John 6:27, commentary and pictures

Spoken at Capernaum the day after the feeding, when the multitude sought Jesus not from faith in His miracles but because they had eaten and were filled and hoped He would keep supplying their bodily wants and an earthly kingdom, He exposed that motive and turned them from making perishable temporal food their chief concern to seeking spiritual nourishment of far greater worth. The food that perishes is earthly provision that decays and is of little value beside what endures, while the food that endures to everlasting life is Christ Himself as the true Bread from heaven, His words and the Word of God which are spirit and life, bringing wisdom, grace, and satisfaction to the soul now and forever. That enduring life is given by the Son of man alone, whom God the Father sealed, authorized and marked as His appointed representative, with all heaven at His command to give life more abundantly and raise up at the last day those who receive Him. To labor for that food is to believe on Him whom God sent, to come to Him and receive Him as personal Saviour, eating His flesh and drinking His blood by assimilating His words until they become part of the life, beholding His love in prayer and communion and dwelling in Him so as to share the divine nature and be transformed in character. Many rejected this because they wanted riches, glory and freedom from Rome rather than purity, self-denial and a spiritual kingdom, but those who receive Him are to study this truth diligently, refuse what weakens hunger for God, and work together with Him in self-denying service to carry the bread of life to hungering souls.

Setting and Audience Motives

The words were spoken the day after the feeding of the multitude, at Capernaum on the other side of the sea. They came after those who had been fed desired to make Him king, and after He came to the disciples walking on the stormy lake. They were His answer when the people found Him and questioned Him.

The crowd sought Him not because they saw the miracles, and not because they were convinced of His divinity as Teacher sent from God. They sought Him because they ate of the loaves and were filled, and wished Him to keep providing what would sustain physical life. They hoped for further temporal benefit from Him rather than understanding the sign.

Their seeking was from unworthy motives, not to learn how to please God in daily life but to demand miracles in unbelief and to gain temporal favors. Though they had witnessed the miraculous feeding and received the loaves, they still wanted another sign and sought another display of how food could be increased, hoping to learn how it was multiplied and to benefit from it. They thought it profitable to unite with Him if He would furnish bread to satisfy their temporal wants. Their hopes were the disappointed hopes of an earthly kingdom, and His teaching after refusing to be made king turned them from those hopes to Himself as the Bread of Life and to His words as spirit and life. The miracle of the loaves pointed to a deeper spiritual teaching, and following Him would bring a closer test, for He offered no earthly rewards.

He did not overlook the physical hunger of people who had followed eagerly to hear His words of life. He still cares for bodily needs and provides food. Yet He exposed their motive and rebuked their seeking, directing them from appetite for material bread toward spiritual nourishment of far greater importance. Temporal favors are of little consequence compared with the heavenly grace offered by the Son of God.

Perishable and Enduring Food

The meat that perishes is temporal food and passing earthly things, of very little value when set beside what endures. The command is not to make such food the chief concern or source of anxiety, not to be over-anxious for it, not to exhaust strength laboring for what decays, and not to work beyond strength while neglecting the kingdom of God. Even instruction and labor that do not strengthen spirituality belong to this perishing food, because they do not give the wisdom, knowledge and higher education that come from God.

The meat that endures to everlasting life is spiritual food, wisdom and heavenly grace that last forever. It is Christ Himself as the true bread from heaven and the bread of life come down to give life to the world, representing eternal riches. It is an education, knowledge and experience in heavenly things to be sought now and taken into the eternal ages, not left behind.

That enduring food is also Christ's words and the Word of God, which are spirit and life, while flesh by itself gives no life. It is truth that confronts the devil's lie, wisdom and higher education from God that alone gives spiritual vigor and moral strength. It is received by believing and taking His words into practical life, receiving and assimilating revealed words, keeping their precepts continually before the mind, studying and practicing and living by every revealed word by faith rather than by sight, instead of replacing His word with human suppositions.

The prayer for daily bread asks for this soul-bread as well as for bodily food, the bread that nourishes the soul unto everlasting life. All are invited to partake by coming directly to Jesus in need, trusting the loving compassionate Redeemer, casting the helpless soul and troubles upon Him to be received, strengthened, comforted and healed, rather than turning to human friends for help. Those who partake find present and eternal happiness, joy in Jesus Christ that does not sink under trouble and difficulty when circumstances change, and satisfaction of the soul's highest demands and hunger.

Sealed Son Gives Life

The enduring life is given by the Son of man and Son of God alone, and no human agent can supply it in his place. He gives his flesh for the life of the world, and those who receive him have eternal life now and will be raised up at the last day. He came to give life more abundantly, carrying on the work by which believers are made one with him in this present life to be one with him through all eternity. Even if they die as he died, his life is in them and their life is hid with Christ in God.

Him hath God the Father sealed means the Father has authorized and appointed him and marked him as divinely appointed representative for his work in the world. That sealing confirms his authority to give eternal life, so that receiving the enduring gift is not earning reward by special works but believing on him whom God sent and accepting him as personal Saviour. In him believers have everything, with all heaven and its inexhaustible treasure at their command.

The sealing marks him as sanctified and sent into the world, the only strength and hope of his people and the Lifegiver who draws them across the gulf of sin and separation to himself. At his baptism every human instrumentality and human agent was set aside as unworthy beside him, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

This gift is the will of God for his people and the divine antidote for the sin of the whole world in restoring humanity. It is the Father's will that none should perish but that all should receive eternal life through faith in Christ's sacrifice. By that suffering and death he became humanity's Restorer and will save a multitude eternally.

Receiving Through Believing Word

To labor for that enduring food is to believe on the One whom God sent, to receive Christ as personal Saviour, and to come to Him so as never to hunger and to believe so as never to thirst. It brings personal faith and spiritual union with Him, which outward connection with any church cannot supply, and it is not earned by special works but received by acceptance. It requires crucifying self instead of seeking Him for temporal benefit, for He gives His flesh for the life of the world and with Him comes all heaven and its inexhaustible treasure.

Eating His flesh and drinking His blood means receiving and assimilating His words until they become part of the self, keeping God's Word and truth continually before the mind. It means understanding and doing what is revealed, living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God by faith rather than by sight, never leaving His Word for the suppositions of men. It is studying and practicing its teachings, bringing its principles home to the soul and its truths into daily life, cherishing truth that works by love and purifies the soul.

Feeding upon Him means beholding His love, dwelling upon it, and drinking it in, receiving Him through His Word as the Holy Spirit opens the Word to the understanding and brings its truths home to the heart. It requires prayer and communion with God, daily prayer for the Spirit to reveal truth that will strengthen the soul for the day's need, continual growth in grace in His school, and being taught daily to bring truth into daily experience. It is bringing the principles of Scripture home to the soul to grasp the mysteries of godliness, an education that endures through time and eternity when its wonderful truths are brought into practical life, giving knowledge to distinguish true from false and bringing deep piety with less selfishness in service.

Those who so receive Him dwell in Him and He in them, eat bread by which a man does not die but lives forever, and have eternal life with resurrection at the last day. His life joined divinity with humanity so that those who receive Him share the divine nature and escape the world's corruption, partaking of Christ's life by taking the precious Word into life, for His words are spirit and life. They are made one with Him in this present life to be one with Him throughout all eternity, so that even if they die their life is hid with Christ in God, and this is true conversion and the new birth without which no one can see the kingdom of God. Learned as newborn babes desiring the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby, by opening the mind to the entrance of God's Word with determination to practice it, it changes the frivolous life, transforms the character, places the feet on Christ as the first round of the ladder heavenward, and reveals Christ in spirit, words, and actions.

This righteousness must be accepted to have on the wedding garment, which is the marriage of humanity with divinity and the standard of character each must reach to be counted a fit guest at the wedding. Accepting it requires taking a firm stand for Christ and surrendering to God what is already His, not continuing in sin, not measuring character by human ideas, and not presuming in matters of eternal interest, for presumption results in loss of the soul.

The living oracles are His flesh and blood even before the crucifixion, describing the spirituality of the Word received by taking the Word into life. His work as substitute for sin was the only hope of ancient Israel, and the New Testament illuminates rather than replaces the Old, with the Old Testament Scriptures sufficient to lead to truth so that those who believe the Old Testament writings are led to believe the New.

The enduring bread as the Word does not address the understanding alone as mathematics addresses the intellect, but aims at the heart, addresses the moral nature, and takes possession of the will. It casts down imaginations and every high thing exalted against the knowledge of God and brings every thought into captivity to obedience, representing the body and blood of the Son of God as the bread of life. Learning this science of salvation requires being a submissive student in Christ's school, emptied of proud possessions, disciplined to habits of obedience and service, with the soul-temple made the abiding place of the Most High where Christ imprints His image.

Rejection Through Earthly Expectations

Christ offers no earthly rewards, for the miracle of the loaves pointed to a deeper spiritual teaching, and following Him would bring a closer test that revealed whether hearers were truly with Him. That test belongs to the truths spoken in John 6:27, and those who were not wholly with Him would later oppose Him at His trial.

His plain testimony in the sixth chapter tested those who claimed to be His disciples, and some rejected it rather than accept rebuke and change their lives. They preferred human praise and flattery, valuing approval and other passing things over His truth and the life He offers. The crowd's interest was centered on the food He had provided, caring more for bread that perishes than for the bread of eternal life. Such outward admiration is not true love when attachment to earthly provision takes priority over Him.

The people wanted earthly riches, glory, political power, freedom from Roman rule, and a conqueror who would bring temporal power and satisfy earthly desires. His teaching called instead for personal purity and reformed lives, for self-denial and willingness to suffer humiliation as His disciples. Their desire for temporary rewards kept them from valuing what endures to everlasting life. That enduring meat is the Bread of life come down from heaven, of the highest consequence, which satisfies the highest spiritual demands and the hunger of the soul. It is God's truth, the truth that confronts the devil's lie, and Christ's kingdom is spiritual, not a temporal reign.

Comparatively little anxiety should be given to temporal food to satisfy temporal hunger, for spiritual things are to be the aim and object of the life work. Disciples must not look for a temporal kingdom or for temporal advancement and worldly pre-eminence, but give true, wholehearted service, deny self, lift the cross, and follow wherever He leads. If men accept Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, all their hungering of soul will be satisfied. When He made this clear and declared Himself the Bread of life after feeding the multitude with the loaves and fishes and walking on the water, crowds and even some disciples turned away from Him.

Living Out the Teaching

The sixth chapter of John reveals Christ as the Bread of Life and holds most precious and important lessons for all who are being educated in schools. It calls for especially diligent study by older persons as well as younger ones, by reading and studying it, meditating upon its truths, eating the bread of life, committing the chapter to memory, and praying for clearness of understanding to comprehend its important statements. Those who bring its wonderful truths into practical life gain an education that will endure through time and through eternity, learning what Christ is to each person individually and what advantage comes from eating His words, since He Himself is the great center of life and His words are spirit and life. Men and women are built up spiritually from the food they give the mind, for the Bible contains the bread sent down from heaven that endures unto everlasting life, so those ministering in word and doctrine and all of God's people must not be dull of understanding.

Obeying this direction to seek spiritual food that leads to everlasting life rather than perishable food leads to rightly understanding Scripture and valuing its truth as a treasure for the mind. That truth so treasured becomes a wellspring of life within and presents what must be done to be saved, which Christ gives as enduring life. In the work of education this means schools should lead students to God's word and to salvation and value the soul's conversion, rather than fill minds with error and worldly things. A soul converted to God becomes dedicated to holy service, holding and sharing truth, for true education trains body, mind, and soul for divine service and prepares a person to perform every duty.

Laboring for lasting food is a constant duty carried out through earnest practical work and obedience to God's word rather than labor for perishable things. It requires refusing to waste time and money on magazines, books, and unprofitable reading matter that lead the mind astray and hinder spiritual growth, keeping them off the table and saving dimes and dollars for the cause of God in self-denial boxes to help the work in the southern field. It requires refusing to be absorbed in theatrical performances, worldly entertainment, and greedily fed pleasure, for a heart occupied with worldly performances loses its hunger for God and cannot serve Him wholeheartedly. What a person chooses to see and hear shapes the mind and spiritual appetite, so that giving attention to worldly entertainment can leave no hunger for Christ or relish for heavenly instruction, while feeding on Christ as heaven's manna brings spiritual strength and fullness. Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God is tasting that the Lord is gracious as a real part of actual experience, meaning true conversion and being born again, learned as newborn babes learn to desire the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby, by opening the mind to the entrance of God's word with determination to practice it, for the word gives understanding to the simple and light comes. When obtained, this very education every student needs changes the frivolous life, transforms the character beheld by the universe of heaven, forsakes the frivolous common level, places the feet on the first round of the ladder which is Christ Jesus, mounts step by step heavenward, and reveals Christ in spirit, words, and actions in harmony with the real genuine experience every child of God must have to enter the higher grade.

Those enlisted under the banner of Prince Immanuel labor together with God, instant in season and out of season, not for perishable gain but for the food that endures to everlasting life. That labor is working out their own salvation with fear and trembling, doing faithful work in His vineyard where to every man is given his work, never as idlers but running the race set before them with persevering earnestness and energetic movement and fighting the good fight of faith to lay hold on eternal life. Because they are bought with a price and are not their own, they are to glorify God with their bodies and spirits which are His, and if privileged with the bread of life they must work, denying self and taking up the cross and following Christ. The chapter teaches dependence on Christ rather than on human beings, directing away from what cannot endure toward the life Christ gives, so people must look to Jesus as the source of strength, wisdom, guidance, and spiritual life. Souls hungering for the bread of life will come to Christ's representatives, often in unexpected positions that expose human insufficiency, and they will be destitute and helpless with nothing to impart unless they first receive spiritual food themselves, going directly to Jesus in need and to God as the source of supply, trusting the loving compassionate Redeemer who knows how to assist poor trembling souls, casting the helpless soul and all troubles upon Him to have burdens taken and to be received, strengthened, comforted and healed, rather than turning to human friends for help.

The truths and lessons in Christ's Object Lessons and Ministry of Healing provide this food for eternal life, offering lessons of lasting spiritual value in contrast with food that perishes. Laboring for it includes selling those precious books of highest value, especially in Los Angeles as a very fruitful field where thousands of transient residents and visitors would be benefited, with those bearing responsibilities in sanitariums wisely encouraging nurses, helpers, and students to gather by this means as much as possible of the money required to meet the expenses of the different institutions. It means not exhausting all physical and mental strength laboring for food and gain that decays, not even for perishable food such as health foods, but subordinating the world and putting highest effort into seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and the future eternal life. Earthly things perish, while heavenly treasure is lasting currency bearing God's image and superscription, given because Christ paid the ransom for the soul and knows its value.

Its teaching brought into daily experience is the mystery of godliness and gives the knowledge that enables distinguishing the true from the false in days of peril. Receiving and believing in Him as the bread of life means receiving His life-giving words, which lead to everlasting life and resurrection at the last day, and assimilating those words brings deep piety and less selfishness in service.