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The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher (37/TBD)

Focus Text: John 6.47-52

“‘Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.’ The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’” (John 6.47-52).

The problem with the Jews began with their concept of reality. Their primary objective was to fulfill the needs of the body, while they gave a back seat to the needs of the soul. This is condition was readily apparent when they sought Jesus for the loaves rather than for the more important spiritual provisions which He could have given them. When Jesus told them in the focus text that He was the “Bread of Life,” they simply could not comprehend the significance of that statement; their mindset was about the material things of life and they simply could not “shift gears” to get in sync with what the Lord was saying.

The affirmation that He was the bread of life was preceded by a statement of fact, namely, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” There was no arguing with this statement; the facts were self-evident. Yet, the bread that Jesus was offering had a much greater promise – “…one may eat of it and not die.” This was a blessing that was orders of magnitude greater than the blessing of manna that rained down during the wilderness wanderings.

The reaction of the Jews was but a reflection of their materialistic mindset. “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Were they really so thick-headed so as to believe that He was speaking literally? Or, perhaps they were just being facetious and avoiding the reality that admitting the truthfulness of His statement would involve. Whatever the cause, they missed an opportunity for which many had looked and longed; they missed Messiah.

A moral and spiritual lesson is evident here; we usually understand only that which we desire to understand. We see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear. That is why it is so important to align one’s will with that of the Father. Only by bowing our wills to Him can we ever come to the place where we can bow our knee. Obedience to the gospel starts with the recognition of one’s own insignificance as contrasted with that of the God of Heaven. In that yielded frame of mind God can use us; contrariwise, unless that poverty of spirit arrests our soul, we are of not spiritual value to Him. He is a God of infinite strength, but He will not break down the door of a human heart to gain access. He lovingly knocks and eagerly awaits an invitation to come in.

The Jews refused to see the obvious. In so doing they placed their own souls in jeopardy and thwarted the efforts of the very Son of God. How like them we are when we create our own reality to the detriment and denial of the case for God. Jesus demonstrated His credentials many times over, but they are of no value if one refuses to look at them. He is the bread of Life!

Questions:

1. What had a materialistic view of life done to the hearts of the Jews who refused Jesus?

2. What evidence was available that could have served to convince the Jews that Jesus was that living bread come down from heaven?

3. In what ways was the bread that Jesus offered superior to the bread that the Jewish fathers ate in the wilderness?

4. What does a materialistic point of view have to do with the poverty of spirit that is required in order to please God?

"Voice of Inspiration" from Andy Castro

A Lot Of Salt