Anchor My Faith

Two Kinds of Bread

Scripture: John 6:22-29

We pick up the narrative on the day following the feeding of the five thousand men plus women and children. ^{Jn 6:22} “On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. ²³ Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”’ Knowing that the disciples had started out for Capernaum they went there but learned that Jesus was at Gennesaret and went there and when they did they asked him when he got there.

^{Jn 6:26} “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”’ By the response Jesus gives, it is clear he didn’t want to focus on when or how he got there, but on a topic of greater importance that was related to the feeding of the crowds the day before. Jesus points out that they have the wrong focus and that it is important that they adjust their focus. The people were seeking Jesus only for the physical or material benefits that he gave, instead they should be seeking him because of the signs that identify who he really is. His miracle fed approximately 20,000 people, but that miracle also pointed to his divine nature as someone who had more to offer than bread and fish to eat.

Jesus then comes right to the point and said, ^{Jn 6:27} “Do not work 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.” Jesus then describes two kinds of food; food that perishes and food that endures to eternal life. When Jesus fed them by multiplying bread and fish, he provided food that would perish, but he says that he has another food for them that does not perish but endures to eternal life. If they continue to eat food that perishes then one day they will also perish, but if they eat the food that he provides that endures to eternal life they will continue to live after their bodies die.

Verse 26 began with “Truly, truly” and verse 27 ends with “For on him God the Father has set his seal.” The “truly, truly” speaks of importance, so listen up and understand what is being said. The seal speaks of ownership and in that day the one in authority would press his seal into something soft on the thing being authenticated. The Father placing his seal on Jesus validates that Jesus was sent by him with a mission to accomplish. A part of that mission was to explain the bread that endures to eternal life and how to obtain it.

The people picked up on the work for the food that endures to eternal life and ^{Jn 6:28} “they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”’ The people work or labor to obtain the physical food that perishes and so they conclude there must be some form of labor or work they must do to obtain the food that endures to eternal life.

Jesus then tries to clear up their misunderstanding.  ^{Jn 6:29} “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”’ Their work is to believe in Jesus whom was sent by the Father and when they do, God works and provides the food that endures to eternal life. This is like Jesus telling Nicodemus that he must be born again through belief and now that same belief provides the bread that gives eternal life of being born again.

Conclusion

Jesus has just opened a very important topic in which he will claim to be the bread of life and he who eats that bread will obtain eternal life. The lessons that will cover this will be challenging and will cover things many Christians have not thought about or understand.