Today’s post is from John 6:22-69. First though, let’s discuss a bit of the back-story from the first part of chapter 6. Jesus is out teaching on a mountain and there are lots of people around. Jesus tests His disciples by asking where to buy bread for everyone, knowing that there isn’t anywhere around to do that and that would cost way more money than what they could afford. A boy in the crowd says he has some loaves and a few fish… and the disciples are… well, likely not very amused. Jesus prays over it, and they pass around the food which has miraculously become more than enough for the entire crowd…. say again: more than enough of the entire crowd! Ok, so this leaves an impression on folks, and they are now pretty interested in either understanding how they can do this trick or finding out how to get Jesus to do this for them all the time… but we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit because we are already into this passage now.

So, that night, Jesus tells the disciples to go to the other side of the sea without Him, which they do. After rowing for about 3-4 miles a storm comes up, and Jesus walks on the water over to them and gets in the boat. They arrive at the other side together. When the crowd realizes Jesus is gone, they go looking for him. Presumably the crowd knows the disciples were headed for Capernaum, and they go there. They find him, but are full of questions as they see that there is only one boat that arrived with the disciples, and they knew Jesus did not leave with them. And while that is all true, and one can see why they would have questions about that, Jesus knows the real reason the crowd even cared about Him in the first place is that they are looking for more food - for free.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.” They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They said therefore to him, “What then do you do for a sign, that we may see and believe you? What work do you do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat’” (John 2:25-31, WEBBE).

So, Jesus points out immediately that they just want another free meal - that’s why they care about where he went - not because they are interested in what he was saying. He tells them to check their priorities: consider that which brings eternal life to be of a greater level of importance than your mundane food-fix.

But they weren’t having it: they allude back to Moses and the manna from heaven which was a substantial and sustained period of time when the Israelites were fed in that way. So they think maybe Jesus should continue in that precedent, since he obviously has the power to do so. They are hyper-focused on having the food trick again and are perhaps being a bit belligerent now - what are you going to do to get us to believe you?

Jesus observes them giving credit to humans (Moses in this case) instead of God for the manna, and He begins to lay the groundwork to break up their little demanding, self-centered group.

Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” They said therefore to him, “Lord, always give us this bread” (John 2:32-34, WEBBE).

Jesus has been telling them, LISTEN to me and do what I say… and they still just selfishly want the free bread. Knowing that they aren’t listening, Jesus indicates he is that which is come down from heaven - from God. But they want their bread…. not just once…. Always!

It is also interesting to note the subtile separation Jesus is bringing in here between Him and them. He doesn’t say “It wasn’t Moses who gave US the bread…,” nor does He say “It wasn’t Moses who gave our fathers…” Jesus is grouping them and their fathers in one group and representing Himself as being outside of that group.

Well, Jesus starts the wind up to pitch a curve-ball that they cannot anticipate.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don’t believe. All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. (John 2:35-38, WEBBE).”

“I’m the bread - me”. They think he is a clever guy with a cool magic trick. They don’t get it. They are thinking of themselves and their profit-loss ratios, maybe their ability to refocus their wealth investments if they have free food, or maybe they could sell it and make more money… Jesus says that He is focused on doing God’s will, not his own. This stands in stark contract to the self-centered crowd. Jesus continues.

“This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 2:39-40, WEBBE).”

Ok, now hold on a minute. This is a bit much for the crowd who thinks this is a guy who figured out a good magic trick to make food multiply by praying over it… but now all this stuff about this guy is going to raise up people from the dead on the last day… now that’s a bit much. They discuss this among themselves. “Who is this guy to call himself the bread of heaven? Don’t we know his parents? So saying he came from heaven, well, what kind of nonsense is this (slightly paraphrased)?

Oh, but Jesus is just getting started.

Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur amongst yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day” (John 2:43-44, WEBBE).

He basically tells them that they aren’t able to believe because God hasn’t chosen them……. think about that for a minute. These are “God’s Chosen People” that He is talking to. Oh but there’s more! He quotes the prophets and says:

“It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learnt, comes to me” (John 2:45, WEBBE).

Wow… this is going to rile them up. Is this guy saying that he is God? But Jesus continues by saying that nobody but He has seen the Father: Another gut-punch. And, while he said earlier that He was the bread from heaven, He now says He is the bread of life - unlike the manna which temporarily sustained earthly life, He says that He is the living bread that causes eternal life. And if that wasn’t enough, he ends that statement with this:

“Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (John 2:51b, WEBBE)”.

Looking back on this from a post-last-supper and post-resurrection perspective, Jesus was apparently indicating that he would indeed surrender his flesh to death on a cross in order to save the world. But that isn’t how this crowd was understanding his message. No, they were wondering how this guy was going to expect them to eat his flesh? Recall that this is the same group that a few minutes earlier had been getting belligerent about getting Jesus to give them more free food. Jesus, knowing they were perplexed by this notion of them eating his flesh, just drives it home all the more - this time also saying they have to drink his blood!

Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven - not as our fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum (John 2:53-59, WEBBE).

Yah, he said all that in the synagogue.

Jesus knew that he was talking past them. He knew that the belligerent crowd would not continue to follow him after saying these words - and many of those listening to Him did turn and go away at that point. They were not seeking what Jesus was supplying. Jesus wasn’t there to be their magical vending machine. Jesus isn’t that for us either. Jesus points us to believe in God and pay attention and be obedient to what God wants from our lives.

Jesus asked the twelve if they also were going to turn away from Him now.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 2:69, WEBBE).

Amen.

So, I guess the question is: Who is Jesus to me? The deity that freely grants me heaven? The entity to be prayed to in times of trouble or grief? Am I seeking and consuming what Jesus is supplying? Am I seeking out His words to understand His message? Or am I acting like the crowd that selfishly tried to view Jesus however they wanted to?

Let us embrace Peter’s perspective, even when we don’t know how to interpret everything that Jesus has to say: To whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. May we strive to pay attention to Jesus and His message as we deliberately follow Christ.

The World English Bible (WEB) and the World English Bible British Edition (WEBBE) are modern translations without copyright constraint. https://ebible.org/web/webfaq.htm