Bible Studies
John 6:51-58 – Our Response
Key Verses:
- 51: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” - To eat of this bread it means that we are to unite our selves with Christ, believing in His death as a sacrifice for our sins and in His resurrection as a promise for eternal life. In response we are to devote our lives to live as He would have us live.
- 52: “The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” – Again, John is referring to the Pharisees and scribes in attendance that filtered everything through a rigid and narrow set of rules and guidelines. Their response indicates that they were, again, guilty of being too literal and unable to grasp the broader concepts of Jesus’ parables.
- 56: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” – A literal analysis would probably lead the Pharisees only to the horrific conclusion that Jesus is suggesting cannibalism as a method of worshipping God?
- 58: “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” – The bread that God provided the Israelites in the desert met their earthly needs. The bread now provided by God through Jesus Christ meets our spiritual needs.
- What are your thoughts about John’s descriptive writing style? Is it sometimes difficult to extract his meaning and purpose? Is it too uncomfortable or edgy for you? Do you recognize that his purpose in writing the gospel is more about opening our hearts and minds to the divinity of Christ than it is to relate specific historical aspects of Jesus’ life? This gospel was written fifty or sixty years after the Crucifixion and was intended to provide the early Christian church clarity and resolve. Does John’s personal witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ help you to clarify how the miracle of eternal life is available to all who believe? How the “Living-Christ” is living within you, drawing you close to God, and transforming you into a fully devoted follower of Christ?
- What are your thoughts about Communion? In what ways are you affected by it? Do you consider it to be a ritual, where, in many cases, you simply find yourself going through the motions? Does it cause you to reflect on that last night Jesus had with His closest friends? Does it remind you of the supreme sacrifice that He has made for you in order to wash away your sins? Is it a symbol filled with imagery that causes you to pause and consider the possibilities? Or is it miracle where every day elements like bread and juice are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ, commingling with your body and blood; transforming you and connecting you with the One body of Christ?
- If what John says is true, if Jesus is “the bread that came down from heaven,” what is your response? How does this truth affect your life? Does it provide you with a new sense of purpose? Why would God provide this gift, why would He worry about your salvation, if He did not have a reason and a plan? Do you think you have been brought into the world for your own pleasures and purposes or for God’s? Shouldn’t God’s purpose for your life be your top priority and concern? What can you do to live your life differently in response to His love that abides within you? Can you turn your entire life over to Him and allow Him to work His miracles in you and through you?
God’s love is revealed to us through the life of Jesus who He sent as a living sacrifice for our sins. Our lessons in John for the past four weeks are calling us to pause and reflect on the magnificence of that gift. The gift, in and of itself, becomes meaningless unless we respond. When we accept and believe in Jesus Christ as our sovereign Lord, when we allow Him into our lives, when we respond to His guidance, we are transformed by His love. This transformation is not an illusive or meaningless change. Christ becomes enmeshed into our entire being, His body with our body and His Spirit with our spirit, in order that God’s purpose for our lives can be fulfilled. In this case, the Promise of the Gospel depends on our response. The promise is there, on the table, ready for us to partake. Will you eat of the “Living Bread” and allow His enduring love to provide you the sustenance that you need for eternity?
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