.