I Am the Bread of Life

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."

JOHN 6 BIBLE STUDY ◄
John 6:45-47 They Shall All Be Taught By God

John 6:48-53 I Am the Bread of Life

John 6:54-58 Eats My Flesh and Drinks My Blood

JOHN 6:48 48 “I am the bread of life.

When did we hear Jesus say, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48)?
Earlier in this discourse as recorded in John 6:35: And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life ...” (see Bread From Heaven). Back then, repeating something gave emphasis to what was said.

JOHN 6:49 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and died.

Is Jesus saying that the manna caused their ancestors to die in the wilderness (see Bread from Heaven)?
To contrast with what He will say next, He is saying that while the manna nourished them, it did not impact whether they eventually die or live on forever.

JOHN 6:50-51 50 “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Is Jesus saying that those who eat the “bread of life” (John 6:48) “which comes down from heaven” will "not die” (John 6:50) physically?
No, He again swings from the physical to the spiritual realm and is saying that they will have “everlasting life” (John 6:54, see Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood) in heaven.

By “If anyone eats of this bread, ... and the bread that I will give is My flesh” (John 6:51), is Jesus telling them to bite off and eat the flesh off His arms and legs?
Of course not.

Then what is He saying? What entities is He equating?

Let’s start with John 6:48. What does He equate in this verse?
Jesus = “bread of life”

What is said about this “bread of life" in John 6:51?
The bread of life is “living,” “from heaven,” and is His “flesh.”

So how is the above equation elaborated?
Jesus = living bread of life from heaven = His flesh

What did John 1:14 say about His flesh?
“The Word became flesh.”

So how does this extend the equation?
Jesus = living bread of life from heaven = His flesh = Word

So what is Jesus telling people to feed on to have everlasting life?
His Word.

Do you?

JOHN 6:52 52 Then the Jews argued among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

Do the Jews understand what Jesus is saying?
No, they remain stuck in the physical realm.

JOHN 6:53 53 Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

Does Jesus 'lighten up' His message to make it easier for them to understand?
He makes it arguably more extreme by now telling them to also “drink His blood” (John 6:55).

Why does Jesus call Himself the “Son of Man” (John 6:53)?
See Son of Man.

What did Jesus mean by drinking His blood?
See next page.