Here in this Bible passage from the gospel of John (John 6:35-40), Jesus teaches how important it is to come to Him and to believe in Him. Let’s look at this story carefully to see what it teaches us and how we should respond.

John 6:35-40 English Standard Version

³⁵ 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. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

DISCUSSION OF THE BIBLE PASSAGE:

In 6:35, Jesus proclaims, “I am the bread of life.” What does Jesus mean when He says that He is the bread of life? Bread is, of course, a food that is known world-wide as a source of daily sustenance. We all need our “daily bread.” But the bread that any person gives you will only last a short time. Ordinary bread will not sustain for long nor satisfy for very long. But when Jesus says that He is the bread of life, He is not talking about physical bread and physical hunger. You see, all people come into the world spiritually hungry, seeking meaning and purpose and hungering for answers about life and death. When Jesus declares that He is the bread of life, He is saying that He is the only one who will satisfy all of your most basic longings. Jesus is the bread who will satisfy your spiritual hunger. If you will come to Jesus, He promises you that you will never hunger.

What will Jesus, as the bread of life, give to those who come to Him?

• If you will come to Him, Jesus will give you peace. Only Jesus can give you peace with God and peace with yourself. If you will come to Jesus, you will know peace. Your strivings for meaning or happiness or significance or purpose will be satisfied by the peace that Jesus gives.
• If you will come to Him, Jesus will give you joy. As the bread of life, Jesus will give you an inner joy that will overflow into all of your life.
• If you will come to Him, Jesus will give you hope. There is a kind of hope that is little more than a wish. This hope says, “I know that things look bleak and appear to be getting worse, but if I just keep up my hope, maybe it will all turn out okay.” This is NOT the hope that Jesus gives. Jesus gives you hope that is an anchor for the soul, a hope that is both sure and steadfast, because Jesus is God and therefore has the power to keep His promises. If you come to Jesus, He will give you the hope of His presence in this life and the sure hope of heaven when your life on this earth is over.

After declaring that He is the Bread of life, Jesus goes on to tell how anyone can receive eternal life.

6:37  If you will come to Jesus, He promises to receive you and to save you from the judgment of God. Jesus will receive anyone who comes to Him for salvation. No matter what your past and no matter what your present, if you will come to Jesus Christ, He will receive you and will change your future.

6:38  Jesus is the Son of God and has come down from heaven on a mission to do the will of God the Father. And what is the will of God the Father?

6:39  Jesus has come down from heaven to save and to give eternal life to all those who come to Him and to raise them up to heaven.

6:40  It is the will of God that everyone who hears about Jesus Christ and believes in Him will have eternal life.

The Bible says that this life with Jesus Christ and all the blessings that come with knowing Jesus begin by coming to Jesus and believing in Jesus.

So what does it mean “to come to Jesus”? It means realizing that you are a sinner and that you have not obeyed our holy God as He requires. “To come to Jesus” means acknowledging that you deserve God’s judgment, but that you are asking Him for His mercy and forgiveness instead. “To come to Jesus” means making a life-long commitment to follow Jesus and to obey Jesus, no matter where He leads you for the rest of your life.

And what does it mean “to believe in Jesus”? It means to trust Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one who has come to save His people from their sins. It means to believe the facts about Jesus: His sinless life, His atoning death on the cross, His glorious resurrection from the dead, and His soon-coming return in power and glory. It means to believe that He is who He claimed to be, the Savior and Redeemer. He is the Son of God and He is God the Son. But to believe in Jesus means more than just to believe facts. “To believe in Jesus” means to commit all of your life, body and soul, to Him and to trust in Him and to live your life from now on for His glory.

Jesus has offered Himself to you as the bread of life and has issued you the invitation to come to Him for eternal life. Will you come to Him? Will you believe? Will you be saved?

If you want to learn more about this, please let me know.   SDG    rmb   10/14/2016