Though Shall Not Be Hungry

John 6:35

New Living Translation

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Jesus spoke “i am the bread of life.”Whoever comes to me shall not be hungry ever. Whoever believes in me will not perish in hunger and thirst but will prosper

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.Mar 1, 2018

QUESTION

What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35)?

ANSWER

“I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35) is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.

John 6:35 says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”



Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt. Finally, when the Jews were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God rained down “bread from heaven” to sustain the nation (Exodus 16:4).

All of this plays into the scene being described in John 6 when Jesus used the term “bread of life.” He was trying to get away from the crowds to no avail. He had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd followed Him. After some time, Jesus inquires of Philip how they’re going to feed the crowd. Philip’s answer displays his “little faith” when he says they don’t have enough money to give each of them the smallest morsel of food. Finally, Andrew brings to Jesus a boy who had five small loaves of bread and two fish. With that amount, Jesus miraculously fed the throng with lots of food to spare.

Afterward, Jesus and His disciples cross back to the other side of Galilee. When the crowd sees that Jesus has left, they follow Him again. Jesus takes this moment to teach them a lesson. He accuses the crowd of ignoring His miraculous signs and only following Him for the “free meal.” Jesus tells them in John 6:27, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” In other words, they were so enthralled with the food, they were missing out on the fact that their Messiah had come. So the Jews ask Jesus for a sign that He was sent from God (as if the miraculous feeding and the walking across the water weren’t enough). They tell Jesus that God gave them manna during the desert wandering. Jesus responds by telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives life. When they ask Jesus for this bread, Jesus startles them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is a phenomenal statement! First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life. Jesus is trying to get the Jews’ thinking off of the physical realm and into the spiritual realm. He is contrasting what He brings as their Messiah with the bread He miraculously created the day before. That was physical bread that perishes. He is spiritual bread that brings eternal life.

Third, and very important, Jesus is making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “aseity”), which is an attribute only God possesses. It is also a phrase the Jews who were listening would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.

Fourth, notice the words “come” and “believe.” This is an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This invitation to come is found throughout John’s Gospel. Coming to Jesus involves making a choice to forsake the world and follow Him. Believing in Jesus means placing our faith in Him that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and that He is the only one who can.

Fifth, there are the words “hunger and thirst.” Again, it must be noted that Jesus isn’t talking about alleviating physical hunger and thirst. The key is found in another statement Jesus made, back in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When Jesus says those who come to Him will never hunger and those who believe in Him will never thirst, He is saying He will satisfy our hunger and thirst to be made righteous in the sight of God.

If there is anything the history of human religion tells us, it is that people seek to earn their way to heaven. This is such a basic human desire because God created us with eternity in mind. The Bible says God has placed [the desire for] eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Bible also tells us that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23) and the only thing our sin earns us is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one who is righteous in himself (Romans 3:10). Our dilemma is we have a desire we cannot fulfill, no matter what we do. That is where Jesus comes in. He, and He alone, can fulfill that desire in our hearts for righteousness through the Divine Transaction: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life.

What Does John 6:35 Mean? ►

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

John 6:35(NASB)

Verse of the Day

During his earthly ministry, Christ taught the multitudes that He was the promised Messiah. He authenticated His claims through many signs and wonders, such as the feeding of the 5000. The supply of bread and fish satisfied the crowd’s physical hunger and excited their carnal cravings, but they neglected to understand the deeper meaning of this miracle of Jesus.

Knowing that the Lord had crossed to the other side of the Galilee caused the people to pursue after Him, in the hopes that they would get more free food! But Jesus knew that they were following Him for the wrong reason. They were not seeking Him because they understood the sign, but because they ate of the loaves and were filled. They were not following Him because their soul was hungry for forgiveness, but to satisfy their physical appetite.

Jesus warned them not to work for the bodily food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life… which He alone could give them… He was the One on Whom the Father set His seal. It was not being fed on bread and fish that these lost souls needed, but feeding on the Bread of Life from heaven – feeding on Christ, the Son of Man, in Whom is life eternal. 

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It must have saddened His heart when Jesus saw their proud, unbelieving attitude, especially when they asked Him to show them a sign that He was the Messiah as He claimed. They argued that their forefathers had eaten heavenly manna for 40 years, so by comparison Jesus had only done one paltry little miracle with earthly food, not daily manna from heaven!

They wanted Jesus to carry out a similar spectacle to Moses, as proof of His Messianic claims.”Give us this bread from heaven,” they demanded. “Give us that manna from above.” They clamoured for physical food but refused to acknowledge the astonishing truth He revealed to them. “I Am the Bread of Life,” He said. “I am the Bread that you are seeking. He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” Jesus offered Himself to the people of Israel, but they turned Him down.

Jesus announced the most earth-shattering truth to these people and they misunderstood, through unbelief. He did not say he HAD the bread of life but He WAS the Bread of Life. In Him was eternal life and the one who comes to Him will never hunger nor thirst. Christ could satisfy their spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst because He is the Living Water and the Bread of Life from heaven… and these people missed it.

This was the first of seven claims Jesus made about being the Bread of Life from heaven. He told them that He is not only the Giver but the Sustainer of our lives. He becomes our living nourishment, day by day, strengthening and sustaining us, in and through His everlasting, life-giving power. Not only does Christ give us each day our daily bread, but He also imparts to us His life-giving Spirit, which is life everlasting.

This was the first of seven titles that Christ used about Himself that started with the sentence, “I AM..” I AM the Bread of Life which will satisfy and sustain you through time and into eternity. I AM the Light of the World to dispel the darkness of sin and death. I AM the Gate – the Entrance Door into security and means of fellowship with almighty God. I AM the Good Shepherd, to lead and guide, to feed and protect.

The Lord Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He is the True Vine without Whom we can do nothing. Jesus is the centre and circumference of life. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Genesis and Revelation, the Source and Conclusion, and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

All are invited to feast at the banqueting table… to feed on Christ our Living Bread, Who came down from heaven from the Father of mercies. And all who feast upon the Lord are promised the eternal benefits of this life-sustaining heavenly Manna – that true Bread Who satisfies the hungry heart with all good things.

Every word uttered by our dear Lord Jesus is spirit and life to all who come to Him as Saviour. All those who feed on Christ will live forever, for Jesus said to those who followed Him, “truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

May we daily feed on the Bread of Life, by faith with thanksgiving as we journey through life, for He alone is our life-sustainer for in Him are the words of eternal life.

My Prayer

Loving Father, Your Word is food for my soul and refreshment for my hungry heart. Thank You for sending Your precious Son into the world to be the Bread that came down from heaven to feed our hungry soul and give life to those that are dead in their sin. Thank You for the Person and work of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Keep me from carnal desires, establish my heart, and strengthen me with His Life, day by day. In His name I pray, AMEN.

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/john-6-35