Got Bread? - The True Substance of our Faith
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you are what you eat
you are what you eat
Dietitians and medical profesionals have used that phrase for years to discuss the impact of certain foods on our physical health.
the earliest version of the phrase was coined by a French lawyer named “Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante”
”Tell me. What you eat and I’ll tell you what you are”
That phrase began to be popularized in english in the 1930s by Victor Lindhar, a man who had developed a Catabolic diet.
I think many of us recognize that foods affect us differently. It seems that certain body types don’t do well with certain foods.
Now, I bring this up today not to try to get us on a church-wide diet, though I know I could benefit from that, but to correlate our spiritual lives with spiritual food. Spiritually speaking, we are what we eat. In the passage that we are considering today, Jesus is calling us to feast on true spiritual food.
We’ve already read part of the passage, but let’s begin by observing that…
Separation from Jesus reveals our need for him (6:16-21)
Separation from Jesus reveals our need for him (6:16-21)
So, if you remember from our discussion last week, Jesus had been with a crowd of over 5000 people and had fed them with just five loaves of bread and two fish. When the people realized who he was - the fulfillment of a prophecy- they wanted to make Him king. As a result, Jesus withdrew from them to a nearby mountain. He was not going to allow the plan marked out for him to be usurped by their political aspirations. When he went on the mountain, he dismissed the crowd (according to Matthew and Mark) and sent his disciples to the boat.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
It’s unclear if the disciples knew where they would be meeting up with Jesus. My guess is he just sent them away. Away from the crowd - to avoid their influence. Away from him - assuming he had gone to the mountain to pray (according to Matthew).
Now, the sea of Galilee was about 600 feet below sea level. It is a rather shallow sea - and was largely surrounded by mountains. Because of the depth of the water and the mountainous surroundings, the sea was prone to sudden storms - which some of the guys would have been familiar with. It seems this particular storm was challenging for them. They were not making any headway - at least until Jesus came along.
But I think there is a potential lesson for us here.
It’s not hard for us to recognize that we are physically separated from Jesus - he ascended and is seated at the right hand of God. We will learn later in our study of John that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, but we are physically separated fromJesus. The disciples were physically separated from Jesus in the passage we are considering.
And yet I wonder if their physical separation might parallel our own spiritual separation? How often do we walk through the storms of life and assume that we can handle them on our own - all the while failing to realize that he is there, he is in the midst of the storm with us, he has power to help in our time of need! He is fully aware of our turmoil and our needs.
Are we aware? Are we calling to Him for help? Are we reaching out in our time of need?
Robert Hawker, a Puritan preacher, once prayed...
So when my poor heart is afflicted, when Satan storms, or the world frowns, and when I suffer sickness, or when all your waves and storms seem to go over me, what a relief it is to know that you, Jesus, see me. And that you care!
So help me, Lord, to look to you, and to remember you. And oh! That blessed Scripture: “In all the reflection he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and his pity he redeemed them; he bore them and carry them all the days of old.” Amen.
(Ellis, 71)
So Jesus and his disciples end up on another shore of Galilee, near the town of Capernaum. As we read earlier, we got to see that the people who had received the food from him came to Capernaum to search for Jesus. As a result, Jesus engages them in a conversation. Through this conversation we get to see how...
Jesus exposes our motivation for searching and addresses the true spiritual need (6:22-40)
Jesus exposes our motivation for searching and addresses the true spiritual need (6:22-40)
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 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.
Just as Jesus did in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 and the woman at the well in John 4, so too, Jesus here cuts to the core of their concern. You see, they wanted...
Worldly satisfaction - earthly food (22-34)
Worldly satisfaction - earthly food (22-34)
Imagine how much easier life would be if you didn’t have to work for your food. Wouldn’t it be great to just follow Jesus and be filled!?
But He urges them not to seek for the things that expire.
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.”
Don Carson notes
The Gospel according to John (b. The True Manna (6:27–34))
His point was not that they should attempt some novel form of work, but that merely material notions of blessing are not worth pursuing.
They begin to pick up what Jesus is putting down; to which they respond:
Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Then Jesus gives them this call to faith:
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
So they seem to be interested enough to pursue Jesus a bit further, but notice what kind of work Jesus was talking about. Jesus said that the “work of God” is to “believe.”
When it comes to the work of belief, where are you? What do you believe about Jesus? Is he savior and lord or just a good teacher and miracle worker?
So from there, they ask for some sort of sign confirming what Jesus was saying - as if feeding 5000 people - was not enough. They claimed that Moses gave their forefathers manna or bread in the wilderness during the Exodus. So Jesus takes their mosaic sign and turns it.
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. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Notice that Jesus began by saying “Truly, truly” - he is emphatic. Carson again notes:
The Gospel according to John b. The True Manna (6:27–34)
Jesus is persuaded that far too much attention has been lavished on Moses, and far too little on God himself, the ultimate supplier of the bread from heaven.
It’s not Moses who brought the Manna. It was God. Moses is dead, God is not.
Jesus has been calling them to look beyond the temporary to the eternal. No matter what we eat, no matter how much we eat, we will eventually be hungry again.
It’s as though they wanted to go from blessing to blessing - good feeling to good feeling - as though their spiritual journey was a series of spiritual highs.
I’ve been in those places and have experienced services and events where it was emotionally and spiritually ecstatic. I’d get goosebumps as the music roared and voices soared. I’d be encouraged by a speaker who’d seem like he’s speaking right to me. I’d leave that place wanting more and more. Only to find that my spiritual emotional high was unsustainable. I’d return home from that retreat or conference or missions trip and feel let down on the emotion of it all.
Have you noticed that in our society? It seems we are working toward good feelings or the latest and greatest gadget, car, house....thinking that it will provide hope and meaning - only to find that we need the next thing and the next.
Some of the richest people in world have been asked “how much is enough?” - to which they replied - “just a little bit more.” Worldly satisfaction will please us for a while, but eventually it will fail.
The people talking to Jesus eventually get the point - because they respond:
They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
So, rather than working for or hoping for temporary satisfaction, Jesus urges them to look for...
Eternal satisfaction in the bread of life (35-40)
Eternal satisfaction in the bread of life (35-40)
Jesus makes it plain:
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.
In many ways, this sounds a bit like Jesus conversation with the woman at the well in John 4.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
His message is consistent - the bread and water of this world will not provide eternal satisfaction. Instead - he is the source -
He is the living water,
He is the bread of life.
Consider discussing junk food verses healthy food. We like one but can’t have it all the time. The other may not always taste as good, but it brings us health. The same is true with temporary versus eternal bread. One is pleasant for awhile and leave bad side effects. the other provides what we need for eternal life..
So, up to this point, Jesus has revealed our need and exposed our emotions. Now he’s getting to the substance, the core of our faith.
Spiritual sustenance is found in feeding on Jesus by faith (6:41-59)
Spiritual sustenance is found in feeding on Jesus by faith (6:41-59)
In this section, Jesus says some words that are extremely disturbing.
Before we get to those disturbing words, I think it’s important to understand a theological distinction:
Election and perseverance
Election and perseverance
These concepts really respond to the questions of:
Who is responsible for my salvation? Is it me, my decision, or is it Jesus?
Can I lose my salvation?
To which Jesus replies:
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
You see, it’s ultimately God that draws us into a relationship with Him. He entices, or compels. Sure, we respond -but we cannot seek a relationship with God outside of His will.
In addition to that, to those who have been drawn by God and who respond in faith - Jesus keeps them secure. Jesus has granted us confidence that he will “raise” us up on the last day. We are his.
There is an old hymn that we’ve sung a few times that recognizes the perseverance that we receive in Jesus Christ - “He will hold me fast.” The opening verse says:
When I fear my faith will fail
Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail
He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold
Through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold
He must hold me fast
So we have this confidence that we are saved when we respond to the call of God to Jesus and then preserved for eternity.
But how does this all happen?
By feasting on Jesus by faith
By feasting on Jesus by faith
Have you ever heard someone say something like “I’m going to devour this book.” or “My granddaughter is so cute I could just eat her up.”? we know that books dont taste very good and grandma is not a cannibal. We are used to using that kind of language do describe finding full enjoyment in something.
In this section, Jesus takes that same concept and turns it on himself. (IN fact this is our suggested memory verse for this week)
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.”
And then after people begin to wonder how this can be, Jesus intensifies the analogy:
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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on 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 whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
The question becomes, how do we interpret that? What does Jesus mean?
It seems like we can apply Jesus words in one of three ways: literally, metaphorically, and spiritually. Let’s reflect on these briefly.
Literally
Literally
To take this text literally, we would have to assume that Jesus is calling for a sort of cannibalism. This is certainly what this first audience heard. But I don’t think this is what Jesus meant.
You see, Jesus is clearly using some form of hyperbole - or exaggeration in order to help people understand the significance of his role in their lives. So the second option is...
Metaphorically
Metaphorically
Viewing Jesus words this way would bring an interpretation into the sacrament or ordinance of the Lord’s supper. In fact, in a few minutes we will observe the Lord’s supper, or communion. But do you think this is what Jesus was talking about?
There are some who feel that Jesus was pointing forward to the Lord’s supper.
One of that challenges of viewing Jesus’ words this way is that it’s inconsistent with the rest of the book of John. You see, for John, his crux is belief - not sacramental obedience. In fact, John does not even mention the Lord’s supper. He spends a lot of time discussing the events of the night before Jesus was crucified, the night that the other disciples discuss the Lord‘s Supper, but Johndoes not talk about the elements themselves.
Which leaves us to a final option...
Spiritually
Spiritually
In this view - to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood is a matter of faith.
You see, just as the food we eat and the liquids we drink provide our physical bodies life and sustenance, so to, eating and drinking the the body and blood of Jesus provides us spiritual sustenance.
Kenneth Gangel commented that...
“These verses are not some esoteric philosophical statement offering an abstract idea. They form a personal invitation to participate spiritually in the life of Jesus by trusting him. As Ezekiel “ate the scroll” in the prophetic days of the Old Testament (see Ezek. 3:1–3), so believers today eat the bread of life when they acknowledge that the death of Jesus was on their behalf.”
Jesus perfectly embodies the life we will inevitably fail to live. His substitutionary death and resurrection pay the price for our sinfulness that we could only pay for in eternal separation from God in Hell. So, by faith, when we “eat” and “drink” of Jesus - we are putting full and total confidence in his life, death, resurrection and ascension - by faith.
Have you feasted on Jesus by faith? Have you entrusted your eternity to his perfect life? Or are you still trusting in your own righteousness?
Brother and sister in Christ, if you have placed your trust in Jesus but still look for those spiritual highs or are tempted (like I am) by the things of this world, we need to repent - and align ourselves fully with Jesus Christ And find eternal nutrition in His life.
Memory Verse: John 6:51
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.”
The Lords Supper
The Lords Supper
There is a sense in which observing the Lord’s supper today is both providential and unfortunate. You see, it would be easy to equate our taking the Lord’s supper with the fulfillment of Jesus words to eat and drink. Instead, I think it’s providential because this act of eating and drinking looks back at his perfect life, his perfect sacrifice, as symbolic of the faith we now live.
(distribute the elements)
Let’s pray
Benediction
Benediction
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Sources:
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/you-are-what-you-eat.html
Burge, Gary M. The NIV Application Commentary: John. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.
Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991.
Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Elmer, Robert, editor. Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019.
Gangel, Kenneth O. John. Vol. 4. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.
Milne, Bruce. The Message of John (The Bible Speaks Today). Downers Grove, IL. Inter-Varsity Press, 1993
Tenney, Merrill C., John: The Gospel of Belief, Grand Rapids, MI. Eerdmans, 1976.