Gospel John Chapter 6 -- John Karmelich

  1. There is an old joke about the person who was in really good physical shape
    1. Who suddenly died of a heart attack.
      1. At the open-casket funeral…
      2. The common expression was
      3. He’s dead… but boy, doesn’t he look good though!
    2. Although this man prepared well for this life
      1. How well did he prepare for the next life?
      2. That’s the question Jesus constantly asks in the Gospel of John
    3. Whether we like it or not, there is life after this life
      1. Some people prepare for it
      2. Some people think they are preparing for it
      3. Some people don’t worry about it.
      4. No matter which category we fit in, there is a next life
  2. This is the lesson Jesus is teaching in Gospel of John, Chapter 6
    1. God cares for our lives in this world
    2. Jesus feeds 5,000, including the saved and the unsaved
    3. But what he teaches is a more important issue
      1. Make it a priority to feed on what is important for the next life as well as this life
  3. The Miracle of the "Feeding of the 5,000" is the only miracle mentioned in all 4 gospels
    1. When John’s Gospel was written, the other 3 gospels were already in wide circulation
      1. John gives us a few details not written in the other 3 gospels
    2. Why then, does John mention what is already known?
      1. The answer is to remember Why John wrote this Gospel
        1. The focus of the Gospel of John is on Who Jesus IS
      2. John’s focus is Jesus as the Son of God
        1. The other gospels focus on the miracle itself
        2. John’s gospel focuses on the miracle as an example for a discourse
          1. The feeding of the 5,000 is used to show us
            1. That Jesus is the Bread of Life
            2. Jesus provides the food sustaining our spiritual needs
    3. By the time you get to Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John
      1. You begin to see a pattern emerging about the ministry of Jesus
      2. He is constantly trying to get peoples minds off of their physical needs
        1. And onto their spiritual needs
      3. Jesus was constantly challenging, rebuking, and motivating people to think on a higher level than their physical needs
        1. Nicodemus (In Chapter 3) wondered if his religious discipline was sufficient for salvation
          1. Jesus taught him you must be born again
        2. The Woman at the Well was interested in water to fulfill her thirst
          1. Jesus used the example of "living water" to teach her that He is the way to eternal life
        3. The Nobleman’s Son tried to command Jesus to sustain his son’s physical life
          1. Although Jesus truly felt compassion for the man’s suffering
          2. He used this as an example to teach him, and the crowd around him, about being concerned for their spiritual life
  4. Which leads back to the punch line of my original joke:
      1. He’s dead, but boy doesn’t he look good!
    1. Jesus wants us to look good after we die!
    2. Jesus is concerned about our spiritual health
      1. Jesus cries out in Chapter 6
        1. Feed on Me!
        2. Eat my Flesh
        3. Drink my Blood!
      2. To the non-Christian, this sounds disgusting,
        1. until you understand what Jesus is talking about!
      3. Ever heard the expression: "I need to digest that for awhile"
        1. It doesn’t mean you need to physically eat food
        2. It means you need to think about what that person just said
      4. That’s what meditating on the Word of God is all about
        1. It simply means to think about it
          1. Why did Jesus say what he said
          2. Why did he say it this way
          3. Why didn’t he do things a different way…
        2. Jesus wants us to digest him
          1. So he becomes part of our lives
        3. That’s the same with his blood
          1. Blood is a symbolism of life
          2. Drinking his blood is not some sort of vamparistic ritual
          3. Drinking his blood means to make Jesus’ life OUR life
            1. To become "one" with Jesus
            2. Make his blood part of ours
            3. Make his body part of ours
            4. That’s what the ritual of communion is all about
            5. To make us "one" with the Body of Christ
            6. And to make us "one" with Jesus!
  5. With that long intro, Let’s go to Chapter 6: JN 6:1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
    1. At this point in Jesus life, he was at the height of popularity in Galilee Region
    2. John mentions it was Passover Season
      1. This was the time of year when all able-bodied Jews made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast
        1. John may have mentioned this fact as a large crowd may have been gathering near Galilee to migrate together to Jerusalem
    3. The most important fact to get out of these early versus is to see why this crowd was following Jesus.
      1. Verse 2… because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick
        1. It sounded like they wanted to be entertained,
          1. I almost visualize PT Barnum saying "Come one, come all, come see Jesus the miracle worker… right before your very eyes!
        2. or just want someone to take care of their physical needs
  6. Verse 5: JN 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
    1. For Jesus’ disciples, it was time for a Pop-Quiz…
    2. One thing Jesus is always trying to do in our lives is
      1. To get our minds off of our physical situation
      2. And to look to him for a solution
    3. Notice the last words of Verse 6: Jesus already had in mind what he was going to do.
      1. That’s the same with our situation today…
      2. God always knows what he is going to do
        1. Our job is to figure that out and go along with the game plan
  7. Verse 7: Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
    1. Phillip flunked the pop quiz
      1. Phillip assessed the situation, and came to a rational conclusion
      2. He didn’t look to Jesus
        1. He just calculated what it would take among human resources
        2. Phillips calculations was only enough for everybody to have a little.
      3. The question for you & I is:
        1. Can we be in a situation where no human answer can suffice?
        2. The common mistake we make, like the disciples..
          1. Is that we look to Jesus as a last-resort solution to our problem
            1. As opposed to the initial solution to our problem.
          2. It’s only after we’ve exhausted all our resources
            1. That, out of desperation, we look to God for help
          3. The good news is, is that God is patient…
            1. God will often be patient with us to exhaust all our solutions, so he can step-in and show His glory!
  8. Verse 8-9: Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
    1. If Phillip got an "F" on the pop-quiz
    2. I would given Andrew a "D"
      1. At least Andrew provided the Lord with a situation God can use
      2. Remember that God likes to work through us to take care of our needs
      3. To quote a famous Christian expression
        1. Without God, we can’t
        2. Without Us, God won’t.
  9. Verse 10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
    1. There are a lot of wonderful little lessons in this verse
    2. Notice how Jesus takes charge: Have the people sit down
      1. Jesus want’s us to rest in Him
        1. Not form a big long line to get our bread
    3. Through the other gospels, we learn that the 5,000 were just men..
      1. Including woman and children the crowd was much larger
    4. For all you mystic’s out there… Why did John mention "plenty of grass"?
      1. Gospel of Mark mention’s it was "Green Grass" (Mark 6:39) Again, Why?
      2. Think about one of the most beloved Psalms in the Bible… Psalm 23
        1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
        2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; (Psalm 23: 1-2a)
        3. John, Verse 10 again: Jesus said "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place!
          1. This reference to green grass appears to be tied to a prophetic role of the Messiah!
  10. Verse 11: Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
    1. Notice the lack of dramatics…
      1. There was no flashes of lighting
      2. Jesus did not call out to the crowd "Hey everybody, watch this!"
    2. By studying the Greek of all four gospel accounts of this story…
      1. Jesus only broke the bread once (see Mark’s Gospel 6:41)
      2. The action of distributing the bread to the disciples is one of continuous giving
        1. Jesus broke the loaves once… and then kept giving them to the disciples
        2. Jesus is doing all the multiplying
        3. Jesus kept giving the bread to the disciples to feed the large crowd
  11. Verse 12-13: When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
    1. In the Greek, the word used to described how the people were filled with bread
      1. Is literally the word for stuffed…
        1. The same word we would use after a Thanksgiving dinner
    2. Jesus then had the disciples gather up the leftovers…12 baskets-full
      1. Our Lord is generous, but also, does not want us to be wasteful.
    3. There are also some mystical implications of the 12 baskets…
      1. Some commentators suggest that there is one left-over basket per apostle to show them there is enough food for the crowds needs, as well as those who serve our Lord.
      2. Other commentators make the "mystical" suggestion that it represents feeding the nations, and 12 leftovers baskets were for the "12" tribes of Israel.
  12. Verse 14-15: JN 6:14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
    1. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses foretold of another day when God would raise up another prophet "like-him"
      1. The crowd was Jewish, and knew this Messianic reference.
      2. Because they saw the signs, they suspected Jesus was the Messiah..
    2. Notice the crowd focused on their material needs
      1. They didn’t say :You are the Messiah, what should we do?
      2. They didn’t try to worship the Messiah.
      3. "They tried to "force" Jesus to be king
        1. The focus of the crowd was on their immediate need
        2. They were in bondage to the Roman Empire…
        3. In other words…"Sins, shmins… who cares.. Just get rid of Rome"
    3. The mistake the crowd made is often one we make as Christians
      1. We try to get God to work on our time-table, not His.
      2. Jesus will one day rule as King, but not yet.
        1. That is his role for his Second Coming…
      3. We want God to solve our problems NOW!, using our game plan
    4. Notice Jesus went up to the mountain alone.
      1. I suspect even the disciples at this point were going along with the crowd.
      2. "Come on Jesus, we are following you, because we want you to be King now!
        1. This way, we the apostles can prove how right we are and not have to suffer anymore!
  13. Verses 16-21:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
    1. This is the 2nd great miracle Jesus performs…
      1. showing that Jesus has power over all creation
    2. An interesting point to remember is not only is Jesus the solution from the storm
      1. He often is the one who allows the storm to happen in our lives in the 1st place!
      2. God often uses trials in our lives to get us to focus on Jesus
    3. Something to think about is the fact that the disciples were fisherman..
      1. Fisherman were used to storms.. so this one must have been a doosy!
      2. As professional seamen, they could not handle this storm
      3. Their rest came, only after invited Jesus into their boat!
    4. CS Lewis made a great comment comparing these two miracles
      1. The feeding of the 5,000 is a miracle of the Old Creation
        1. The feeding is for both believers and non-believers alike
      2. The Miracle of Walking on Water is a miracle of the New Creation
        1. It is something that only believers can fully apprehend or appreciate.
    5. The giving of God’s flesh represents what Jesus did for us.
      1. The Walking on Water can represent his triumphal victory
      2. This is God’s victory over Nature for our benefit!
  14. Verses 22-24:The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
    1. The crowd noticed that Jesus was no longer there, so they began to look for Jesus
      1. Not simply to be with Him, but to get something from Him
  15. Verse 25-27: When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" :26 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
    1. Jesus never answered their question about how he got across the lake
      1. Jesus focused on their motivation
    2. Jesus teachings in these verses is similar to the dialogue with the woman at the well.
      1. Her focus was on getting "better water" so she wouldn’t have to lug her buck all the way to the well every day..
        1. Jesus was talking about a more important matter, which is Spiritual Life
    3. Here was the multitude, no longer stuffed from the night before
      1. But hungry again, wanting more food.
      2. Jesus knew that simply feeding them physical food was only a Band-Aid solution. They are going to want more again the next day.
    4. I like what Ray Steadman said about focusing on our physical needs first:
      1. "The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is ready for the weekend!"
    5. One last thing… Notice the word "seal" at the end of Verse 27:
      1. Verse 27b: On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
        1. In that culture.. A seal represents ownership..
        2. God puts His seal on those who are his!
  16. Verse 28-29 (Probably the best verses in this chapter to memorize): Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
    1. The Living Bible paraphrases verse 28 well. It says
      1. "What should we do to satisfy God?" (John 6:28 TLB)
    2. This is a question everybody wonders…
      1. How do we make God Happy?
        1. Do we go to church Every Sunday?
        2. Do we read our Bibles 3 hours a day?
        3. Do we sell everything we own and go be a missionary somewhere?
      2. What is Jesus response…
        1. "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
          1. God loves us for who we are, not what we do!
      3. We can’t add to what Jesus did on the cross by any action…
        1. The corollary of course, is that if you believe, God may call you do things to show your belief
          1. Our rewards in heaven are based on our obedience…
            1. That is a separate study unto itself.
        2. But as to our salvation, it is solely based on what Christ did!
          1. That’s the point Jesus is trying to make here…
    3. Ray Steadman said there are two mistakes that Christian makes in this area:
      1. One is to try to do everything, and the other is to do nothing..
        1. Many Christians burn themselves out trying to do everything
          1. God wants us to work as a group, not a group of soloists…
        2. The other mistake is to do nothing..
        3. Remember that God wants to work through us,
          1. And that calls for our involvement…
  17. Verse 30 & 31…:30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "
    1. What the crowd is saying to Jesus is…
      1. You feed us for one day…
      2. Moses feed us for 40 years…How are you going to top that?
  18. Verse 32-33 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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."
    1. Moses gave the people bread to sustain their physical lives,
    2. Jesus provides the bread for our spiritual lives
      1. And if you trust in Him, as a bonus, will take care of our physical needs too!
  19. Verse 34: "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
    1. The crowd wanted it the easy way… We’ll just sit here and you feed us…
      1. It doesn’t work that way…As I stated earlier, the two mistakes Christians make is either the "do-nothing" or "try to do everything" attitude.
  20. And Here comes the big punch-line of the Chapter: Verse 35: Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
    1. Remember the focus of the Gospel of John is on "Who is Jesus"…
      1. Jesus claimed to be the "Great I AM"
      2. When Moses asked God what is your name
        1. God responded "I AM"
        2. Moses probably thought "I AM What?"?
        3. Jesus, claiming to be the "I AM" all over the chapter..
        4. Answers the question 7 times in the Gospel of John with different statements. The first of which is I AM the Bread of Life
          1. He who feeds on Jesus will never go spiritually hungry
        5. This is the satisfaction of the spiritual need in all of us!
          1. Jesus is claiming He, and He alone, is the only thing that satisfies that hunger!
  21. Verse 37: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
    1. I love Verse 37 which Jesus says "The one who comes to Me I will never drive away"
        1. (or "by no means cast out" in the King James, and other versions.):
      1. Notice this verse again: "The one who comes to Me I will never drive away"
        1. Jesus is saying in this verse we are to come to Him just as we are
        2. We don’t have to clean up our act first, then come to Jesus…
        3. He accepts us in whatever state we are in!
    2. Verse 39: says" "I shall lose none of all that he has to give me"
        1. This is a good argument for :Once saved-always saved"
        2. To those who believe they can lose their salvation…think about this…
          1. How much do you have to sin to lose your salvation?
        3. Our eternal security does not depend upon our faithfulness
          1. It depends upon His faithfulness
        4. Again, Verse 39: I shall lose none of all that he has given me
    3. Verse 40: everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life
      1. Notice the will of God is for everyone to believe in Jesus (Verse 40)
  22. Back to the crowd: Verse 41: At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, `I came down from heaven'?"
    1. The crowd understood at this point that Jesus was claiming to be equal with God
    2. Since a lot of the crowd knew Jesus as a boy (they were from the same home town)
      1. , they speculated on how could he be God?
    3. The Jews thought that they were all chosen by God by virtue of Birthright…
      1. The same way some Christians trust in their baby-baptism or some ritual as their way to salvation
  23. Verses 43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: `They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
    1. When Jesus said in Verse 43.. to stop grumbling "or murmuring" in other translations
      1. Remember he was talking to a Jewish crowd
      2. When the Jews wandered through the wilderness…
        1. They grumbled about their situation, and God took it as a sin
        2. Jesus was using the familiar word "murmuring" to get their attention.
    2. Notice Verse 44: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him
      1. This takes the pressure off of us to witness!
      2. No one came to come to Jesus unless God draws him
        1. So the natural question arises:
          1. How do you know if you are drawn by God?
        2. Easy… turn your life over to Jesus
          1. And then you’ll know!
        3. Remember that God exists outside of Time
          1. God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10)
          2. And he knows in advance who will make a decision for Christ
            1. Although we ourselves do not know
      3. In the 19th Century Pastor Dwight Moody was famous for this quotation:
        1. I wished that God would have painted a big green stripe on the back of those who were saved. It would save me a lot of time and trouble over who to witness to!
    3. Notice the Sequence in Verse 51: The order is important
      1. 1) I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
      2. 2) If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
      3. 3) This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
  24. Verse 52: Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
    1. The Jews took Him literally when Jesus was speaking figuratively…
    2. Notice Jesus as the "Great Teacher"
      1. He gives them a shocking statement (eat my flesh, drink my blood)
        1. In order for them to remember His words and think about it.
  25. Next Set of Verses::53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
    1. To a Jewish person, drinking of Blood is forbidden in the Old Testament
      1. So you can imagine how shocking this statement was to them!
    2. Verse 56: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
      1. That meant Jesus had to die, in order to accomplish this statement
      2. Jesus knew at this point what had to be done for our salvation.
    3. To quote from Ray Steadman again
      1. "People refuse to believe their life is so bad that it requires death to cure it."
  26. Vs. 60: On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
    1. Jesus own disciples could not figure this out.
    2. At this point, the disciples were still looking for Jesus the King
      1. Not Jesus, who will suffer on the cross for our sins!
  27. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
    1. Jesus was saying to those who believed…
      1. Look, if you refuse to believe this… what are you going to think when you see me resurrected after my crucifixion?
      2. Jesus was trying to reassure them by means of the resurrection that all these things are true
    2. The Greek text makes it clear that the disciples found Jesus’ saying hard
      1. not because they didn’t understand it
      2. but because it was offensive to them
      3. Remember the crowd wasn’t interested in someone dying on their behalf
        1. They just wanted Jesus to take care of their physical needs
    3. Also notice that Jesus did not plead with those who left saying
      1. "Let me explain further, please come back…"
      2. Jesus knew they could not understand unless the father had drawn them
  28. Verse 66: From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
    1. It is interesting that many are called "disciples" who are not actually followers of Jesus
    2. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Mat 7:21 NKJV)
    3. Ray Steadman makes a point that people obey the truth that they have learned,
      1. they will be taught more truth
      2. Those who resist the Truth, will lose the capacity to see and hear anymore.
  29. Verse 67: "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
    1. Jesus will never demand that we follow him against our will.
      1. True love does not require any sort of force of commitment.
    2. Occasionally, God will put all of us to this test, do prove that we really trust Him!
  30. And here comes one of Peter’s shining moments: Verse 68: Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." Verse 70: Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
    1. Jesus was correcting the word "We", when Peter said in Verse 69…
      1. "We" believe and know that you are the holy one of God
    2. So the question arises… Why did Jesus choose Judas
      1. Why didn’t he choose a Pharisee to betray Him, or a Roman Soldier
        1. This is a whole study into itself,
        2. We’ll talk about it more when we get to the final week of Jesus’ life
        3. But for now, remember that God created all things for His purposes
          1. Even those who "think" they are working against him
  31. I wanted to end this study with an interesting description of "Bread" (by Jon Curson )
    1. Almost all cultures can relate to bread.
      1. It starts off as a seed of grain, it
      2. It is then planted in the ground
      3. It then grows into maturity
      4. It is then cut down, ground up And placed into the fire
    2. Let’s compare Jesus as the Bread of Life
      1. He started off as a seed planted in Mary miraculously God Incarnate came forth, and grew into maturity. He was then cut down as he was pinned to the Cross, grounded up as He was cu8rsed and spat upon, and placed in the fire of God’s wrath for our sin. And because He had been planted, cut down, ground up and burned in the fire, and resurrected, you and I have the opportunity to eat of Him daily, never tiring of Him, always receiving strength and sustenance for the challenges of any given day. Truly, Jesus is the Bread of Life…

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Our Daily Bread, sent from heaven for our daily nourishment. Help us to feed on this heavenly bread. To make it part of our lives. To grow and be nourished by it. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.