Read: John 6:1-71
What would you consider to be the most offensive statement in the Bible? Gender roles, sexual ethics, or the sacrificial system? Maybe the imprecatory Psalms?. Whatever you find personally offensive, the Bible asserts that Jesus’ claim, “I am the bread of life,” is one of the worst.
Why is everyone so upset about this statement? How did Jesus’ followers go from wanting to make Him their king to rejecting Him altogether?
A Good Magician Never Performs the Same Trick Twice
When Jesus started teaching in Galilee, He quickly drew a large crowd around Him. It seemed that everyone in the surrounding villages was there. It wasn’t a scheduled event so it wasn’t like the people had time to prepare a meal. Eventually, everyone got hungry. So Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of roughly 20,000 people with a boy’s small lunch of five barley loaves and two fish.
The next day, the people made an active choice to leave their daily responsibilities to look for Jesus. Of course, they didn’t pack a lunch because they were hoping that He would feed them again. This bothered Jesus because they were no longer interested in His teaching, they just wanted a free meal.
What follows is one of the most awkward dialogues in the Gospel of John. Jesus tells them to not work for bread that perishes and they ask what they would have to do to get Jesus to perform His trick a second time. Jesus tells them there’s nothing that they can do, they just have to believe that He was sent from God. Then they ask for a sign, implying that Moses gave their ancestors manna every day in the wilderness. Clearly they’re not getting what Jesus is saying. He corrects their bad theology and reiterates that it’s not physical bread, and the people reply, “Garson, a little more bread for the table please.”
Jesus Came to Serve, Not Be Our Butler
Herein lies the fundamental problem. When Jesus called His disciples, He asked them to sacrifice their families, career, and ambitions. They had to deny themselves and take up their cross to follow Him. The crowds, however, just wanted Jesus to serve them, make their lives a little easier. Giving them bread every day meant that they didn’t have to work. They could enjoy a prosperous and carefree life.
This is where Jesus drops the bomb on them, “I am the bread of life!” Boom. This really upset the crowds. But what is so offensive about this claim? Jesus is pointing out to them why they don’t believe by showing them that He did not come to serve His own desires, but to do God’s will. The crowds had it flipped around. They only wanted God if it benefited them. Because they were selfish, they couldn’t see the spiritual life that He was offering.
Pushing People’s Buttons
We tend to think that because Jesus was so charming, He could win over the most hard-headed individual. But when you look at Jesus’ encounters in the Gospel of John, you discover that He isn’t fishing for likes on social media. He knows exactly what’s preventing them from crossing the threshold. He’s not callous or rude, but He’s not going to beat around the bush either.
With Nicodemus, He tells an old guy who had spent his entire life working on becoming a spiritual leader that he had to be born again. He would have to give up all of his own efforts to please God and start over. Then, Jesus points out to the Samaritan woman the one thing that she was most ashamed of; she had been divorced five times and was living with her boyfriend. In the first case, Nicodemus left Jesus bewildered. He wasn’t ready. But the woman, confronted by her shame, accepted who Jesus claimed to be.
Now, Jesus is confronting the hardened hearts of the hungry crowds. They only came to Jesus because they wanted something in return. They saw Jesus as a means to fulfilling their own desires. They had tasted a luxurious lifestyle and they didn’t want to go back to menial work. They were drawn to Jesus by their stomachs, not their hearts and that is why they could not see Him for who He truly was.
Anyone who comes to Jesus looking for affirmation will be disappointed. Our righteousness is filthy rags. Jesus isn’t going to say, “Great effort! Now let me help you along the rest of the way.” Jesus is an ‘all or nothing’ kind of guy. That’s why the woman at the well accepted Him and the others didn’t. She was broken. She had nothing to prove. She was caught in her sin. She didn’t even believe her own justifications. She felt worthless and unloved. She was crying out for help, and Jesus heard her cry.
Don’t Worry, You Won’t Be Turned Away
No one who comes to Jesus will ever be turned away. There isn’t a bouncer at the door checking people’s IDs. Jesus is right there in the midst of the people, fully accessible to everyone. The crowds left Jesus on their own accord because they grew tired of Him. They were fair-weather fans. He didn’t satisfy their tastes and it’s a shame, because they never actually tasted Him. If they had, they would have known that He is good.
If you’re wondering why Jesus has never astonished you like the woman at the well or it has been a while since you’ve experienced the overwhelming joy of knowing Christ, perhaps it’s time for you to draw near to Jesus. Read what He claimed about Himself in the Gospel of John. Get past the cliches and get to know Him in a personal way. Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This homily is a condensed version of one of his sermons.