9: Jesus the bread of life — John 6:30–71


6³⁰ 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.’” ³² 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.”

³⁵ 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. ³⁷ Every-
thing 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.”

⁴¹ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; ⁵⁵ for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³ It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. ⁶⁵ And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

⁶⁶ Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.  NRSV

Get into the Word

1. How is the crowd like the disciples and the woman at the well in its response to Jesus? How would you have reacted if you had heard him explain what “God’s work” really is? How do you react today?

2. What parts of Jewish history does Jesus use to explain his kingdom? Why would the Jews not realize this since Passover is such a prominent part of their religion? In what ways are we still like the Jews in our response to Jesus?

3. Why do the Jews get upset with the answers Jesus gives to their questions? What seems to surprise and offend them? Why?

4. What is Jesus’ central point in vv. 43-51? How does he relate to the God the Jews thought they were worshipping? 

5. What is different about Jesus from what the prophets taught? What is different about Jesus from what happened on the exodus from Egypt?

6. What is the disciples’ response to Jesus message? Why do they find it a “hard teaching?” What do they do about the situation? How do you think you would have reacted?

Get Personal

1. How does God help you get outside of your worldly “box” to look at things the way Jesus taught? Why is it so difficult to see things this way all the time? What generally happens when we see things only from the world’s point of view?

2. Which teachings in this section are “hard” for you? How do you deal with such “hard teachings?” Are you sometimes tempted to turn back as some disciples did or do you stand with Peter and “believe and know” that Jesus has the words of eternal life? 

6:32. Moses didn’t . . . — Jesus corrects the people [check Exodus 16:15-16, and Psalm 78:24-25], and then underscores his point with the contrast between the bread of Moses and the “true bread from heaven,” which is himself. 
6:34. That bread — the crowd is still looking at this world, even after Jesus makes his point explicit.
6:35. Bread of life — Jesus repeats his claim and goes on to describe his purpose on earth and his relationship with the Father.
6:45. Written in the Scriptures — Jesus is referring to Jeremiah: But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” 

the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  [31:31-34].
6:51-58. Living bread . . . my flesh — Jesus is anticipating the Eucharist: He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you,[Luke 22:19-20].
6:68. You have the words that give eternal life — Peter’s confession of belief parallels his declaration in Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29, and Luke 9:20.