READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l We are all spiritually hungry, with a deep longing for identity, purpose and significance. The word of God addresses such a hunger. Jesus speaks of never being hungry– because He was referring to the spiritual food He gives. He declared to the crowds, following Him, that “I am the bread of life, those who come to me will never hunger and never thirst”.
Three discipleship lessons:
Follow Christ for who He is, not just what He gives
Jesus knew of the crowd’s materialistic intentions. Jesus said, you were looking for me not because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had your fill. The crowd wanted more bread and tangible blessings (v26). But Jesus told them not to work for food that spoils, but food that endures to eternal life (v27). The crowd wanted to know the way to this bread of life (v28). They also wanted proof that Jesus was the Messiah (v30).
Do we believe and follow Christ to get blessings? Do we also expect him to do something for us and show signs that He is God? Who is Christ to me, when I don’t get my “bread”, when I don’t see the “signs”?
Jesus said “I am the bread of Life” (v35). This means the bread that gives life is a person. It is not a blessing, a sign or a way to get eternal life. If we want this bread of life, we must have a relationship with this person. We simply can’t come to Jesus to get something out of Him. While we all hope that God gives us a good life, peace, success and accomplishments, that isn’t the bread of life. When we grow to love and discover the heart of Jesus, even when we don’t get what we want, we still trust the heart of Jesus. Let us ask the spirit to search our hearts on our relationship with Jesus, and why we follow Him.
Satisfy your hunger with Christ
Jesus uses the metaphor of bread — a staple that is accessible and filling. Jesus was implying that He is the most important part of our spiritual life. We live in a consumeristic society seeking satisfaction, yet our hungers are many and fulfilments few. We search for satisfaction through our purpose, significance, redemption and identity. These reflect a spiritual hunger deep within and a longing to be fulfilled.
We search for fulfilment through work and pleasure, but it is never enough. The things that promise satisfaction, at some point, cannot deliver. Each of us has a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that can only be filled with God through Christ (Blaise Pascal) Our hearts are restless until it rests in God (St Augustine).
We can only be truly satisfied with the rest that comes from Christ and eternal life (v40, 47). Eternal life is not just the quantity of life after death. It is a quality of life, where we know Christ as our bread of life (Jn 17:3). Eternal life will be in fullness when Christ returns, but it starts now, and not only when we die. God, through His son, gives us the satisfaction we need. The resurrection hope keeps us going, even in our present times. Jesus will raise up all that God has given him on the last day. A living relationship with God and His love for us every day, satisfies our need for identity and significance (Psalm 90:14). We can be rested in hope despite the pain, suffering, evil and injustice in the world today. We all want the satisfaction that only the bread of life can give. Yet, we feed on many other things except the bread of life! Are we trying to satisfy our hunger with the wrong things? (Isaiah 55:2) Only God can feed and truly satisfy us.
Committed dependence on the Cross
We feed on the bread of life through a committed dependence on the cross (v51-56). Jesus died on the cross, so that we may have life. We need to trust and accept what Jesus had done through the cross — as if our lives depend on it. Jesus became broken bread that we may have life. In His brokenness, Jesus invites us to also take up our cross, be broken, and die to our sin every day. Unless a kernel of wheat falls and dies, it produces no life. This is how we receive the bread of life. Trust and obey for there is no other way to be truly satisfied and happy in Jesus. Often times, we want the crown and not the cross. But we will not get to the crown unless we go through the cross.
Is Christ our bread of life today? Let us bring our hunger to the Lord and allow His love, grace and joy to satisfy our soul. Will we eat what truly satisfies, so that spiritually we may never hunger?
(Sermon notes by Denis Koh)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Why were some of the reasons the crowd followed Jesus in John Chapter 6?
- What are your views on some of the reasons why people follow Jesus today?
- If the Bread of Life is a person, what would that mean for us to know and experience Jesus as the Bread of Life?
- Why did Jesus use the metaphor of bread? What are the spiritual hungers you have? Do you wrestle with the search for fulfilment and satisfaction?
- Why is eternal life the satisfaction that only Jesus can give? How does that satisfy?
- Jesus calls the disciples to eat of his flesh and drink his blood (v 53, 56). What could this mean?
- Why is the way of the cross central to our feeding on the Bread of life?
- Pray for each other to always turn to the way of the cross as we rest in Christ for true satisfaction.
