Bread of Life

John 6:22-60

Main Idea: Eternal life comes only to those who eat the bread of life.

1. God Gives Bread to Those Who Are Hungry.
2. Only God’s Bread Can Give Life.
3. We Must Eat the Bread to Live.

We all know what it’s like to be hungry. From the moment we emerged from our mothers’ wombs, we’ve wanted to eat.

There’s not a day that goes by in my house when someone doesn’t say, “I’m so hungry.” God created our bodies to run on food, and hunger is the warning system telling us we’re getting low. We feel the hunger. We hear the growling, and it causes us to think, I need to eat. That’s what keeps us alive. We’re also spiritually hungry. There’s a growling of the soul that indicates emptiness inside. We were made to live on some sort of fuel, but we’re not sure where to find it. We feel hungry, so we look for something to fill the emptiness inside us—something to quiet the hunger pangs in our hearts.

In this passage Jesus tells us about the bread of life, the only thing satisfying enough to quiet our cravings and fill our souls. He stands in front of a crowd and says in essence, “The only way to live is to eat the bread of life.” Jesus makes this offer in the midst of a lengthy sermon. He repeats three truths multiple times to make clear that life comes only to those who eat the bread of life.

God Gives Bread to Those Who Are Hungry

The previous day Jesus had five thousand men plus their families take a seat on the hillside. He then prayed over five small loaves of bread and two pieces of dried fish. He turned that meager meal into an abundant stream of fish and bread, feeding everyone who was hungry. The miraculous work of Jesus reminded the people of something similar in the history of Israel (vv. 31-32). When the nation of Israel had journeyed from Egypt to the promised land, God sustained them with manna. Every morning they would wake up to see the ground covered with sweet, flaky white bread. I love the people’s reaction the first time God sent them manna.

When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.

Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.” (Exod 16:14-15)

Why did God send them bread? First, they were hungry. They were traveling across the wilderness with no way to gather enough food to sustain a nation. Second, he loved them and wanted them to know he would provide for them. He wanted them to unmistakably experience his kind provision. The manna was a picture of what was to come. Just as God sent his people bread when they were physically hungry, he would send them bread to quench their spiritual hunger. God would send the true bread from heaven, a greater provision for a deeper hunger (John 6:33-35). God sent the true bread, but it didn’t appear on the ground first thing in the morning. It appeared in a manger late at night. The bread was a person: Jesus Christ, sent by God to meet man’s spiritual hunger.

We often hunger for the wrong bread. Why do you think the people got in boats and traveled across the sea to find Jesus (vv. 22-25)? Was it because they understood he was the one who could quench their spiritual hunger, he was the one who could fill the emptiness inside their souls? Jesus said they were seeking him because they wanted more bread to eat (v. 26). One author said, “They were moved not by full hearts, but by full bellies” (Morris, John, 358).

We are often captives to our physical longings. Consider how much time, effort, and energy you put into making sure your physical hunger is met. You get up in the morning, and the first thing you think about is what you’re going to eat or drink. Throughout the day we’re running here or there for lunch or dinner, spending time making food, or heading to the store for more groceries. We make sure we don’t go hungry. Compare that to how much time and energy and effort we put into making sure our spiritual hunger is met. Do we even think about it? Do we give any thought to what sustains our spiritual lives, what nourishes our souls? Even when we attend church, are we thinking about anything other than what we want and what we like?

If your life consists of working day after day to put food on the table, it’s going to feel empty. If all your energy is targeted at meeting your physical needs—needs that never take a day off—your life will feel wasted. I wonder if the reason so many Christians feel bored and restless is that their lives are spent pursuing that which cannot satisfy: another promotion at work, another vacation away, another sports victory, or another fancy meal. Jesus is the bread of life; he’s the only one who can fill the emptiness inside us. A full life is a life spent in pursuit of Jesus. A life spent any other way will feel barren and unfulfilled.

Only God’s Bread Can Give Life

No matter how good the meal tastes, no matter how much money you spend on it, no matter how amazing it is, at some point in the future, you’ll be hungry. Jesus makes this point to the crowd. He says in essence, “You are after more bread, but it won’t last. The bread you want may fill you up for the moment, but it will be temporary. Bread may sustain your life, but only for a time.” Even those who ate the manna God sent from heaven still died (v. 49). The bread couldn’t keep them alive indefinitely. This is a subtle reminder to the crowd that even though they ate the miraculous meal the day before, they were still going to die.

The bread we crave never lasts long enough. All of the physical things we look to for meaning eventually fade. I love how C. S. Lewis put it: “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough” (cited in Hughes, John, 206). Do you know what he means? That which we think gives our lives so much meaning is never quite enough. We always need more, but even more won’t do it. We think when this event happens or this goal is achieved or we reach this milestone, then finally life will be worth living. But even those who reach their goals still die. That’s where each of our stories is heading. Eventually, food won’t keep us alive. Neither will medicine or money or friendship or family. Is there any hope?

Jesus is the bread of life, and he promises life to all who receive him.

Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him. (6:27; emphasis added)

For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (6:33; emphasis added)

For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (6:40; emphasis added)

Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. (6:47; emphasis added)

This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. (6:50; emphasis added)

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (6:51; emphasis added)

The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (6:54; emphasis added)

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. (6:57; emphasis added)

This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your ancestors ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever. (6:58; emphasis added)

Jesus is the bread that gives life that never ends, and the life Jesus promises has two dimensions. First, it makes a person alive spiritually right now. Jesus brings you into a life-giving relationship with the God of the universe. His life flows through you, and you are able to relate to him. Where before your sin had cut you off from him, Jesus has now brought you into a relationship with the living God. Second, it means that after you die physically, you will be resurrected to live with Jesus forever. Four different times in our text Jesus promises to raise his people up on the last day (vv. 39,40, 44, 54). He is the bread of life, and the life he gives will never falter, never fade, and never fail.

We Must Eat the Bread to Live

Imagine being famished. You’ve had an extremely busy day and just haven’t had time to eat. Your stomach’s growling, and all you can think about is food. You sit down at the table, and a plate of fresh dinner rolls is set in front of you. What would you do? You’d take one (or two or three) and start eating. Why? Because the only way to satisfy your hunger is to eat. Bread only does you good if you eat it. How do you eat the bread of life? Jesus tells the crowd to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Is he endorsing cannibalism? No, to eat means to believe.

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” (6:35; emphasis added)

Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. (6:47; emphasis added)

When you take a bite of bread, you believe it’s safe for you to eat (it’s not going to kill you); plus you believe it will give you strength. You can’t eat halfway. Chewing and spitting out is not eating. You either eat or you don’t. The same is true of believing on Jesus. You either believe him or you don’t. You either trust he will give you life so you receive him fully and completely, or you don’t. There’s no middle ground when it comes to believing on Jesus. When you eat, you internalize the food.

• Thinking about eating is not the same as eating.
• Knowing nutritional facts is not the same as eating.
• Understanding how food is processed by the body is not the same as eating.

To believe is to internalize the truth about Jesus. It’s to receive him into your soul.

• Thinking about Jesus is not the same as believing.
• Knowing facts about Jesus is not the same as believing.
• Understanding how Jesus saves a person is not the same as believing.

Believing is staking your life on the fact that the only way to live is to receive him. It’s placing all your hope on him to sustain you. It’s a deep sense that you will die without him. It’s placing all your confidence in him as the only one who can give you life and strength and a future. And the best part of eating the bread of life is there’s no bill. All you have to do is receive it.

Sadly the crowd predominantly chose to reject the bread of life (v. 36). They made excuses (v. 42) and said it was too hard to believe (v. 60). They grumbled about what Jesus said (v. 41), just as the Israelites of old grumbled about the manna in the wilderness. Believing on Jesus is hard. Believing demands relinquishing all other means of salvation. It means saying, “I cannot do it on my own. I cannot make it on my own. I will die apart from Jesus. I’m helpless and hopeless. Jesus, save me! Jesus, forgive me! Jesus, give me life!” That’s not easy, but it’s true, and it’s your only hope.

Saint Augustine famously said, “You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.” I want to keep the spirit of his statement but tweak the words just a bit. If he was reading this passage, he might say, “You made us to hunger for you, and our starving souls find no nourishment until they feast on you.” Only Jesus can fill the emptiness inside. Only Jesus can quiet the growling of your soul. Only Jesus can give you life.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Have you ever noticed your own spiritual hunger?
2. Summarize Jesus’s sermon with three major truths.
3. What two reasons did God have for sending bread to the Israelites in the wilderness?
4. Why does Jesus call himself the bread of life?
5. Why do the people follow Jesus across the Sea of Galilee?
6. How much time and effort do you put into making sure your spiritual hunger is met?
7. Do you feel bored and restless in life? Are you seeking fulfillment in Jesus?
8. Why does Jesus point out that the Israelites ate manna in the wilderness and died?
9. How often does Jesus mention “life” in this section?
10. How do you “eat” the bread of life?