The Bread of Life
30 Days in John - day 7
Another of the “signs” becomes the focal point of John chapter six—the feeding of the 5,000. In John’s Gospel, signs are never ends in themselves; they are meant to reveal who Jesus is and force a response. The telling of the sign miracle itself only takes up the first fourteen verses, but the rest of the chapter is anchored in that miracle.
Philip is not one of the most prominent voices in the Gospels, yet Jesus engages him personally and directly. We are told that Jesus asks Philip where they are going to buy bread to feed the people. John adds that Jesus did this to test him. These are small reminders that Jesus’ concern goes beyond the big players, the Peter’s and Paul’s, to the lesser known of His disciples. They aren’t just standing on the periphery of the kingdom getting to listen in on lessons to others. Jesus speaks directly to them for their good. Most of us fit in Philip’s category - faithful, present, but often unsure what to do when Jesus places an impossible question in front of us.
From Philip, the consequences of this sign ripple outward. First to Andrew who had noticed a boy who brought his lunch with him. Then to that boy, the rest of the disciples, the crowd, and the Jewish leaders.
The faith of the disciples was being refined. The crowds reacted with understandable misunderstanding. They wanted to make Jesus a king. Who wouldn’t want a king who could provide bread in the wilderness? But they missed what Jesus was actually showing them; that He Himself is the Bread of Life. The leaders were agitated. How could this man whose father and mother they knew say He came down from heaven and is the Bread of Life?
Jesus expounded on the idea that He is the Bread of Life with claims about feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood. Jesus was not speaking crudely or literally, but spiritually. He was calling people to receive Him wholly by faith. Still, as a result, not only were the Jewish leaders grumbling, those who had been associated with Him as followers were offended. For many that was too much. Jesus had gone too far and they would go no further with Him.
This, then, became a testing moment even for Jesus’ core group of disciples, the twelve. Jesus opened the exit door and invited them to leave as well. The miracle that once drew crowds now becomes the moment that drives many away.
Peter, speaking for the group, then made one of his great confessions:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68–69)
We sometimes think that if Jesus would just do X, Y, or Z then people we know would believe. As we see from the sign of the bread, that isn’t how belief works. Yes, the workings of God, the signs He gives, can prompt faith. Strangely enough, they can also produce misunderstanding, anger, and unbelief.
How do we explain and understand this?
Jesus shows the way:
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life, but there are some of you who do not believe...This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:63-65)
Signs can awaken interest, but they cannot create life. Only the Spirit can do that. So don’t put your confidence in spectacle, arguments, or outcomes you can measure. Trust the life-giving work of the Spirit, and faithfully speak the words of Christ, which are spirit and life.