November 7, 2016

EAT THIS, NOT THAT: FORGO FANCY DINNER AND INSTEAD ENJOY ETERNAL LIFE!

John 6:22–59

Jordan Lewis
Monday's Devo

November 7, 2016

Monday's Devo

November 7, 2016

Central Truth

Perhaps you remember Jesus miraculously multiplying food to feed 5,000 people, but you probably don't remember what happened next. The people got hungry again and chased after Jesus for more food! Like us, they missed the point and chased temporary earthly fulfillment rather than eternal truth and everlasting life.

Key Verse | John 6:27

“Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (John 6:27)

John 6:22–59

I Am the Bread of Life

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread 1 6:58 Greek lacks the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus 2 6:59 Greek He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Footnotes

[1] 6:58 Greek lacks the bread
[2] 6:59 Greek He

Dive Deeper | John 6:22–59

Only one day earlier, Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five small loaves and two fishes. The people ate their fill, and twelve baskets of leftovers remained.

It should be no surprise, then, that when they found Him missing the next day, they sought Him out. Was it because they realized they had witnessed the power of God? No. Rather, Jesus had provided them with free food. Sound familiar?

A free meal was not the point, but it was their focus. The miracle revealed they were in the presence of one greater than any king or prophet. Jesus altered space and time to serve them dinner. The point was that the awesome and infinite God was in their midst, having come to take away the sins of the world so that mankind could have eternal life in Him.

In retrospect, at least they have some excuse. 1 John 3:16 tells us that we only know what love is because Christ laid down His life for us, which had yet to occur. All they had was a showing of raw power.

We, on the other hand, know true love. But is just knowing it the point? Christ, as the Son of God, has the power to forgive sins, to set captives free, to give life to the world, to raise rulers, to change lives, and—yes—to meet our needs. The power of God is revealed to us that we might know the Son and believe in Him.

Our pursuit of Christ should not be about today's blessings or tomorrow's hunger. Rather, it is admitting to His power and sovereignty over our pursuits, relationships, and lives. If we seek Him for who He is, rather than what He can do for us, then we will never want again.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think Jesus meant when He said He is "the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35)?

2. What is your relationship to God, and what does He expect of you?

3. Are there any areas in your life where you are chasing after the perishable things of this life? What would it look like if you instead pursued eternal truth and everlasting life in those same areas?