John 6:46-49

46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 

47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 

48 I am the bread of life. 

49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

Have You Had Your “Bread” Today?

Jesus continues talking with these people to whom He fed the bread and fish the day before. In the previous verses, He basically told these Jews that they did not have a relationship with God. God had not drawn them to Himself. They were not “taught of God” and had not “heard and learned” from God. Don’t you know this was shocking to these people who thought they were God’s only chosen people? Jesus was God in the flesh, so He was speaking the Words of God. He was God, and they refused to listen and learn from Him. How many people today think they are in a relationship with God, but haven’t truly been taught by God through His word?

In verse 46, Jesus makes it clear again that no one has seen God, except He who is from God. Jesus is the only one who has ever seen God. Humans can hear and learn from God through His Word, but no one has ever been able to see the full glory of God, except Jesus. 

In verse 47-48, Jesus comes back to His main point of this whole scenario…..the miracle with the loaves and fish, and the aftermath…..the conversation with these same people that He fed. He says, paraphrasing, “You will absolutely, 100% for sure, have eternal life if you believe in ME.” He again compares Himself to the bread that He had miraculously fed them the day before. He says, “I am the Bread of Life.” Food is energy for our physical bodies. Jesus gave the people energy (food) to sustain their physical bodies for a short time. But Jesus is trying to get them to understand that He can provide them with spiritual energy that will last an eternity…..spiritual food that will keep them full and satisfied spiritually forever. The spiritual energy that Jesus provides us, gives us the strength to live out His purpose for us in this physical life, as we endure the trials, temptations, and turmoil that we may go through while here. His energy sustains us spiritually to get us through this life. That spiritual energy will then transform us on that last day, and stay with us as we pass on into an eternity with Him. Isn’t that a beautiful thought?

Then, in verse 49, He again makes a comparison to the manna from the old testament. “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” God provided manna to the Israelites to sustain their physical bodies during the 40 years that they were wandering in the wilderness. Those people died in the wilderness after eating the manna that God had provided them all those years. Why did they die? Because of their unbelief in God’s power and promises. How do we know they didn’t truly believe in God’s power and promises? Because, they did not trust God to keep His Word, and bring them into the promised land of Canaan. How do we know they didn’t trust Him? Because of their continuous grumbling and complaining against Him. Just listen to Hebrews 3:16-19, “For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Why could they not enter? Unbelief!

I have always wondered…..after all they had seen God do for them already, why couldn’t they trust Him? That is hard for me to understand. God continued to show grace to them in the wilderness, and provide them with physical food, but they died in the wilderness, never getting to experience or even see the promised land of Canaan. These people whom Jesus was speaking with in this chapter are in the same boat as their fathers. They were miraculously fed physical food to sustain them by Jesus. They also saw Him heal the sick. Yet, they still grumbled and complained against everything Jesus tried to teach them. They are following the pattern of their fathers before them. And they would not experience the spiritual promised land…..heaven, if they didn’t change their hearts. It was a heart problem. We can have heart problems today if we aren’t careful to keep God first in our lives, and trust Him to take care of us no matter what happens in this life. Complaining is something that I have to continually fight against. It is habitual, and can cause me to become negative. Ultimately, it will hurt my relationship with God if it goes unchecked. We are all human, and we all complain sometimes. It is when our complaining leads to a negative spirit that hurts our relationship with Jesus, and stifles our effectiveness in saving the lost. The lost need to see that we are satisfied and content just belonging to Jesus. Why would a lost person want to be a Christian if we appear to be miserable?

I noticed that Jesus repeated Himself in these verses. He had said these things before to these people…..”no one has seen the Father, except He who is from God”, ”he who believes in Me has everlasting life”, and “I am the bread of life”. Why is Jesus repeating Himself? Because Jesus is the master teacher, and teachers repeat the  information that is most relevant so the students will sit up and take notice of those things. 

Just as a side note, when I think of repeated statements, I think of Galatians 1:8-9, when Paul said, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Wow! Paul’s repeating of the words, “let him be accursed” makes an impact doesn’t it! He said it twice…..back to back! How can you miss the impact?

As a teacher myself, I want the important stuff to sink in with my students so they will remember it. These people needed these truths repeated over and over so they would hopefully sink in. Did they sink in? I’m sure it did with some of them, and with some it didn’t. Just like today…..some get it immediately, some don’t get it immediately but eventually do, and sadly, some never get it. How about us? We get it, right? But don’t we still need repetition? We need the truth of God’s Word repetitively to keep our minds renewed daily. We are to be living sacrifices, transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-2) This is not a “one and done” thing. We will become spiritually stale, and eventually we will die spiritually without God’s Word continually renewing our minds. I encourage you to find a way…..form the habit…..make the time to get into God’s Word every day. Some days are more hectic than others. Believe me, I get it. But…..there is always time to let God speak to you through His Word, and for you to speak to God in prayer. Our lives are empty with Him. Our day is empty without Him. It doesn’t matter if we have 5 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour, two hours, or more. It is different every day for me, depending on the day. But, regardless of how busy my day is, I need my “Bread” every day, and you do too…..whether you realize it or not. Have you had your “Bread” today?

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)