The crowd came looking for a meal. Jesus wanted to give them more. They longed to partake again of everything they had eaten the previous day. Jesus invited them to participate in a feast that would secure all their tomorrows. They wanted some sort of sign–like manna in the wilderness (they were kind of fixated on food). Jesus seized the opportunity to talk about another heaven sent bread–one that not only dealt with the hunger and thirst for the day, but also satisfied one’s hunger and thirst for eternity.

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”   ~ Jesus

(John 6:35 ESV)

Quit fixating on yesterday’s loaves and fish, He said. Stop romanticizing about yesteryear’s manna in the wilderness. Instead, look to Me, the bread of life, “who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (6:34).

And it choked the religious elite in attendance. They heard Jesus say, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they grumbled among themselves (6:41). They muttered, “From heaven? Isn’t this Joseph’s son? We know his parents. He’s from Nazareth. That’s nowhere near heaven!” (6:42) And they argued about what He meant with the word picture He would not let go of, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (6:52)

So what did Jesus mean? If He really is the bread of life (and He is) then how can someone feed on His flesh? It’s really a matter of simple math.

We know that if A=B, and B=C, then A=C. If two things result in a same third thing, then the two things are equal as well. So let’s do the math . . .

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

“Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.”

~ Jesus (John 6:47, 54a ESV)

Believing Jesus = Eternal Life. Feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood = Eternal Life. Therefore, Eating is Believing.

To partake of the living bread from heaven is to believe in the incarnate Son of God sent from heaven.

And to believe in Him is to abide in Him and have Him abide in us (6:56). To believe in Him is to live forever (6:51, 58), death but a temporary interruption for our bodies as, for those who feed on Him and drink of Him now, He will “raise them up on the last day” (6:54b).

He is the Bread of Heaven. And He is the One we believe in and feed on. And that, my friend, is food worth chewing on. For that is eternal life.  Amen?

Eating is believing.

By His grace. For His glory.