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In this lesson:
Lesson 177 continues. More on the Bread of Life. Notice the many references to God. Study Tip: As you investigate the Bible, use the five W's technique employed by investigative journalists. Ask yourself who, what, when, where, and why as you read each passage. |
Jesus, the Bread of Life.
By an unknown artist |
The Gospel According to St. John
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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John 6:41-59
Bread from heaven 41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. |
Margin notes:
"The Jews then murmured." (6:41) - These are the same Jewish religious leaders who felt threatened by Jesus in lesson 177. "Whose father and mother we know?" (6:42) - Apparently, the religious leaders in Capernaum knew Jesus' family in Nazareth. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." (6:44) - See Today's Question below. Jesus will repeat this teaching in verse 6:65. "I will raise him up at the last day." (6:44) - This is so vital that Jesus is repeating it from verses 6:39 and 6:40. He will say it again in this passage (6:54). "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God." (6:45) - You can find it written in Isaiah 54:13. "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (6:47) - Means we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Once you believe, you are entitled to everlasting life. Salvation through Jesus is such an important teaching, it is repeated in verses 3:18, 5:24, 6:37, 6:40, and again in 20:31. "I am that bread of life." (6:48) - This message is so critical that Jesus is repeating it from verse 6:35. He will reinforce it in verse 6:58 below. "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness." (6:49) - See Exodus 16:12-15, 16:35, Numbers 11:7-9, and Psalm 78:24. "Not die." (6:50) - Not spiritually die, not ever. "The bread that I will give is my flesh." (6:51) - Jesus gave His flesh on the cross to save sinners. "The Jews therefore strove among themselves." (6:52) - "The Jews then argued among themselves." "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (6:53) - Means accepting Jesus is the only way to salvation. "My flesh is meat." (6:55) - "My flesh is food." Jesus is speaking metaphorically. His sacrifice on the cross is our spiritual food. "Dwelleth." (6:56) - This word translates to "endures," as in remains, lasts, abides, continues to live on no matter what. "He shall live by me." (6:57) - "He will live because of me." |
New Living Translation
John 6:41-59
41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
42 They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43 But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said.
44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.
45 As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.
48 Yes, I am the bread of life!
49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died.
50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh."
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.
54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
42 They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43 But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said.
44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.
45 As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.
48 Yes, I am the bread of life!
49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died.
50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh."
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.
54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (6:44)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life." (6:47-48)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life." (6:47-48)
Today's Question:
1. What does "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" mean? (6:44)
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1. What does "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" mean? (6:44)
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Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. It means "when someone chooses to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, he does so only in response to the urging of God's Holy Spirit. God does the urging; then we decide whether or not to believe." (The Life Application Study Bible; published by Tyndale House; Carol Stream, Illinois; page 2062).
You may feel drawn to Jesus for many reasons. To escape damnation, to fill an emptiness, or perhaps out of love. God may draw you to Christ (Jeremiah 31:3; John 6:65; 12:32) but will never drag you.
Application thought for the day:
What does this segment teach about salvation?
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies; " "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2026 evolke
© 2026 evolke