John 6:22-71

Here we have a long discourse on the topic of Jesus being the bread of life. This is his first ‘ I am’ saying in v 35.

Jesus faces is the materialists who want something(v6), the legalists and the miracle seekers. He seems to go out of his way to offend and irritate them so that many fall away. Jesus’ challenge draws a confession of faith out of Simon Peter with the declaration’’ where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life. He declares that they, the twelve, know he is the Holy One of God. The crowd wants food for the stomach (materialists), but Jesus has come to give them the food (spiritual) that endures forever. When they ask ‘how do we earn this?’ (legalists), Jesus tells them it is simply by believing in him. This they are not willing to do and so astonishingly they ask for a miracle to outdo the manna in the wilderness (miracle seekers).

The drinking of blood is forbidden in Jewish law (Leviticus 17:10–14) and so the Jews are disgusted by Jesus’ teaching. However, it is clear that Jesus equates the eating and drinking of his body and blood with belief in him. Whilst we inevitably make the connection with the Last Supper and the remembrance of his death, here the metaphor is used to emphasise the need to believe to receive eternal life.

All are welcome to come to Jesus. All can have complete security in him, Jesus is the sustainer and giver of true life. All are promised eternal life by belief only, not by the law.

Response: Choose a word, phrase, idea or action that strikes you as significant at this moment in your life and spend a few minutes reflecting on it.