6:41-51 The living bread from heaven

March 4, 2021

Read John 6:41-51

Four times in this section Jesus is described as the one who has come from heaven (41,42,50,51). These Galilean people could not believe it because they thought that they knew all about his parentage (42). There is an ironic note here for if they had but known the truth of his virgin birth, they would have seen how appropriate it was for Jesus to claim a heavenly origin. Once again, Jesus emphasised the initiative of God in drawing people to faith (44). Unless God first teaches and opens our hearts, we would not be able to come to Jesus (45).

It is because Jesus has come from heaven, from the presence of God, that he uniquely is able to reveal God to us (46; 1:18). He has done that for a specific purpose, to give eternal life. The whole message of this chapter is summed up emphatically (“Very truly”) in verses 47-48: “the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life”.

Earlier Jesus had said that he, not manna, was the true bread from heaven (6:32-33) and now he compared the different benefit of the two kinds of bread. Manna was a kind of earthly bread, given to meet people’s physical need and of limited use (49), but Jesus is “the living bread that came down from heaven” and which is therefore the source of true and everlasting spiritual life (50-51; 1:4; 5:26). People receive this life by “eating” this bread (50-51), a reference to the decisive act of believing in Jesus. The basis of the life is the death of Christ, as shown by the sacrificial language of “This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world”. It’s by eating this bread – believing personally in Jesus as Saviour – that we receive eternal life.