John 6:41-59 CSB
Therefore the Jews started grumbling about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." [42] They were saying, "Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" [43] Jesus answered them, "Stop grumbling 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 listened to and learned from the Father comes to me- [46] not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. [47] "Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone 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. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." [52] At that, the Jews argued among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [53] So Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. [54] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, [55] because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. [56] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. [57] Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your ancestors ate-and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever." [59] He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
This is my Body
There are times in the Bible when I find something I do not fully understand—a mystery written on the page. Sometimes I think I understand a passage, but years later, I find more is revealed. In John 16, Jesus says, “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
This is one of those moments. Some in the crowd knew Jesus’ earthly family. They asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph? We know his mother!” It was hard for them to bridge the gap between the man they saw and the Son of God who came from heaven. Jesus did not hold back or soften the blow; He pushed forward: “I am the bread of life. I am the living bread.”
How do we process truth when we aren’t ready for it? We wait for it to be revealed. We pray, study, and talk to those with more knowledge, like a pastor who is teaching his flock. The power of learning these mysteries follows those who are rooted in faith. Jesus refrained from explaining how He would give His flesh to eat in that moment, but later, on the night of His betrayal, He revealed the meaning: “Take and eat it; this is my body… Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant.” (Matthew 26:26-28).
This leads to another mystery many struggle with: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Left to our own devices, we would not seek God. Even our belief is a gift from our loving Father drawing us to Himself. We do not believe solely on our own strength; the Father seeks and saves the lost.
Sometimes that drawing happens through a person with a burden for others sharing the Gospel. Sometimes it happens when life has punched us the hardest we have ever been punched. In those moments of total brokenness, we turn for help from any source. With trembling hands, we might open a Bible that has sat on a shelf for years. As we read, the Spirit of God opens our eyes. We see the truth and grasp onto the anchor of our souls—the very words that save.
What Jesus offers is not the temporary manna of Moses that left people hungry again. The Bread from Heaven is the Son Himself. Everyone who believes in Him—those drawn by the loving Father—has eternal life in the Son.
Reflection Questions
- Is there a “mystery” in the Bible or in your life right now that you are struggling to bear? Can you trust the Spirit of Truth to reveal it in time?
- Looking back at your own journey, can you see the moments where the Father was “drawing” you, perhaps through a person or a difficult trial?
- How does the realization that even your faith is a gift from the Father change the way you view your relationship with Him?
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for the mysteries of Your Word that keep us humble and searching. Thank You for drawing us to Yourself, even when we weren’t looking for You. Forgive us for the times we rely on our own understanding instead of waiting for the Spirit of Truth. When life hits us hard, let us find our anchor in the Bread of Life. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, whose body and blood were given so that we might live forever.
Amen.
