The
Gospel of John is filled with significance and insight for both the Christian
and the non-believer. The Gospel of John
was the fourth and last Gospel that was written and constructed for the
Christian community. “The date of
writing is not known for certain, possibly between 85 and 90 A.D., probably
written from Ephesus.”[1]
The writer was John the Apostle; throughout the Gospel we see references to the
name “John” but he was not the Author of this Gospel. Anytime the name “John” is found in the
Gospel it is in reference to John the Baptist.
“John’s purpose in life was to prepare, straighten, and smooth out a
road that would make the entrance of the Messiah easier.”[2] John
only records himself as the “disciple, whom Jesus loved.”[3] The
writer of the Gospel’s purpose was “that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name.”[4] The
phrase “that you may believe” suggests John wrote this Gospel to the end that
his readers would not only come to faith in Christ but might keep on
believing.”[5]
“Particularly in the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals Himself as the “I AM” of the
Old Testament.”[6]
Throughout this Gospel Jesus makes many references to being “the way, and the
truth, and the life,”[7]
“the light of the world,”[8]
and “the true vine,”[9]
however, this essay will be structured upon Jesus’ claim to being “the bread of
life.”[10]
The
context of Jesus’ claim to be the bread of life is found in the sixth chapter
of the Gospel of John and exemplified the divinity of Jesus Christ in many
ways. It starts by telling us that Jesus
went over the Sea of Galilee and many people followed him that had been sick. However, throughout this time Jesus went
alone with his disciples into a mountain and a great multitude followed
them. Jesus then tests Philip and asks
how the people following would be able to eat.
Philip being the analytical disciple understood that two hundred
pennyworth of money wouldn’t even compare to the cost of food that would be
necessary for the crowd to take a small portion. Immediately Andrew comes up
and brings a person to Jesus, which was his custom and ministry. The solution to the problem was in the hand of
a young boy who had five barley loaves and two small fish, which seems out of
the ordinary, how could that help a large crowd?
Jesus
Christ begins to tell the Disciples to make the great number of followers to
sit down. Five thousand men, not including women and children were ushered into
a sitting position while Jesus gave thanks and distributed bread to the
Disciples to give out to others. “The miracle of feeding the crowd is the
fourth of seven signs that John offers in this section as proof of Jesus’
identity as the Son of God.”[11] Amazingly, through the beauty and grace of an
all sufficient God, the people were filled and still twelve baskets remained. Struck with amazement the people knew
something was different about Jesus, He wasn’t just a teacher anymore, He was
deity; he multiplied food. The people immediately went from following Jesus to
desiring to crown Him as the King. “The point that they failed to see was that
Jesus wasn’t going to be their king until they repented. If they had fully
understood the passage in Deuteronomy, they would have realized that they
should have fallen before Him in sorrow and repentance. But instead they are
telling Jesus what He must do. The people fail to really listen to Jesus’
words; they want Jesus on their own terms.”[12] Jesus
Christ recognizing it was not His time for this to occur went into a mountain
alone and the Disciples were on the sea as a great storm occurred, but Jesus
was coming towards them and stilled the ferocious storm. As Jesus stepped into the ship they were at
the place where they needed to be, on shore. Followers arose again and Jesus
taught them the work of God was simply to believe on Him who God had sent. Jesus Christ then began to teach them that
instead of searching for bread that is here one moment and gone the next, they
should search for the true bread.
Jesus
explained something in the Old Testament that was extremely significant for the
Jews at that time. The Jews were
followers of the Law and they knew all too well about Moses and the wilderness
experience where God fed the Children of Israel with Manna from Heaven. “Jesus pointed out two errors: it was not
Moses that gave the bread from Heaven, but God and further God not only gave
but “gives” the true bread from Heaven.”[13] In
order to make sense of all of this the word “I AM” was extremely significant to
the Jewish believers. In the Old
Testament Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian
captivity and through this call Moses was a bit intimidated, just as anyone
with a call to do something for God should be.
Moses asked God what His name was, knowing the Israelites would have
that as a key question for his claim to authority on delivering them from the
hand of Pharaoh and out of Egyptian bondage.
God answered Moses with assurance and said “I AM THAT I AM.”[14]
The Jews knew all too well about the name “I AM” but Jesus went further in to
explain to them that in the wilderness God provided them with bread, but He was
the true representation of that bread. He was the bread that would satisfy the
soul of a hungry man or woman, a man that is living without God in a world that
doesn’t know God.
“The
book of Numbers is the fourth book in the series often called the five books of
Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy).”[15] This
book tells us about the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years,
complaining and arguing about what God was and wasn’t doing and what the
leaders of the camp were doing and weren’t doing. God was trying to create
within them a grateful heart, but inwardly and outwardly the Israelites were
rebelling against God, also seen in their rebellious heart towards the leader
of God, Moses. Paul the Apostle wrote
and confirmed their arrogance and ungratefulness of the children of Israel in
the words “Neither murmur ye, as
some of them also murmured:”[16]
The Israelites were in hunger and God miraculously provided manna from Heaven.
“Manna was a small round flake used for making bread. It tasted, it is said,
like wafers made with honey. It was either a direct creation or a natural
product miraculously multiplied.”[17] Manna
was the agent by which God satisfied the hunger of His people when they were in
need. However, the Israelites still died in the wilderness, the manna was able
to satisfy the appetite of the flesh, but couldn’t sustain the spiritual life
of those who partook of it.
Jesus
went on to tell us that He was the true bread that came down from Heaven. He came down to do the will of God and die
for us that whoever was to believe in Him would be raised up on the last day to
live eternally with God. He was the bread of life, the bread that came and
restored us and enabled us to be in a real relationship with God. Jesus tells us throughout his explaining of
the true meaning of the manna from Heaven that He was able to help us, heal us,
comfort us and most importantly feed us with the true bread. Jesus Christ was our example in life,
throughout the years the Israelites wandered and finally died because of their
unbelief, but when Jesus came on the scene all who believed in Him obtained
everlasting life. He had a promise to
provide Eternal life to all that would believe on Him and for this purpose John
wrote the Gospel of John. It has given us clear instructions on how to live for
Christ and how to persevere in our walk with God while changing and impacting
the world each day as we pray and live in accordance to Gods divine will. Each
of us everyday has a chance to partake in this bread from Heaven and this bread
is Jesus Christ who is “the Word of God.”[18]
After
Jesus made these claims some of the Jewish leaders murmured against Him. It
happened just as Paul spoke of in the New Testament about the Jews in the Old
Testament. With such claims from Jesus one can be led to believe or not
believe. The truth of the matter is,
each of us have a choice to believe on the name of the Son of God who is Jesus
Christ or to live in willful disobedience to Gods wishes, command and
desire. We are all given ample
opportunity to learn about a Savior who can fulfill our hearts longing and
deepest desire. The choice is ours and
we, like those in the times of Jesus proclaiming and validating that He was the
bread of life have a choice to accept or to reject His claim of deity and
divinity as the Son of the living God.
What will you choose today?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith,
Chuck. New Testament Study Guide: Matthew
through Revelation. The Word for Today. Costa Mesa, CA. 2005. Print.
Stratuss,
Mark., Leston, Stephen., and Deffinbaugh Robert. Quicknotes Simplified Bible Commentary Series: Luke & John. Barbour
Publishing. Uhrichsville, OH. 2008. Print.
Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live.
Scofield Ministries, 2002. Print.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN. 2004. Print.
The Holy Bible. King James Version.
Halley, H. Henry. Halley's Bible Handbook: Deluxe Edition.
Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 2007. Print.
Towns, Elmer L. Theology
for Today, Mason, OH. 2008. Print.
Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the
Theology of John. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. Grand
Rapids, Michigan. Print.
The Essential Bible Handbook. Nashville, TN. 2009. Print.
Towns, L Elmer. A Journey Through the New Testament: The
Story of Christ and How He Developed the Church. Cengage Learning. Mason,
Ohio. 2008. Print.
[1] Smith, Chuck. New Testament
Study Guide: Matthew through Revelation. The Word for Today. Costa Mesa,
CA. 2005. Print. (p. 41)
[4] John 20:31. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[6] Towns, Elmer L. Theology for
Today, Mason, OH. 2008. Print. (p. 160)
[7] John 14:6. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[8] John 8:12. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[9] John 15:1. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[10] John 6:35. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[11]
Stratuss, Mark., Leston, Stephen., and Deffinbaugh Robert. Quicknotes Simplified Bible Commentary Series: Luke & John. Barbour
Publishing. Uhrichsville, OH. 2008. (p. 156)
[12] Stratuss, Mark., Leston,
Stephen., and Deffinbaugh Robert. Quicknotes
Simplified Bible Commentary Series: Luke & John. Barbour Publishing. Uhrichsville, OH. 2008. (p. 156)
[13] Morris,
Leon. Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Print (p. 110)
[14] Exodus 3:14. The Holy Bible.
King James Version.
[16] 1 Corinthians 10:10. The Holy
Bible. King James Version.
[17] Halley, H. Henry. Halley's Bible Handbook: Deluxe Edition.
Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 2007. Print. (p. 140)
[18] Revelation 19:13. The Holy
Bible. King James Version.
_____________________________________________________________
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as
your personal Lord and Savior?
If not, here’s what you are missing.
You are missing satisfaction in life. You are missing the blessings of
God in and through your life. You are missing the blessing of being able to
know God intimately and know Him for the pardoning of your sins. You are missing the blessing of being able to
serve God and impact your community and the world around you. You are missing the beauty of God revealing
Himself to you and helping you in your daily life. You are missing out on such
great things. God wants the best for you
and His best starts with you admitting you have sinned against Him and that you
need a Savior for your sins, that Savior is Jesus Christ. Like me, will you rebel against God’s plan
and will for your life? Will you submit to Gods will so He can save you and
redirect your life? God can get you off
any drugs, any habit or addiction, nothing can stop God and God will stop at
nothing to stop it from stopping you from reaching your full potential for
Christ. God loves you so much, why wait
and why reject His message. If you want
to be saved for-real, just pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I have sinned, I am a sinner, I have sinned and will sin, but I
have sinned only against You. Lord, I am in need of Your forgiveness. I believe
You died for my sins and You rose from the dead. I believe You are God and that
You have the capability to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from my
unrighteousness. Lord, please save me and draw me to You by Your grace. Fill me
with Your Spirit. Baptize me in Your power and help me to live a lifestyle that
is pleasing in Your sight. Give me victory over temptation, Lord, strengthen me
to be all who You want me to be please in Jesus Name! AMEN!”
"God loved the world this way:
He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will
have eternal life." ~ John 3:16 (God’s Word Translation)
"That
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a
person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation. For
the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [disappointed.” For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord
of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the
name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:9-13 (NASB)
These links may help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. I urge you to take a look at some and
remember to draw closer to God through studying His Word and praying daily for
yourself and most importantly, others.
God Bless!
[List of Bible Promises!
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 ]
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
~ Romans 10:17 (King James Version)
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/PrayerAndCounseling/index.aspx [Prayer
Request; Have someone online pray for you!]
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces
wonderful results." ~ James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
http://www.OurPrayer.org [Prayer Request; People from all over the world can
pray for YOU, simple, fast, free and beneficial.]
http://www.Bible.cc [Great site for searching through the Bible and
comparing each version, also charts, commentaries and dictionaries]
"Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit." ~ Ephesians 5:18 (Gods Word Translation)
http://www.biblegateway.com [Great site for Bibles of various kinds and
various languages]
"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the
bones." ~ Proverbs 14:30 (New International Version)
http://www.Christianword.org [Great site for prayers; affirmations,
scripture references etc.]
http://www.e-sword.net [Great site to download Bible software; commentaries,
dictionaries, maps, charts, various Bibles]
"A patient person [shows] great understanding, but a quick-tempered one
promotes foolishness." ~ Proverbs 14:29 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
http://www.twft.org [Pastor Chuck Smith's Through The Bible audio sermons]
http://www.c28.com [Christian Clothing, etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/itrn?utm_source=ITM&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=Home_top_slider
[In Touch Ministries 24/7 Radio Broadcast Online; Free Streaming]
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 [List of Bible
Promises! (Easy to Print)]
"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children
will have refuge." ~ Proverbs 14:26 (New American Standard Bible)
http://www.wmpress.org [FREE Christian Tracts] [Shipped to your doorstep for
free.] [Pass out, leave somewhere (school, bus stop, grocery store, mall,
shopping center, etc.), send in a Birthday, Holiday or Christmas Card; Simple
ways to plant seeds of faith in people, even without speaking.]
[ORDER FORM for WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/booklet_order.php [BOOKLETS/STUDY GUIDES/ GOSPEL TRACTS
AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/bksavail.shtml
http://www.intouch.org/about/in-touch-messenger/messenger-downloads
[Download 35 POWERFUL sermons from Charles Stanley in less than five minutes,
compressed ZIP FILE.] [3 Languages; Pray for the Ministry of donating, giving
and supplying these handheld devices to spread the Gospel to the remote areas
of the world and throughout the 'known' world.] [Pray!]
"For, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved." ~ Romans 10:13 (American Standard Version)
http://www.thruthebible.org/site/c.irLMKXPGLsF/b.4104233/k.BFE1/MP3_Download_of_5Year_Series.htm
[Dr. J Vernon McGee's Through The Bible 5 Year Series; Free downloads]
[THREE Great Biblical Prayers Ephesians 3:14-21, Ephesians 1:16-20 &
Colossians 1:9-14, pray them for you and others!]
http://www.biblegateway.christianbook.com [Buy Christian Bibles, great
selection of Study Bibles, commentaries, audio sermons, books, clothing, music,
gifts, art; etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio [Charles Stanley's daily
radio broadcast; also clicking 'Audio Archives' can allow you to search years
back and download more of his radio broadcasts]
"I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and
peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the
Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13 (New Century Version)
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv [Charles Stanleys 'This
Week on TV' site; clicking 'Video Archives' can allow you to search back and
find older Television shows; He also has sermon notes available on each
show/segment]
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~
Romans 5:5 (English Standard Version)
http://www.twft.com/?page=C2000 [Pastor Chuck Smiths c2000 Through The Bible
series; free downloads of book by book, verse by verse Bible study/commentary]
"May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord." ~ 2 Peter 1:2 (New Living
Translation)
http://twft.com/?page=Radio.Main [Pastor Chuck Smiths Radio Broadcast; 25
minutes of study on the Word of God. c3000 edition]
[Study Bibles I suggest looking at; at CBD.com] 'Life in The Spirit Study
Bible' 'Zondervan Study Bible' Nelson KJV Study Bible' and 'ESV Study Bible.'
Christian Books; "Disciplines of The Holy Spirit" by Tan/Gregg;
"How to Listen to God" by Charles Stanley; "Living Waters"
by Pastor Chuck Smith; "Handbook for Christian Living" by Charles
Stanley;
"That I may KNOW Him" ~ Philippians 3:10
Start your day off with a Word from God; Prayer and a Song of Praise/Worship
THE ROYAL PRAYER LINE
Every Wednesday Morning
6:15 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.[EASTERN USA TIME]
Dial-in# (712) 432-1001
Access Code: 491276491#
Just Listen and Be Blessed!!!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/royal-baptist-sunday-services [PAST SERVICES
OF ROYAL MISSIONARY BAPTIST; SUNDAY SERVICES 8 AND 11 AM; Special Events and
Bible Study as well] Enjoy!
http://royalmbc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=109
[My Churches Live Streaming; Sunday's at 8 AM & 11 AM. Thursdays for Bible
Study 7 PM; Enjoy, there IS a Word from The LORD!]
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