seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given 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 the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read. This is some complicated stuff, so please go read the commentary for yourself.They also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus: These people were from the same crowd that Jesus fed and the same crowd that wanted to force Jesus to be recognized as an earthly king (John 6:14-15).
“The crowd, then, made sure that Jesus was nowhere in the vicinity, and that there was no sign of the disciples returning to fetch him, so they crossed to the west side to look for him.” (Bruce)
“That is, as many of them as could get accommodated with boats took them and thus got to Capernaum; but many others doubtless went thither on foot, as it is not at all likely that five or six thousand persons could get boats enow to carry them.” (Clarke)
You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled: Instead of telling them when and why He came, Jesus told them why they came — because they wanted more food miraculously provided by Jesus.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures for everlasting life: Those asking this question of Jesus went to a lot of trouble to follow and find Him. Yet their work was for the food which perishes — things that fill a stomach and rule and earthly kingdoms. Jesus wanted to them labor for the food which endures for everlasting life.
This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent: Jesus first and foremost commanded them (and us) not to do, but to trust. If we want to do the work of God, it begins with trusting Jesus.
A parent does not only want obedience from their child; a relationship of trust and love is even more important to the parent. The hope is that obedience grows out of that relationship of trust and love. God wants the same pattern in our relationship with Him.
The first work is to believe in Him whom He sent, yet God is also concerned about our obedience. In this sense our faith in Him is not a substitute for works; our faith is the foundation for works that truly please God.
Give us this bread always: We wonder if those who travelled across the Sea of Galilee to find and meet Jesus were hungry when they had this conversation with Jesus. They wanted the material bread Jesus miraculously provided, and they wanted it always.
Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? The people complained about Jesus, thinking what He said about Himself was too big, too exalted (How is it then that He says, “I have come down from heaven?”)
Do not murmur among yourselves: As Jesus spoke to the crowd at the synagogue, they murmured and commented among themselves.
And I will raise him up at the last day: All those who do come to Jesus drawn by the Father will receive eternal life and will be resurrected at the last day.
He who believes in Me has everlasting life: We read this staggering statement with two main thoughts in mind. First, what it means to “believe” in the sense Jesus meant; that is, to trust in, rely on, and cling to. It is a trusting love. Second, we think of the astounding nature of this claim. No other prophet or holy man of the Bible ever said such a thing; “Believe in me and find everlasting life.”
I am the bread of life: Jesus repeated and continued the use of this metaphor. As bread is necessary for physical life, so Jesus is necessary for spiritual and eternal life.
The bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world: Jesus plainly explained what He meant by bread in this context. That bread was His flesh, given for the life of the world. It was His soon-coming work on the cross when He gave His life as a sacrifice pleasing to God the Father and as a substitute for guilty sinners.
Morris on the use of flesh: “It is a strong word and one bound to attract attention. Its almost crude forcefulness rivets attention on the historical fact that Christ did give Himself for man.”
“To give one’s flesh can scarcely mean anything other than death, and the wording here points to a death which is both voluntary (‘I will give’) and vicarious (‘for the life of the world’).” (Bruce)
How can this Man give us His flesh to eat? It’s probable that the Jewish leaders willfully misunderstood Jesus at this point. He just explained that the bread was His body that would be given as a sacrifice for the life of the world (John 6:51). They willfully twisted His words to imply a bizarre cannibalism.
This was the result of their quarreling (The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves). “They differed in their judgment of Him. Some impatiently denounced Him as insane; others suggesting that there was truth in His words.” (Dods)
“Our Savior was, however, led to make these remarks from the fact that the ignorant Jews, when he talked about eating his flesh, and drinking his blood, really thought that he meant that they were to turn cannibals, and eat him up. You may well smile at so ridiculous an idea; yet you know that the idea is still prevalent in the Church of Rome. The Romish priest solemnly assures us that the people who eat the bread and drink the wine, or the stuff he calls bread and wine, do actually act the part of cannibals, and eat the body of Christ, and drink his blood.” (Spurgeon)
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum: This remarkable discourse of Jesus, starting at John 6:26 and including the back and forth with His listeners happened during a synagogue service. Jesus likely was given the freedom of the synagogue, the opportunity to speak to the congregation.
“‘These things He spoke in a synagogue, teaching in Capernaum,’ and no doubt on a Sabbath, as several MSS. add.” (Trench)
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Did you read all of that? Geeze that's a lot to expect a body to read and understand in one sitting.... but my Online Bible divided out these verses and titled the verses "Jesus the Bread of Life". We're reading from Daniel to Revelation. John is telling us about Jesus. Jesus taught about flesh and blood in the Temple in Capernaum after feeding the people at the shore of Galilee. I kind of think Jesus was telling us, you can kill the human part of me [flesh], you can drain every bit of compassion I have for you [blood] but I'm still going to be the Son of God and if you Believe... then you will live forever as my adopted brothers and sisters. If you don't well, sorry about that... you missed the Arc!
I can't explain it. I just treat it like Pi and accept it even though I don't understand it. I know it works so I don't mess with it.
Jesus was teaching this lesson in a chapel on the Sabbath is Capernaum. There were Pharisees and Sadducees in the crowd. They could hear every word Jesus said. They couldn't arrest Him. He had a huge crowd of men listening to every word He said.
All this talk about "manna" and "bread" goes back to "God the Father". Back when the Israelites were trudging through the desert on the way to the Promised Land, they couldn't stop to hunt or set snares. They ran out of any food they scavenged for the trip... so, the Israelites were hungry. God had a plan, He created Manna. It tasted like bread but it was like dew but it would quickly dry so it could be harvested and eaten. Once it had been out for a while it would spoil. They were to take only what they needed and leave the rest for someone else.
Now, Jesus has been sent by the same "Father" who sent the Manna. Jesus had to come to keep us from completely killing each other off. Jesus taught "Love".
The people were crying to God. No, they didn't know about prayer until Jesus showed them how to pray. They were just crying out.... "Oh God" this and "Oh God" that. There were so many crying out that God "the Father" knew it was time to send His Son.
Not everyone would Believe what Jesus taught. Some people just don't get love and compassion. They think clobbering someone into submission was the only way to go. They got a big head out of demanding something and getting it by exerting their power.
Jesus brought us food and water. Jesus fed the people. Yes... the people quickly got addicted to the idea that they could ask and receive, and they were greedy for more. That's why they followed Jesus around the shore to Capernaum.
They wanted Jesus to put on another one of His mass feedings. They wanted Him to heal them of their paralysis. They wanted him to run Rome out of the area.
Jesus said I'm your guy.
They had no idea what He meant by eating flesh or drinking blood. Maybe they just thought that was Jesus' way of saying "meat and wine". Maybe they thought He was saying.... "I'll bring you bread, meat, and wine every day..... all you have to do is Believe that I am the Son of God".
Free food for loyalty????
