Session Two: I Am the Bread of Life
In this session, we’ll explore:
What Jesus has come to achieve
How Jesus nurtures us
‘Jesus the Bread of Life does what bread itself cannot; He gives us daily nourishment that will nurture us for eternity.’
John Walford
1. Reflect
Read John 6:1–15.
This passage is the background to what happens next. What happens in this story?
2. Read
Read John 6:25-59.
1. In verses 26-29, what does Jesus’ challenge to the crowd mean? What do you think believing in Jesus actually means?
In verses 30-33, what is the Bread of Heaven? What is Jesus seeking to teach the crowd by using this image?
What promises does Jesus give to us in verses 35-40? How do these promises affect our lives and security?
In verses 41–51 what do we understand about how Jesus saw himself and who he is? Why are the crowd disturbed by him?
In verses 52-59 what is Jesus teaching us? How are we meant to feed on him in our daily lives?
Need help? Here are some hints…
1. Food we eat each day gives us life for a day, but Jesus offers food that will give us eternal life. That food is not just about obeying the teachings of Jesus, because we cannot earn a place in God’s Kingdom. We cannot make ourselves good enough, instead we must believe in Jesus.
Believing in Jesus is not just about believing that he existed but about trusting that he can forgive us and giving our lives to him.
2. In Exodus 16 God feeds the Israelites who are complaining of hunger in the desert. He gives them manna - a mysterious substance that provides them with bread to eat.
Jesus has just miraculously fed the 5,000 but they seem to have overlooked how he has provided what they needed.
4. Jesus understands his mission to bring forgiveness and life.
He has come from the Father to bring life to all who believe in him.
We eat the Bread of Life when we submit our lives to Jesus and make him Lord
The crowd are disturbed by this difficult saying and confused because they know about Jesus’ human family.
5. Of course Jesus doesn’t mean us to literally eat him, but this is a dramatic way of telling us that we must depend upon him. His teaching and his sacrifice for us are the basis for our lives.
So we must feed on him every day by surrendering our lives to him each day and seeking him as we study the Bible and pray.
3. Act
Do you set aside time each day to spend with Jesus?
If not, or if you are finding that difficult, speak to someone that you trust about how to grow in your daily devotions.
4. Pray
Give thanks for those that have helped others on their journeys of faith
Pray for anyone that you are wanting to help come to know Jesus
