Shortly before this, Jesus has miraculously fed 5000 people by multiplying a simple lunch. The people following Jesus are expecting more of the same. Based on their understanding of Jesus and the recent provision of physical food, the crowd challenges Jesus to provide another sign and refers to the miracle of manna in Exodus 16 where the Israelites were miraculously supplied with food for the duration of the wilderness wanderings. In answering the crowd Jesus re-directs their line of thinking by explaining that it wasn’t Moses who gave them food to eat, it was God the Father who supplied their needs. The people understandably request this bread from God. However, they don’t expect the answer Jesus gives. Jesus says “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
Physical food helps provide life for a while, as the body is healthy, but the real bread of heaven is Jesus himself who has come from heaven to give life to the world. Jesus is asserting that he is the answer for humanity’s desires[1] though not strictly their physical desires. The implication is that God has created people to be in relationship with him and that all people have a desire for forgiveness[2] and eternal life, just as they have a hunger for food.[3] “Hunger and thirst are metaphors for the human need to know God, and knowing God is the present experience of eternal life (17:3). Those who come to Jesus, i.e. those who believe in him, are brought into relationship with God and their hunger and thirst to know God are satisfied.”[4]
Jesus continues his explanation of the bread of life (verses 47-51) and moves the concept one step further. You’ve probably heard of the popular meat replacement called beyond meat. Well here Jesus is trying to get the crowd to think beyond bread, so he connects the concept of the bread of life with eternal life. He illustrates this by explaining that while the manna in Exodus provided physical nourishment, those who ate of it still died a physical death. People who would come to Jesus need to get beyond the bread (the physical) to Jesus himself.
Jesus is the living bread. Those who eat this bread will have eternal life with him. Many in the crowd take this statement literally and thinks Jesus is introducing some sort of bizarre cannibalistic cult by saying they must not only eat his flesh, but also drink his blood. This sounds weird to just about anyone, but to the Jews it was downright heretical as they were forbidden from eating blood. Why would Jesus make this statement so unpalatable? Jesus is speaking on two levels here; those who trust Jesus will understand or come to understand his metaphorical language. Those who do not believe will only hear the literal meaning. This statement depends on Jesus’ death, which has not yet happened in John’s gospel. In a very real sense, those who follow Jesus must accept and participate in his broken body and his shed blood at the cross.[5] Spiritually, those who believe in Jesus and accept his sacrifice are incorporated into the body of Christ.
By giving these strong statements Jesus is challenging the crowd. Indeed, after this episode many of those who had followed Jesus to this point turned back and no longer followed him (John 6:66). They couldn’t get past the strange language to hear what Jesus was saying. Still, why would Jesus seem to drive away many in the crowd? Jesus is not looking for fans. He is looking for followers who will believe in him, follow him, trust him, and live for the Kingdom of Heaven. Getting back to the flesh and blood metaphor, what is Jesus calling for? “When this metaphor is unpacked, it means that Jesus is the source of true satisfaction; belief in him who gave his life for the world is the only way to satisfy human hunger and thirst for God.”[6]
It must have been incredibly confusing for the 12 disciples. At this point they did not fully understand what Jesus was saying, but they trusted him and though many abandoned Jesus at this point, the 12 disciples did not. “The twelve…though they have no clear grasp as yet how Jesus can be the bread which came down from heaven to bring man eternal life, or how eternal life can and must result from his death, do not leave him, for they are very sure that His words, though difficult to understand, are vital.”[7]
This is the challenge of faith – believing what we cannot prove yet trust to be true. Jesus is the bread of life; the spiritual food that gives eternal life. Our challenge today is to consider our response to Jesus. There’s no quick fix, but look to Jesus, believe in him, follow him, and you will find the food you are looking for.
[1] Barker and Kohlenberger III eds, Expositors Bible Commentary Abridged Edition: New Testament, 1994, pg 316
[2] R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdamans Publishing Company, 1981, pg 93
[3] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary 1999, pg 37
[4] Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 170). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[5] R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdamans Publishing Company, 1981, pg 93
[6] Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 175). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[7] R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdamans Publishing Company, 1981, pg 97