Bread of Life

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.

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.

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

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.