The Bread of Heaven
Text: John 6:41-71
I. We saw the last time we met that people were following Jesus because he handed out free food. (John 6:26)
A. They had hopes of forcing Jesus to be king of Israel (John 6:15)
B. Jesus has begun to explain that they should be concerned about spiritual things and not physical desires.
C. Yet, this difference in view causes problems in understanding
II. Jesus stated that he was the bread from heaven
A. By this he meant he was delivering spiritual food that he brought with him from heaven.
B. This upset the people because they remembered Jesus as a child. They knew his parents. They could not see why Jesus would claim to have come from heaven.
C. Jesus tells them there is no need to grumble because he realizes not everyone will accept his claim
1. No one can come to Jesus unless the teachings Jesus has brought from God draws them.
2. It is the teachings that is the bread from heaven.
D. Jesus claims to know what he is teaching because he has seen God.
1. If you believe that Jesus is from God, then you would have eternal life
2. That is why Jesus is the bread of heaven.
III. Earlier the people had requested manna as their fathers had received (John 6:30-31)
A. Jesus pointed out that the manna their father’s received did not give them eternal life.
B. What Jesus is offering is way to have eternal life.
C. He is what is needed to have eternal life.
D. What he is offering is his own flesh. He is signifying that he would die for the sins of the world that men might live through his sacrifice. - Titus 2:13-14
E. The Jews misunderstood. They thought Jesus was talking about cannibalism in some fashion. They were still thinking about their bellies instead of their souls.
F. Jesus doesn’t dissuade them from their misunderstanding.
1. In fact, his wording would further confuse those who only thought about the physical.
2. Unless we partake of the sacrifice of Jesus, we cannot have eternal life.
a. How is that done?
b. One the Lord’s Supper - I Corinthians 10:16, 11:26-29
c. Another is when we become Christians - Romans 6:3-5
IV. Jesus’s disciples complained that his teaching was too difficult
A. This often happens when people are focused on the physical and not the spiritual
B. Jesus asked his disciples if they needed physical evidence, such as seeing him return to heaven where he originated.
1. This they eventually did - Acts 1:9
2. Jesus points out that the things he spoke of concerned the spiritual and not the physical.
3. It is the spiritual that would give eternal life.
C. Jesus knew some of his disciples would never believe for this very reason.
1. This is the reason the drawing of God would be through teaching
2. This is the reason that Jesus spoke symbolically of spiritual things - Matthew 13:10-13
D. Jesus lost many followers as a result
1. They left because Jesus would not preform miracles on demand.
2. They left because Jesus would not fill their bellies.
3. They left because Jesus’ teachings confused them.
4. They left because Jesus did not tell them what they wanted to hear.
V. Jesus asked if the twelve who would become his apostles also desired to leave
A. Peter showed he understood, at least to a point, what Jesus was talking about.
B. Where else could we go to get the words that bring eternal life?
C. Besides, they knew that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. - Matthew 16:13-16
D. While these twelve remained, Jesus stated that one is a false disciple
1. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him because Judas did not truly believe in him.
2. We must always remember, even among the most devote, there can be those who are not true - Matthew 7:21-23
