John 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

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.”

⁴¹ So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

REFLECTION

• Read over this passage a few times slowly. If time allows, read the whole chapter.
• Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life (v48). He did not say He had the bread of life, but that He was that bread. This sermon on the Bread of Life did seem confusing to doubters. But it confirmed the faith of the believers. That sermon offers Jesus’ own assurance that we possess, now, eternal life.
• There are people who “hope” they have eternal life. Others “trust they will have” eternal life. And others insist “How can you know until you’re dead?” Yet others will say, “What makes you think you’re so much better than me?” Pause for a moment and ask yourself: what is your understanding or belief about eternal life?
• Jesus wants us to know that we have eternal life (v37). After we responded to God, He will keep us safe forever. Again, in vv 39-40, it’s not “will have” eternal life, not “may have”, and not “maybe have”. It’s “he who believes has everlasting life.”(v47)
• Since Jesus says you have eternal life and you can take His word for it.
• Take time to thank God for His salvation and eternal life for you.