John 6 Insights

The book of John chronicles well the miracles of Jesus. But John also takes his writing a step further and focuses in on the metaphors of Christ. As you read through John, you will notice terms like "born again" and "living water." In John 6 we will know Jesus as "the Bread of Life."

John 6 opens with the feeding of the five thousand. This miracle parallels the Old Testament when God provided manna for the Israelites in the desert. The masses of people loved Him as He fed them with all they desired--and with twelve baskets full of leftovers! They exclaimed, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" (v. 14) God can and will provide food for hungry people, but even greater than that is the true food that feeds our souls for eternity.

The disciples alone witness Jesus walking on the water in the evening after the crowds were fed. But the multitudes were intrigued by the Lord and wanted to know how He got across the sea when He had taken no boat. Jesus soberly redirects the conversation in verses 26 and 27 when He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 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..." The people ask Him how to do the works of God. Jesus says to "believe on the One who was sent"... The people ask for signs and works from Him so they can believe, mentioning the manna that their forefathers ate in the wilderness. Keep in mind they were just miraculously fed the day before from two fish and five loaves! I sometimes wonder if they were just hungry again and wanted Jesus to produce more bread.

The text that follows is powerful. Jesus Christ gives account of God the Father providing true bread from heaven that gives life to the world. The people ask for this bread, but they still are hard of heart. They cannot hear the message that Christ is revealing to them because they are focused on fleshly comforts. Jesus speaks to the heart. Verse 48-51, "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die...And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." In verse 56, He expresses that those that eat and drink His body and blood abide in Him. Abiding means living as a part of something else. As the vine and branches abide in one another.

But remember what all this is about: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."(v.63) As Jesus teaches His followers about the true food and true drink that His body and blood provides, He is foreshadowing His death on the cross, that the sins of those who believe would be forgiven, and they would receive eternal life. Furthermore, Jesus knew that some would not believe as He stressed, "...no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." Many disciples turned back at this point, a far cry from the response Jesus received at the beginning of the chapter when He met physical needs.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)

Thoughts

I shared my heart today with my girls, my eighth grade Sunday school girls, as I do every time I teach. It is hard to know how much they get from it. I know I teach way above their heads sometimes, but I am only there out of obedience to what the Lord would have me do. I am, in a sense, there as John the Baptist for them. To prepare the way for the Lord. And I deliver the Word to them, and sometimes we have some fun. But mostly, I am just nervously sweating and losing my place and finding my place(!) and sharing theology. Things like "justification" and "substitutionary atonement." Things I wish I'd learned in Sunday school. We have been working on memorizing John 1:1-18 for a year and a half! (I'm not sure they're doing their homework.) And we are going to try out a mother-daughter book study this fall. I feel blessed to be a part of all of it.

This morning, I shared briefly how the things that define me now are much different than the desires I had when I was young. I never thought of marriage or children as a very good plan for my future. I was selfish and simple. But God worked on me with a chisel. He blessed me with an amazing husband and four adorable children. And as He sanctified me, He also saved me and then blessed me some more. I consider David and John Armour to be an Ebenezer to me--marking the place in my life where I can look back and see how far He's brought me never to return. They came to me as a covenant, marking the transformation of my heart.

I didn't tell the girls all of this, but I did tell them that I would never have chosen to stand in front of them to teach. Never in a million years! Teach middle school girls? Ack! But I am facing my fears and loving the opportunity to serve my Savior in obedience to his great commission.

JA is 6 months!

And such a cutie, too.