The Bread of Life (Part 1 of 5)

• Whenever Jesus taught, crowds gathered. But not everyone in the crowd was there for the right reasons. Some sought the promised messiah. Others were looking for a political king. Some just wanted to witness a miracle or get a free meal. Today on Truth for Life, Aleister Beg looks at how our questions often reveal our hearts and whether or not we really understand who Jesus is.
• [Music] Well, we turn to the Gospel of John to chapter 6 for our reading beginning at the 22nd verse. And here in the scriptures, we are able to see Jesus as he has been revealed to us. And having fed the 5000 and walked out to his disciples on the water, John tells us about what was happening on the following day.
• 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. Other boats from Tiberius came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
• 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. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
• 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. Then they said to him, “What must we do to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the mana in the wilderness.
• As it is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
• They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Amen. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name through Christ our Lord. Amen.
• Well, verse 22 is our starting point. On the next day, uh the crowd that had on the previous day seen in Jesus possibilities for more food and for perhaps a kingly ruler that would liberate them had entirely missed uh their own personal need of salvation. They had seen the sign but they had not understood its significance.
• And at the end of verse 15, we learn that Jesus seeing that they had an agenda which was not his agenda decided to withdraw from them and go to the mountain by himself. Now we then the readers know about what happened that evening. the crowd themselves are not a are not aware of it.