Lesson 19: John 6:41-59 - The Bread of Life (part 2)
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
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.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 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.
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 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.
58 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.”
59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Jesus continued with His explanation of how He is the Bread of Life. He said people could only come to God if He first draws them to Himself. Since all people are born spiritually dead (Romans 3:1-19), they cannot hear God’s voice unless God takes the first step. This was why Jesus said (in John 3:14-15) His being lifted up was so important. We will read in John 12:32 how this lifting up on the cross would be God’s call or “drawing” on all people.
Jesus then said no one who wouldn’t eat His flesh or drink His blood could have eternal life. The Jewish leaders could not understand how Jesus could offer His flesh to eat. These words mean we must personally join with Jesus in His death to be part also of His resurrection. This doesn’t mean we must take communion, as some believe, to be saved – it means we must identify with Him to the point of even being killed because we stand with Him rather than with the world.
*How does Romans 3:1-19 describe us before we were saved?
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
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.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 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.
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 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.
58 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.”
59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
Jesus continued with His explanation of how He is the Bread of Life. He said people could only come to God if He first draws them to Himself. Since all people are born spiritually dead (Romans 3:1-19), they cannot hear God’s voice unless God takes the first step. This was why Jesus said (in John 3:14-15) His being lifted up was so important. We will read in John 12:32 how this lifting up on the cross would be God’s call or “drawing” on all people.
Jesus then said no one who wouldn’t eat His flesh or drink His blood could have eternal life. The Jewish leaders could not understand how Jesus could offer His flesh to eat. These words mean we must personally join with Jesus in His death to be part also of His resurrection. This doesn’t mean we must take communion, as some believe, to be saved – it means we must identify with Him to the point of even being killed because we stand with Him rather than with the world.
*How does Romans 3:1-19 describe us before we were saved?