p. 12 | THE BREAD OF LIFE

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 24, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 38.

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THE BREAD OF LIFE

“Study to show thyself approved unto God.”

Lesson II.—Sabbath, October 10, 1896.

THE BREAD OF LIFE.

Lesson Scripture, John 6:28–40, R. V.

28 “They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 29 They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou? 30 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. 31 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven. 32 For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 33 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 34 Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 35 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. 36 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 37 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 38 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 39 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

QUESTIONS.

What inquiry did the people address to Jesus?
What did he define the work of God to be?
What demand did they then make of him?
What historical fact did they mention?
What scripture did they quote?
What error in their belief did he then correct?
What positive teaching did he inculcate?
How did he define the real bread?
What request was then made by the people?
What did Jesus declare that he was?
Who did he say would not hunger? Who would not thirst?
What former statement did Jesus call to their attention?
How many did he say would come to him? How would he treat them?
What was the declared purpose in his coming to earth?
What did he say was his Father’s will?
In what other form did he repeat this same statement?

NOTES.

1. In his reply to the inquiry of the Jews, Christ presents the foundation principle of all Christian experience. “He places being before doing; because the spiritual tree must have life before it bears fruit.” There must be a change of nature (John 3:5), an indwelling Saviour (Eph. 3:17), and then we can do (Phil. 4:13), yet not we (1 Cor. 15:10),

but God in Christ working in us (Phil. 2:12, 13). To believe on Christ is the all-important thing (Acts 16:31), but it is very necessary to understand the true meaning of such faith. “Where there is not only a belief in God’s word, but a submission of the will to him; where the heart is yielded to him, the affections fixed on him, there is faith,—faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God.”

2. “The works that Christ performed bore testimony to the fact that he was God manifest in the flesh. The believer is by his faith united to Christ even as the branch is to the vine. The influences and efficiency of the vine all reveal themselves in the branches. . . . What Christ can do, faith can do.” Thus what God requires of us is summed up in true faith. This includes the self-denial (Matt. 16:24), the submission (Rom. 10:3), and the yielding (Rom. 6:16), that the fruits of righteousness (Phil. 1:11) may appear in us.

3. The rabbis taught that the Messiah when he came would renew the gift of manna, which may explain the reference made to the giving of the manna in the inquiry made by the Jews. “His life was one continual miracle, but they knew it not, and demanded that he should show them a miracle.” Their inquiry was virtually saying, “If you are sent from God, we may surely expect you to rival Moses.” Jesus answers their very thoughts, saying: “Not Moses gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father gives you the bread out of heaven, the real bread.” “As to the Samaritan woman, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so now to the Galileans, Jesus manifests himself as sent to communicate to man life eternal. . . . What is there in Christ which constitutes him the bread of life? There is, first of all, that which he himself constantly presses, that he is sent by the Father, that he comes out of heaven, bringing from the Father a new source of life into the world. . . . Christ is the bread from heaven, because in Christ God gives himself to us, that by his life we may live.” Christ is the “Desire of all nations” (Hag. 2:7), that which meets the longing of the human soul; and so those who receive him are satisfied.

4. “If, on the one hand, it is true that all the given ones shall come, it is also true, on the other hand, that all who come are included among the given ones. Would you know whether you are one of these? Ask yourself if you have truly come to Christ, or believed in him as Saviour, Friend, and King.” Men may cast out the believer in Jesus (John 9:34), but the Saviour will never do so. This is but carrying out God’s will (Matt. 18:14), whose heart embraces all (2 Peter 3:9), and who in Christ invites all (Matt. 11:28).

5. “It is not enough to impart eternal life. That would bless the spirit, but leave the body untouched. And the Saviour will not rest until the whole of our complex nature shares the emancipation and blessing of his salvation. A transfigured manhood and a glorified body must be the crown of his work for his own; and so by his mighty power, he will raise us up in the likeness of his glory, and make us the sharers of his royal and exalted state. Phil. 3:21.” “Christ gives eternal life. . . . The life which man forfeited in Eden is given back in the second Man, the Lord from heaven. . . . We can not explain the mystery of the imparting of this eternal life; and we know as little of the life itself. We are sure that it can not be acquired, but must be given. We are sure that life is not the result of knowledge, but knowledge the result of life. . . . And we know that by this the religion of the Bible is distinguished from all other religions whatsoever, that it provides for the communication of this life to all who believe. Whatever a man professes and knows, without this life he is no Christian.”

6. He who “seeth the Son and believeth on him,” is the one who looks with the eye of faith. Moses saw Christ in this way. Heb. 11:27. “He saw Jesus as his Saviour, and he believed that the Saviour’s merits would be imputed to him. This faith was to Moses no guesswork; it was a reality. This is the kind of faith we need,—faith that will endure the test.” “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.”

Suggestions for Further Study.

1. Study the meaning of the word “true” as used in this Gospel. Compare the “True Light,” the “True Bread,” the “True Vine.”

2. What is the force of the present tense in verse 33?

3. Observe that throughout this lesson Christ sets himself forth as the very heart and life of Christianity. A personal Saviour is the need of every individual.

4. Compare bread in its power to sustain life, as containing all necessary food elements, with other kinds of food, and note the force of the statement, “I am the bread of life.”