I am the living bread which came down from heaven

 

I am the living bread which came down from heaven

 

(John 6:51)I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

 

Jesus fed about 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish. People tried to make Jesus their king. But Jesus escaped the crowd. Jesus referred to himself as the bread of God, the bread of life, and he said that only faith is the way to gain eternal life. But people did not understand what the meaning of those words was. When the Jews heard Jesus' words, they began to murmur, claiming they knew whose son Jesus was and where he was raised.

“No, we know his father Joseph, but the son of Joseph we know is the bread that came down from heaven? It makes sense.” To the gossiping Jews, the Lord commanded them not to gossip. He stresses that no one can come to me unless God draws him. Jesus proves that the Jews do not believe unless God permits it. Only those who realize that he is a sinner who has turned away from God, repent and cry out to return to God are led by God.

Even when Jesus told the great mystery that He would save people by forsaking Himself on the cross, the Jews did not understand and quarreled with each other. Manna, which fell in the wilderness long ago, made the people of that time live day by day, but did not make them live forever. Because the manna that fell in the wilderness was not the bread of life. But the Lord promised that those who eat and drink the flesh and blood that Jesus shed will live forever. That promise has already been fulfilled. Jesus dwells in those who repent, those who have died and are reborn as a spirit body. To abide in Jesus means to live a life of union with Christ who died on the cross by faith. The purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to save all human beings who have no choice but to live in the abyss of destruction forever. This is the will of God. Jesus was constantly telling the truth about Himself, but people did not understand.

『Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.』There is no eternal life unless we are united with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross. Only faith in union with Jesus Christ can enter into Christ.

In verses 55-57, Jesus says, “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

In the Old Testament, it was forbidden for the people to drink the blood of animals. However, people believe and follow Jesus as the Son of God, saying, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me.” So, as the disciples murmured, Jesus said again in verse 63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

People had a hard time accepting what Jesus was saying. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, and Jesus said to Nicodemus, who was familiar with the Old Testament, “You must be born again.” Even today, it will not be easy for people to accept Jesus' words, "Do not love the world." Even if words are difficult to accept, there are those who follow Jesus, and there are those who do not follow Jesus because it is difficult. Most people just want to put aside difficult words and choose words that are easy for them to believe in order to reach salvation. Jesus repeats this in verse 65: “And he said, therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

People are more familiar with the words of Matthew, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” rather than these words from the Gospel of John. Why are the Gospels of John and Matthew different? The Gospel of Matthew is easily accepted by churchgoers. The Gospel of Matthew says that if we choose to go to the Lord, we believe that the Lord will receive them. However, the words of verse 65 are not easily accessible. And again, people may think, "I don't need to try." Those led by the Lord will think that it will come naturally. And in verse 66, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” Why did Jesus say this when people were leaving? More people will want to be saved, so why did Jesus say this when he knew they would leave? Like Lot's wife, we can forsake God after believing and following God. People do not know that they can become Lot's wife. So we must fear God.