Tunbridge Bible Study: John 6:26-71
Full Transcript
Date: March 11, 2025
Presenter: Mark White
Introduction
Last time, Alton led us through the early part of John 6, where we discussed the miracle—or, as John calls it, the "sign"—of Jesus feeding the multitudes with a boy's small lunch. This event was remarkable not only to those present but remains awe-inspiring to us today, demonstrating what the Lord was capable of doing, how many people were helped, and the lasting impact it had.
However, I believe Jesus performed this sign not merely to alleviate physical hunger but to serve as a backdrop for a deeper lesson. His primary purpose was to preach a sermon on the "Bread of Life," which we will explore today. As we reflect on John 1:17, it states:
"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
In His mercy, Jesus fed the hungry crowd, but in truth, He gave them the Word of God. His eternal interest was that they come to know the Bread of Life. While many wanted the physical food, some rejected the truth. Ultimately, most abandoned Jesus, refusing to walk with Him. It’s sobering to realize that Jesus lost the crowd with just one sermon they didn’t like, a pattern we’ll observe as we study this text.
Setting of the Sermon
The Sermon on the Bread of Life likely began outdoors, with multitudes listening. However, by verse 59, we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue:
"These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum." John 6:59
While a huge crowd couldn’t fit inside the synagogue, the overflow likely remained outside, still able to hear. Thus, this lesson spans two venues: the outdoors, where the multitudes gathered, and the synagogue, where the teaching continued.
Nature of the Sermon
The Sermon on the Bread of Life is not a monologue but a dialogue—a conversation between Jesus and the people, particularly the religious leaders, often referred to as "the Jews." When John uses the term "the Jews," he is typically referring to the Jewish leadership rather than the everyday Jew working hard, raising a family, attending synagogue, and listening to Jesus without wielding significant influence.
Four Responses to Jesus’ Teaching
As we study this text, we’ll highlight four distinct responses to Jesus’ message:
1. Seeking – Some people sought Jesus, eager to hear what He had to say.
2. Murmuring – Others began to murmur and complain about His teachings.
3. Quarreling – Some quarreled and argued, more interested in debate than in embracing the truth.
4. Forsaking – Ultimately, a large group forsook Jesus, walking away entirely.
These responses reflect different ways people react to Jesus’ teachings, both then and now.
The Dialogue Begins: Seeking Jesus (John 6:26-40)
Let’s begin with verse 26, where Jesus addresses questions about the feeding miracle and His swift movement across the Sea of Galilee, which intrigued both the disciples and the crowd. Here’s what He said:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." John 6:26-27
The crowd then asked:
"What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" John 6:28
Jesus replied:
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." John 6:29
The crowd pressed further:
"What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’" John 6:30-31
Jesus responded:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:32-33
The crowd said:
"Lord, give us this bread always." John 6:34
Jesus declared:
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35-40
Observations on the Seekers
The disciples were impressed that so many stayed through a storm to seek Jesus, but Jesus saw through the crowd’s motives. Many were there not for spiritual truth but because they had eaten the bread He provided, hoping for more physical nourishment. They were attracted to the miracles, the signs, rather than the message.
While their interest in miracles offered a possibility for faith—like Nicodemus in John 3—their focus remained on physical food, not spiritual sustenance. Jesus highlighted two types of food:
• Food for the body – Necessary but temporary.
• Food for the spirit – Essential for everlasting life, found in the Word of God.
The people needed not just food but life, and life is a gift. Jesus came to give eternal life, not merely to sustain physical existence. As Isaiah 55:2 asks:
"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?"
The crowd would be hungry again in a few hours, but Jesus offered something eternal, yet their interest remained superficial, focused on signs rather than truth.
The Demand for Signs
The crowd’s seeking turned to demanding signs, expecting extraordinary acts to impress them. As Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 1:22:
"For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom."
The rabbis believed the Messiah would duplicate the miracle of manna, as described in Exodus 16. They wanted Jesus to prove Himself by causing manna to fall from heaven, motivated by a desire for more physical food rather than faith in the truth.
Jesus warned that faith based solely on signs, not the Word, can lead astray, as even Satan can perform lying wonders, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10:
"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
Jesus as the True Bread
Jesus sought to deepen their understanding, correcting their misconception that Moses was the source of manna. He clarified that it was God who sent the manna, and now God was giving the true bread—Jesus Himself. The past event of manna was over, but a present spiritual reality was before them, which they were unwilling to grasp.
Jesus clearly identified Himself as the true living bread, not speaking in riddles but directly:
• John 6:33: "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
• John 6:38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
• John 6:41-42: "The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ And they said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, “I have come down from heaven”?’"
• John 6:50-51: "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."
• John 6:58: "This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
Seven times in this sermon, Jesus declared He came down from heaven, a claim of deity that troubled the religious leaders, who knew—or thought they knew—His earthly origins.
Murmuring: Complaining About Jesus (John 6:41-51)
The Jews began to murmur, as seen in John 6:41-42 (quoted above), because Jesus claimed to be the bread from heaven. They thought they knew His origins, saying:
"Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?"
Their focus was on His physical lineage, not His divine origin, missing the eternal implications of His teaching. This claim of deity—coming from heaven—disturbed them greatly, as they saw Him as merely a Galilean from Nazareth, the legal son of Joseph, not the Son of God born of a virgin, as described in Luke 1:34-38:
"Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’"
Had they investigated, they could have spoken to Mary, but many would likely have persisted in disbelief, seeing Jesus as a product of Nazareth, not heaven.
A Pattern of Murmuring
Murmuring was a recurring trait among the Jews, even in Moses’ day. Jesus addressed this in John 6:43:
"Do not murmur among yourselves."
This echoes the Israelites’ complaints in the wilderness, as seen throughout the Old Testament, often speaking under their breath about what they desired or lacked.
How Sinners Come to God
Jesus further explained how sinners come to God—through the truth of the Word:
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." John 6:44-45
Here, Jesus quoted the prophets, possibly Isaiah 54:13:
"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children."
Or Jeremiah 31:33-34:
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord."
This underscores that God draws people to the Savior through the teaching of His Word. Without the Word, there is no drawing closer to God, no path to salvation. God’s appeal is through the intellect, not emotion, and certainly not through the stomach, despite the crowd’s fixation on physical food.
Jesus as the Living Bread
Jesus contrasted the temporary manna with the eternal bread He offers:
"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." John 6:47-51
Unlike the manna, which sustained physical life temporarily, Jesus offers eternal life. The manna was a gift from God, but it cost Him nothing to provide, and those who ate it still died. Jesus, however, gave Himself—His life—so others could have eternal life.
The Manna as a Picture of Christ
The manna in Exodus 16 serves as a picture of Jesus:
• Mysterious: The Israelites, seeing manna, asked, "What is it?" (Exodus 16:15). Similarly, Jesus was a mystery to the crowd, a substance they had never encountered.
• From Heaven: Manna came at night; Jesus came into a world of moral and spiritual darkness.
• Characteristics: Manna was small, white, round, sweet to the taste (Psalm 34:8), and like honey wafers (Numbers 11:7-8). Jesus, too, is unique, sweet, and life-giving.
• Given to Rebels: Manna was given to a rebellious people, who eventually complained about it. Similarly, Jesus came to a rebellious world, yet many trample Him underfoot, failing to see Him as the Bread of Life.
If we humble ourselves and accept the gift of Jesus, we receive something far greater than temporary sustenance.
Quarreling: Arguing with Jesus (John 6:52-59)
The Jews’ response escalated from murmuring to quarreling:
"The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’" John 6:52
Jesus responded:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58
Misunderstanding Spiritual Truth
The Jews knew of divine prohibitions against consuming human flesh or blood, as seen in Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10-16, and Leviticus 19:26. They misunderstood Jesus’ words, taking them literally when He spoke figuratively. Jesus meant that just as food and drink become part of the body, we must receive Him into our innermost being to receive eternal life, not physical life.
Not About the Lord’s Supper
Some interpret this passage as an early reference to the Lord’s Supper, suggesting we eat His flesh and drink His blood through communion. However, this interpretation is flawed for several reasons:
1. Audience: Jesus was speaking to disagreeable unbelievers, not His disciples. Why would He share such a sacred truth with those who wouldn’t appreciate it, especially before revealing it to His followers?
2. Spiritual, Not Literal: Jesus clarified in John 6:63:
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
He used physical analogies to convey spiritual truths, as He did with Nicodemus (new birth, John 3:3-7) and the Samaritan woman (living water, John 4:10-14).
3. Verb Tense: The Greek verb for "eat" in John 6:50-51, 53 is in the aorist tense, indicating a once-for-all action, not a repeated act like the Lord’s Supper, which the early church observed weekly (Acts 20:7).
4. Terminology: The word "flesh" is never used in New Testament accounts of the Lord’s Supper; "body" is used instead, indicating a distinction.
Taking this passage literally, as some do (e.g., the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation), repeats the mistake of Jesus’ audience. He spoke symbolically, urging us to take His Word into our hearts, seeking eternal life through His mercy and grace.
Forsaking: Abandoning Jesus (John 6:60-71)
The sermon’s climax is bittersweet, as many abandoned Jesus:
"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more." John 6:60-66
Hard to Accept, Not Understand
The issue wasn’t comprehension but acceptance. Once they understood what Jesus demanded—total devotion, involving Him in every decision—it was hard to commit. These "disciples" were initially eager learners, like children excited for the first day of school, only to decide it wasn’t for them. They were offended, not by a lack of understanding, but by the cost of following Jesus.
Greater Challenges Ahead
Jesus challenged them further:
"Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?" John 6:61-62
If they stumbled over His figurative language, how would they handle greater tests of faith, like His ascension? Jesus reiterated that His words were spiritual, not literal, yet many took offense, even imagining cannibalism, a misunderstanding later used to misrepresent early Christians.
Eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood
How do we "eat His flesh" and "drink His blood"? Through His Word, as Jesus explained in John 6:63 (quoted above). This echoes John 1:14:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
And John 5:24:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."
The scribes, familiar with Jeremiah 31:33-34 (quoted above), would have understood the concept of receiving God’s Word into the innermost being. This is how we partake of Jesus—by imbibing His teachings, not literally consuming His physical body.
The Result: Desertion
The result of Jesus’ message was the loss of most followers:
"From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more." John 6:66
They returned to their old lives, old religion, and hopeless situation. Jesus was the way, but they were unwilling to walk in it.
The Twelve Remain
Jesus then turned to the twelve:
"Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve." John 6:67-71
Peter, characteristically, spoke up, declaring their faith. He understood Jesus spoke of the Word, not literal flesh and blood, and recognized that only Jesus offered the words of eternal life. However, Peter’s statement, "we have come to believe," included Judas, whom Jesus identified as a devil, a non-believer among the twelve, highlighting that even among the faithful, some may not truly believe.
Jesus’ Substitutionary Death
Throughout this sermon, Jesus referred to giving His flesh, a theme central to John’s gospel:
• He died for the world: John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
• He died for His sheep: John 10:11, 15:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."
• He died for the nation: John 11:50-52:
"Nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish… And not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad."
• He died for His friends: John 15:13:
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."
Paul made this personal in Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
John later wrote in 1 John 2:2:
"And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
Jesus’ sacrifice is not limited but extends to all, as our substitute.
Application: The Sifting of Hearts
The preaching of God’s Word always sifts the hearts of listeners, drawing sinners to Him through the power of truth. Those who reject His Word reject the Savior, as seen in this passage. On any given Lord’s Day, our congregations include devoted disciples imbibing Jesus’ Word, alongside others who hear but do not believe, their motives not aligned with true faith. Jesus knows their hearts, just as He knew the crowd’s.
Conclusion
This lesson is bittersweet. Many listened to Jesus, but many walked away, disheartened by the cost of discipleship. Yet, Jesus knew their hearts, just as He knows ours. I hope this lesson is not lost on us and proves useful. Thank you for walking through this with me, even if it took a little extra time.
