The Seven “I AM” Statements in the Gospel of John PART 2

 The Seven “I AM” Statements in the Gospel of John PART 2

I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

[ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35)][1]

            Moses is believed by most Jewish and Christian scholars to be the author and compiler of the first five books of the Old Testament known as the Pentateuch, located in most Christian Bibles and the Jewish Torah.[2] Moses details the Children of Israel’s miraculous deliverance from the Egyptian Pharaoh and their brutal slave masters in his second book of the Pentateuch titled Exodus. In Exodus 16, Moses tells the story of the Israelites’ stay in the Desert of Sin that rested between Elim and Sinai.[3] One may find the desert’s name quite revealing for what they were guilty of when they complained against Moses and Aaron for having brought them to a place where food was scarce.[4] Ultimately, their sin was not against Moses and Aaron, but against God. 

Despite their murmuring, God was merciful and gave Moses instructions to give to the Israelites concerning Manna, bread from Heaven, that He would send down six days per week, so that they may be fed. They were to go out each day and collect enough only for that day except for the sixth day where they would double their collection in preparation for the Sabbath.[5] Even though the Children of Israel were receiving physical food from Heaven, this was symbolic of the spiritual food that would come down from Heaven, sent by God, so that His children would have nourishment for their souls. Unfortunately, just as the Israelites were in the Desert of Sin as they complained against the servants of God, many did not understand Jesus’ figurative speech due to them spiritually residing in a desert of sin.

John’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus having miraculously fed a crowd of five thousand men with a boy’s lunch of only five loaves of bread and two small fish.[6] Jesus, being the Provider that He is, not only cared about people’s spiritual needs, but met their physical ones as well. In so doing, He showed God’s amazing love for His children, but He also knew their hearts and that they were coming because of the food that He had provided for them earlier. Jesus later explained to that crowd that it was important not to work for physical food, but to ensure that they would receive the spiritual food from Him which would last for eternity.[7] Was Jesus advocating for people not to take up employment to feed their families? No! One can be assured that Jesus believed in hard work for he was a carpenter prior to entering His ministry.[8] Jesus was referencing man’s obsession with material things that would one day be destroyed versus the things of God that would never have an end. People are often worried about having the fanciest house, the nicest car, name-brand clothes, the largest bank account – all of which will not matter when it comes down to eternity.

Jesus wanted the people to understand that He was the Bread of Life that they needed in order to filled spiritually. Many souls, including Christians, are being starved spiritually and do not realize it. Jesus was offering himself as their daily bread just as the Children of Israel feasted daily on Manna while in the wilderness. Jesus was and still is the Spiritual Manna sent by God from Heaven for those who will accept Him and may be experiencing their own unique spiritual wilderness. The Jews erroneously thought that Jesus was speaking of cannibalism and spoke against Him just as the Israelites had done with Moses and Aaron. This disrupted their thinking just as when He had healed a man on the Sabbath Day. Instead of seeing the mighty works of what Jesus was saying, they were caught up in complacency unwilling to change their mindset because it disrupted their status quo.[9] Jesus’ words were too much for them to comprehend. The Jews were trying to comprehend spiritual things with their flesh and the flesh desires the sinful things of Egypt just as the Israelites had longed for the provisions they once had. They could not discern that Jesus was their deliverer who could lead them out of bondage and into new freedom for He is the Bread of Life, which is the Word made flesh.  They chose to avoid and ignore the evidence of who He was.[10]Just as humans need food daily for the nutrients it provides, those who spiritually wish to sustain themselves must feast on the Word daily as well, so they will not be spiritually depleted. Anyone who feasts on Jesus will never go hungry nor thirst for His Word will sustain them.

A.    Overview of Divine Qualities as the Bread of Life.

a.)    Oneness with the Father

aa.) Jesus is a Provider who gives provision and leads His children out of the wilderness of sin just as God showed that He was a Provider for the Children of Israel, while in the wilderness as they wandered due to sin. Jesus being God was subordinate to the Father being the Bread sent from Heaven to feed mankind.[11]

b.)    Incarnate nature

bb.) Jesus is the Bread from Heaven and the Living Water that spiritually feeds and quenches His children’s thirst just as God fed the Children of Israel manna from Heaven and provided them with water from a rock.

c.)    Transcendent qualities

cc.) Jesus is the Deliverer who rescues the sinner from the captivity of sin just as God was the only One who could deliver the Children of Israel from Pharaoh’s captivity.

d.)    Redemptive works

dd.) Jesus is the Word that became flesh so that His children can feast on Him day and night where they never have to become spiritually famished. 

B.     Application

a.)    The Word of God was given so that the believer could know who He is and that His son, Jesus, was given as the Bread of Life to all who would believe. Those who wish to be spiritually fed must feast on God’s word daily to gain the spiritual nutrients needed to thrive in the Spirit. Faith is the prerequisite to quench the hunger and thirst that is given by the Bread of Life and the Living Water.[12]

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[1] John 6:35 (New Living Translation).

[2] Yonatan Moss, "Scholasticism, Exegesis, and the Historicization of Mosaic Authorship in Moses Bar Kepha's On Paradise," Harvard Theological Review 104, no. 03 (2011): xx, doi:10.1017/s0017816011000241.

[3] Exod. 16:1 (New International Version).

[4] Exod. 16:2-3 (New International Version).

[5] Exod. 16:4-5

[6] John 6:8-11 (New International Version).

[7] John 6:27 (New International Version).

[8] Mark 6:3 (New International Version).

[9] John McKinnon, "Contemporary Church Problems Illuminated By The Gospel Of John," Compass 45, no. 1 (Fall 2011): 31, http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/886432931?accountid=12085.

[10] Ibid., 32.

[11] Carson and Moo, New Testament, 262.

[12] McKinnon, "Contemporary Church Problems," 33.