The Bread of Life, Part 1

John 6v25-35

13^th June 2025

Verses 1-15 of John Chapter 6 tell the story of when Jesus fed the 5,000. Verses 16-24 tell us that, that evening, His disciples took a boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee, while Jesus stayed behind to pray. That passage also says that, later that evening, Jesus walked across the sea to catch up with them. When you’re God, you can do things like that. The next morning, the crowd that Jesus had fed found some more boats and crossed the sea to look for Him.

John 6v25-26
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?"
Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill."

Amazed that Jesus had crossed the sea without a boat, the crowd wanted to understand what had happened. When did He get back to Galilee? How did He get there? Jesus didn’t answer their question. You probably find that He often doesn’t answer your questions, either. Jesus sets the agenda, not us. He had something more important to tell them. Jesus saw into their hearts. The crowd were following Jesus not because they saw something of the divine in Him, or even in the miracles He'd performed, but because they’d just had a free lunch.

We can make the same mistake, focussing on asking God to provide for our earthly needs, rather than worshipping our Creator and seeking His kingdom. It’s not wrong to ask God for our earthly needs; Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6v11) but there are more important things to focus on. Jesus also said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all [your earthly needs] will be given you as well." (Matthew 7v33). Jesus isn’t just a vending machine, doling out food, clothes, money and other stuff. He’s the King of the Universe, the Saviour of the World, the Lord of History, the eternal, perfect and glorious God.

Jesus offers us much more than lunch:

John 6v27
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

All our earthly goods will perish. All our earthly pleasures are transitory. All our earthly concerns will pass. But some things are eternal. There is "food that endures to eternal life" which Jesus promises to give us. Jesus can meet our eternal needs because God the Father has given Him approval to do so. The crowd hadn’t really understood what Jesus was saying, but He was setting them a question: Do you want more than what this earth, this earthly life, can give you? Do you want something eternal? What about you? Is there something in your heart that yearns for eternal truth, eternal love, eternal reality?

John 6v28-29
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

The dominant religious force in Israel at that time was the Pharisees, who taught the people they needed to obey the Law of Moses to earn God’s favour. Sensing that Jesus was saying something new, the crowd thought Jesus might have some different ideas about that. They asked Him what works God requires. Jesus’s answer is wonderful. He said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." To receive God’s favour, we don’t need to do anything. We need to believe in Jesus. This is the heart of the Gospel. We’re saved from sin and death not by what we do but by what we believe about Jesus.

(Of course, faith in Jesus will affect what we do, but that’s a subject for another day)

John 6v30-31
So they asked him, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

The crowd wanted a sign to convince them that Jesus was as important as He claimed. The free lunch they’d had the day before reminded them about the manna God had given their ancestors in the desert while they were travelling from Egypt to the promised land some 1,300 years before. Perhaps they were hoping for more free food.

John 6v32-33
Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.""

Jesus replied by telling them that it was God, not Moses, who’d provided the manna in the desert. Moses was their earthly leader, but God is our provider. Then He returned to His theme of food that endures to eternal life, saying that God gives us "the true bread from heaven". The true, God-given bread "comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." The crowd didn't understand what He was saying.

John 6v34
"Sir," they said, "always give us this bread."

I think the crowd thought they were being offered some sort of miracle food that wouldn’t run out. Jesus had something far more wonderful in mind. He made this wonderful statement:

John 6v35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

So many people are unsatisfied, looking for contentment, purpose, excitement, riches, fame, love. People spend their money on entertainment, home improvements, restaurants, cars, holidays, looking for something they can’t find. They get involved in politics, or animal welfare, or charity work, or fund raising, because everybody needs a cause to believe in. They might invest all their energy and hopes in their children, or a football team. All these things are good, but none of them are satisfying. As the writer of Ecclesiastes said, "All is vanity (or emptiness) and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 1v2).

There’s a reason why sportsmen and musicians are sometimes described as "heroes". There’s nothing heroic about kicking a ball or playing a guitar, but people need heroes, because they’re empty. They need someone to believe in.

No matter how many good causes you support, no matter how fast your car is, or how big your house is, or how many Facebook friends you have, or how many great meals you eat, or how much alcohol you drink, or which team you support, you’re never satisfied by them. There’s a simple reason for this. Humans were created to be in relationship with God, and without that relationship we’re always empty. We can try to stay busy, but that’s just a way to mask our emptiness.

Jesus says, "I am the bread of life". This is a remarkable and vitally important saying. He's saying that He and He alone satisfies the human need for meaning, purpose and love. He says, "He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.". He’s not talking about the sort of food you can buy in Sainsbury’s. He’s talking about spiritual hunger, emotional hunger, relational hunger. God is Father to the fatherless. He's the friend of sinners and outcasts and the lonely. And God is faithful. Jesus promises us fulfilment – fulfilment that will last for ever.