Lesson 2: John 6:35 “I Am the Bread of Life”

 Context is key when a person is trying to delve deeply into a topic of study. Whether it is literature, ethics, medicine, or Bible study, a person must know what is happening in and around that area of study in order to deeply—and correctly—understand it. Jesus’ words in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life” cannot be properly understood apart from reading the verses that come both before AND after his statement. The greater pericope that Jesus’ claim as “I am” falls in is John 6:1-59.

As a group, open your bibles to John 6 and read aloud 6:1-59. After reading the passage take time to reflect on the questions below.

1. Look at John 6:1-15. What miracle has just taken place? It is worth noting that this is the only miracle, apart from the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead, that is recorded in all four gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. How many baskets of leftovers were collected? Do you think there is any significance to this number? Why do you think Jesus withdrew to the mountain by himself  (verse 15) after performing this miracle?

2. Read John 6:16-21. What is the significance of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee? Is there a connection between multiplying bread and fish and being able to walk on water? If so, what is it? [Hint—think creation and nature]

3. Read John 6:22-34. Jesus’ words in these sentences are rooted in the Old Testament experience of the people of Israel as they escaped their bondage to slavery in Egypt and were being led by Moses to the Promised Land. To better understand the context into what Jesus was teaching read Exodus 16:1-21 together as a group.

Escape from Slavery in Egypt

The Israelites had just escaped from slavery and suffering in Egypt. They weren't focusing on their freedom—and giving thanks to God for that newfound freedom. Instead, they were complaining about being hungry. Apparently, they could trust God enough to walk through the sea and to provide water from a rock, but were not convinced God would continue to provide for their daily needs.

In verse 31-32 Jesus dispels any illusion for the people as to where the manna came from. It was common for them to claim that Moses gave them bread in the wilderness through his intercession with God on their behalf. Jesus shares that the manna was bread from heaven, but not the TRUE bread. This TRUE bread “is the bread of God which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

This bread is from God. It originates with God, and is connected with Jesus in a special fashion. It is God’s bread. Verse 33’s “that which” might be better understood as “he who.” The hearers present do not understand Jesus’ words correctly, and ask for that TRUE bread now. Note that Jesus does not speak of this bread as “sent” (like the manna) but as coming down. It has life, and it gives life. Note that all of the verbs in this passage are present tense, which denotes a continuing action, and “the world” not “the Jews” is the scope of the action.

Manna from Heaven

5. Read John 6:35. We have just encountered our first “I am” statement in John. In this beautiful, poetic, magisterial statement, Jesus removes any misconception that the TRUE bread can be produced as when he multiplied the loaves earlier in this chapter. The bread of which he speaks is not something, like manna, that the people can pick up and eat. It is nothing less than himself. Jesus’ use of “I am” here has strong overtones of divinity—remember back to the lesson from Exodus 3. Who did God tell Moses he was?

“The bread of life” is another way of linking life in the closest fashion with Jesus. He Himself is the food, the sustenance that nourishes spiritual life. It is only from this bread that people really obtain life. Jesus’ “I am” statement here is more than a divine truth claiming. It is an invitation.

6. Read John 6:36-40. How do people come to Jesus to receive the TRUE bread? Who instigates this process (verse 37)? Whose will is Jesus living into (verses 38-40)? What is the ultimate will of the Father (verse 40)? When reading that the Father draws us to the Son, is this a comfort to you?

7. Read John 6:41-46. There is a lot of dialogue happening in this passage. Why do many of those present reject Jesus’ teaching (verse 41-42)? Jesus tells them that he doesn’t draw them to himself. Who does he say brings people to the bread of life (verse 44-45)?  Do people come of their own will, or God’s calling?

8. Read John 6:47-59. Jesus’ teaching takes on a spiritual tone as he directs the people away from thinking of TRUE bread as “physical bread.” After all, people ate the manna in the wilderness and still physically died. In verse 51 Jesus makes an astounding claim that whoever eats his bread will live forever! How is that possible? What bread would he “Give for the life of the world?” He further develops this thought in the remaining verses when he tells the people to eat his body and drink his blood—which are certainly lead-ins for a conversation about the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, but that is not the topic for today!

Thinking it Through…

Put the puzzle pieces of this passage together: How does the feeding of the 5,000, the walking on water, and the incredible claim of his statement, “I am the bread of life” all fit together? What is the significance of his “I am” claim in the midst of the miracles described and his teaching that follows concerning eternal life? Does this make sense to you? Could the God who sent Moses back to Egypt to free his people from bondage, sustain them in the desert for forty years on manna and quail, really be the same “I am” who gives fully of himself as TRUE bread to bring eternal life to his people? Who is Jesus claiming to be through his “I am” statement?