When Jesus calls himself the "bread of life" in John 6, he is not offering an easier life with endless free food. He is offering something far greater: eternal life that comes through trusting him as the one sent from the Father. This episode walks through the feeding of the five thousand, the walking on water, and the long conversation that follows to show how a miracle can attract a crowd yet still leave hearts unchanged.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- Why John links the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on water, and how both miracles set up the “bread of life” conversation.
- How the crowd reacts to being miraculously fed and why their desire to make Jesus king reveals a shallow understanding of what the Messiah came to do.
- What Jesus means when he warns them not to work for “food that perishes” but for the food that endures to eternal life.
- How the manna in the wilderness prepares us to understand Jesus as the true bread from heaven and why this comparison matters.
- Jesus’ startling claim that the real “work of God” is to believe in the one he has sent, and why that sounds simple but is actually very costly.
- What Jesus means when he says, “I am the bread of life,” and how his flesh and blood become the source of eternal life through his death on the cross.
- Why many of his disciples walk away when his teaching becomes hard, and what this reveals about the difference between seeking Jesus and seeking an easier life.
- Peter’s powerful confession, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” and how it models a faith that clings to Jesus even with unanswered questions.
By the end of this episode, you will see more clearly what Jesus is really offering when he calls himself the bread of life. You will be better able to recognize when you are seeking Jesus mainly for earthly comforts, and you will be encouraged to come to him instead as the one who alone can satisfy your deepest hunger and secure your life with God forever.
Series: Gospel of John: Believe and Find Life
Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity is available now wherever books are sold.
Support the show
