John 6:41-51: a reflection

41The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.” 42They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learned, comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. 50This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

When the crowd murmurs at Jesus for saying he came down from heaven, he presses the claim further and deeper: he is the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven, and whoever eats of this bread will live forever. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven, Jesus says. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died; but this bread is different: whoever eats of it will not die, but live forever. Jesus offers himself as the true bread, the bread of life, that gives not merely sustenance for a day but eternal life to all who come to him and believe. This shows Christ as the living bread of life, giving eternal life to those who come to him. Christ is the bread of life; whoever comes to him will live forever. Come to Christ, the living bread, and receive eternal life. Unlike the manna, this bread gives life that never ends. Feed on Christ by faith, and live forever.

Notice the claim Jesus makes and the promise he gives. He is the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven. And he contrasts himself with the manna their fathers ate in the wilderness: they ate that bread, and they died; it sustained them for a time, but could not give lasting life. But this bread, Jesus himself, is different: whoever eats of it will not die but live forever. He offers himself as the true bread that gives eternal life, and he gives this bread, his own flesh, for the life of the world. To eat this bread is to come to him, to believe in him, to feed on him by faith; and to all who do, he gives life that never ends. This is the heart of the gospel offered here. We hunger, at the deepest level, for life, for lasting life, for something that can satisfy the soul and not leave us to die. And Jesus offers himself as the bread that satisfies this hunger and gives eternal life: come to me, feed on me by faith, and you will live forever. He is not merely bread for a day, but the bread of life, giving life that death cannot end. We do well to come to Christ, the living bread, feeding on him by faith, that we may have the eternal life he gives. Come to Christ, the living bread, and receive the eternal life he gives. Feed on Christ by faith, who gives life that never ends. Christ is the bread that satisfies the soul's hunger for lasting life. Do not feed only on what perishes; come to the bread of life.

That is worth taking to heart, for Christ is the living bread of life, and whoever comes to him and feeds on him by faith will live forever, as Jesus offered himself as the bread come down from heaven. We can feed on what perishes, on what sustains only for a time and cannot give lasting life; but Jesus offers himself as the living bread, promising that whoever eats of it will live forever. Christ gives life that never ends. Do not feed only on what perishes; come to Christ, the living bread, feeding on him by faith, and receive the eternal life he gives. Come to Christ, the living bread of life, feeding on him by faith to receive the eternal life he gives, as when the crowd murmured at Jesus for saying he came down from heaven he pressed the claim deeper, saying he is the living bread come down from heaven and that whoever eats of this bread will live forever, contrasting himself with the manna their fathers ate in the wilderness and died; for that bread sustained them for a time but could not give lasting life, while this bread, Jesus himself, is different, since whoever eats of it will not die but live forever, and he gives this bread, his own flesh, for the life of the world, so that to eat this bread is to come to him, believe in him, and feed on him by faith, and to all who do he gives life that never ends, which is the heart of the gospel offered here, since we hunger at the deepest level for lasting life, for something that can satisfy the soul and not leave us to die, and Jesus offers himself as the bread that satisfies this hunger and gives eternal life, come to me and feed on me by faith and you will live forever, for he is not merely bread for a day but the bread of life giving life that death cannot end, so that we do well to come to Christ, the living bread, feeding on him by faith.

Lord Jesus, when the crowd murmurs at you for saying you came down from heaven, you press the claim further and deeper: you are the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven, and whoever eats of this bread will live forever. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven, you say. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Their fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died; but this bread is different: whoever eats of it will not die, but live forever. You offer yourself as the true bread, the bread of life, that gives not merely sustenance for a day but eternal life to all who come to you and believe. Show me the claim you make and the promise you give. You are the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven. And you contrast yourself with the manna their fathers ate: they ate that bread, and they died; it sustained them for a time, but could not give lasting life. But this bread, you yourself, is different: whoever eats of it will not die but live forever. You offer yourself as the true bread that gives eternal life, and you give this bread, your own flesh, for the life of the world. To eat this bread is to come to you, to believe in you, to feed on you by faith; and to all who do, you give life that never ends. This is the heart of the gospel. I hunger, at the deepest level, for life, for lasting life, for something that can satisfy the soul. And you offer yourself as the bread that satisfies this hunger and gives eternal life: come to me, feed on me by faith, and you will live forever. Take that to my heart, for you are the living bread, and whoever feeds on you by faith will live forever. Keep me from feeding only on what perishes; help me come to you, Lord, the living bread of life, feeding on you by faith, that I may have the eternal life you give, life that death cannot end.