More than Manna | John 6:25-60

Read John 6:25-60

RAMP: READ / ANALYZE / MEDITATE / PRAY

R: Read the Passage

Read the passage fully from start to finish without taking any notes — just read! And then … read it again. 

A: Analyze

Journal your response to these questions:

1. What does this say about God?

How does Jesus describe Himself?

2. What does this say about you?

Where do you see yourself? How does Jesus describe our needs?

3. Is there a command to follow?

Are there clear instructions in Jesus’ teaching?

4. Is there a sin to repent of?

Do you feel a tinge of conviction from this passage? Ask God to show you where you may not be trusting Him as the Bread of Life.

5. Is there a promise to claim?

What promises are ours to claim as a result of Jesus being the Bread of Life?

Nicole’s Notes:

I know it seems like we jumped a good bit from last week’s study on John 3 to this week in John 6! For the next seven weeks, we will get to know Jesus through His own descriptions of Himself. Throughout John, Jesus gives us seven statements that begin with “I Am …” They are powerful statements of who Jesus is, and they give us a full picture of our Savior.

Let’s set the stage for the passage…

Before Jesus describes Himself as The Bread of Life, He had just fed five thousand men plus women/children AND walked on the water. It’s been a big day. In feeding the masses, Jesus took a basket of fish of bread and multiplied it, providing enough plus more to the people. Not only was this miracle a display of His power and sovereignty to the thousands of people it was an intentional display of His sufficiency to His closest 12 disciples. Notice that once everyone had been fed, were full and could not eat another bite, there were 12 baskets left over. Enough for each of His disciples. They had seen Jesus’ miracles, they had been a part of the miracles. And yet, Jesus didn’t leave them out. Jesus showed His dearest friends and followers that He saw them too. That His ministry wasn’t just for everyone else, He was their Savior too. I love this about Jesus. All while He is setting the scene for the rest of His public ministry, He is privately teaching the 12. In serving the masses, He taught and trained and loved on His closest 12. What a Savior He is.

And then, Jesus walks on water and invites Peter to do the same. There’s a more detailed account of this story in Matthew 14, and I hate to rush by this incredible passage so if you have time, take a few minutes to watch this message Timmy spoke at Beach Rally last summer, reminding us our calling is in the water. So powerful. 

So, it’s been a big couple of days for Jesus and His crew. By this time, people were literally following Jesus everywhere just to hear Him teach. In fact, when the crowds realized the disciples had taken one boat across the waters after the mass feeding but Jesus was also gone, they took their own boats out looking for Him. I can imagine the people following, looking, fan-girling, just wandering around until they see Jesus. They’ll ask some questions, soak up His wisdom, like what He says and just keep ‘following.’ But what we read here is a MASSIVE shift in their understanding of who Jesus was. They had been ‘following’ Jesus for a while, but Jesus blew up their world when he stated “I Am The Bread of Life.”

Pay attention to two key references:

1. This crowd had just receive bread from Jesus with the fish from the boy’s basket. Very recently had they been hungry and then Jesus performed a miracle to feed them.

2. And more historically, but very real to this crowd, God had provided manna (bread) from Heaven for the Israelites as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. To ensure His people were fed and taken care of, God provided manna — literally bread dropping from Heaven. Enough for every day, and then 2-days worth leading into the Sabbath. 

To this crowd (AND TO US TODAY), Jesus was the provider of bread. The meet-er of needs. The supplier of what we need in order to survive. The giver of good gifts.

But Jesus says, ‘oh no, you just don’t even know who I am.” 

He says “I am the Bread of Life.” And in that statement, not only does Jesus tell us who He IS, He also tells us who He is NOT.

Jesus is NOT a bite of something good that gets us ‘by’ until we need food again. Jesus IS the eternally satisfying bread of life.

Jesus is NOT just the giver of temporary satisfaction. Jesus IS the ultimate satisfaction for our souls.

See this —> manna was temporary. Jesus is eternal. Does Jesus give us what we need? Yes, always. But what Jesus wants us to see is that HE IS WHAT WE NEED.

In this passage, Jesus tells the people who had been aimlessly following Him around waiting for the next miracle — “You want me for my bread. BUT I AM THE BREAD. I don’t just give you what you need. I AM ALL YOU NEED. I’m not just here to bring you bread. I AM HERE TO BE YOUR BREAD."

Re-read verse 35 and pay attention to the invitations Jesus extends:

1. Come

2. Believe

What does the invitation to come promise? Satisfaction. 

Jesus also extends the invitation to believe. And what is promised? Fulfillment. 

Come to Jesus and eat, be satisfied. Believe in Jesus and never thirst again. 

Come, be satisfied. Believe, be fulfilled.

Jesus wanted the people (and us) to see something very important about what He offers. Jesus is not a get and take Jesus. He is a come and believe Jesus. 

Don’t just get what you need, take a little bit here and there and be temporarily full. Instead, come and believe in who He is and be eternally satisfied.

And you know what happened? People started dropping away from the following. Verse 60 makes my heart hurt — “On hearing it, many of His disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’”

It is hard. I get it. It’s way easier to want the gifts from the Giver rather than the whole package, meaning, there is only one thing greater than the gifts of God - the God who gave them.  It’s easier to be grateful for what God gives us than to trust Him with everything, knowing He might not give what we want. It’s easier to pick out parts of His teaching that make us feel good and temporarily satisfied than risk our entire lives for the full Gospel, knowing it requires a surrender of our entire lives and futures. It’s a lot easier to take the bread Jesus gives than to see Jesus as the Bread that fulfills. 

As Jesus followers in 2020, let’s not quit. Let’s not abandon the faith. Let’s dig deeper and follow harder. Let’s surrender it all, trusting that what we gain far outweighs what we may risk. Let’s believe Jesus to be the ultimate, eternal Bread of Life — our Sustainer, our Provider, our Savior.

M: Meditate

• Meditate on Jesus’ teaching, think about the parallels between the manna coming from Heaven and Jesus coming from Heaven.

• What parts of Jesus and His teaching do you just take?

• Are you being fully satisfied by Jesus? If not, what is keeping you from that ultimate satisfaction?

P: Pray

• Pray your notes back to God. 

• Ask Him to forgive you for only wanting what He gives, not wanting HIM