Session
1
Oct 20, 2019

Bread

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...
Bible Passage—
John 6:25–40

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

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.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Begin Session

Read Aloud: John 6:1-69

Open

  1. Who is the most difficult in your family to communicate with?
  2. Describe a time when someone jumped to a wrong conclusion about you.
  3. What type of bread are you and why: Fresh Baked? Moldy Wonder? Crusty Pumpernickel? French Toast? 

Jesus had miraculously fed the five thousand the day before. Now the crowd is anxious to keep access to this source of food. They search for Jesus and find Him on the other side of the lake. “Rabbi, when did you come here?” opens the conversation and John records the zig-zag dialog as Jesus increasingly confronts the crowd about the satisfaction of the moment versus food that endures and brings eternal life. In the “I am the bread of life” declaration, Jesus clearly states His divinity and that He is the source of life. This leaves the crowd and us with the question, “What should we be working to obtain?” 

Reflect

  1. How would you characterize the back and forth dialog between Jesus and the crowd in verses 25 through 34? Who are the people in the crowd? What is the crowd not understanding?
  2. In verses 30 and 31, the crowd asks for a sign and refers to the story of manna in the wilderness. Jesus had just fed this crowd the day before. What kind of sign did the crowd want? 
  3. What misunderstanding did Jesus correct in verses 32 and 33? What was Jesus communicating by saying, “…my Father gives you the true bread from heaven”?
  4. Read Deuteronomy 8:2-3 where Moses was reminding the Israelites to not forget what they learned in their desert experience. What was the intended effect of God’s actions? 
  5. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. How does Jesus’ response model how we should respond to our needs?
  6. The crowd is slowly beginning to understand the distinction that Jesus is making between bread and spiritual sustenance. Describe how the manna and bread points to our real need? 
  7. What is Jesus conveying about our life by his statement, “I am the bread of life”? What human need is at the heart of this statement?
  8. What have you learned about who Jesus is for you?

So, I am . . .

Due to centuries of history, teachings, and church attendance in our backgrounds, we do not have a difficult time believing that Jesus is God. But consider the people of Jesus’ day. They were struggling to comprehend God appearing as a person. They became increasingly disturbed by Jesus’ teaching as He described who He was and our dependence on Him. Jesus, God incarnate, was standing in front of them saying “you must want me more than anything else in this world.” The bread metaphor confronts us today with the same questions. Is Jesus who He said He is? Is Jesus the bread of my life? Do I draw my spiritual nourishment from Him? Is knowing Jesus my passion? Am I hungering and thirsting to know Jesus more? 

Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life.” Write down how this metaphor brings deeper meaning to your relationship with Jesus. For example, how does taking Jesus into your life restore, nourish and make you whole? Does Jesus’ statement give you more insight into the celebration of communion? How should you respond to His grace? You might respond with the words of a psalm such as Psalm 63:1-3 or the words of a hymn such as, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Share your notes with your group.
Bible Passage—
John 6:25–40

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

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.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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