(a) What circumstances led to Jesus' declaration of Himself as the 'Bread of Life"? (b) Identify three moral lessons in this story.

Answer Details

(a) Circumstances that led to Jesus' declaration of Himself as the 'Bread of Life' (John 6)

The declaration arose out of the events following the feeding of the five thousand:

• Jesus had miraculously fed a great multitude with five barley loaves and two fish, and twelve baskets of fragments were gathered up.
• Impressed by the sign, the crowd wanted to seize Him by force and make Him king, but Jesus withdrew to the mountain and later crossed the sea to Capernaum.
• The crowd searched for Him and found Him on the other side of the sea. Jesus told them plainly that they were seeking Him not because they saw signs but because they had eaten the loaves and were filled.
• He urged them not to labour for the food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man would give.
• They asked for a sign and reminded Him that their fathers ate manna in the wilderness. Jesus replied that it was not Moses but His Father who gives the true bread from heaven, the bread that gives life to the world.
• When they asked for this bread, Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." He added that whoever eats this bread will live for ever, and that the bread He gives is His flesh for the life of the world.

(b) Three moral lessons

1. We should seek spiritual, not merely material, benefits. Christians must labour for eternal things and not follow Christ only for earthly gain.
2. Faith in Christ is the source of true and lasting life. Belief in Jesus satisfies the deepest hunger of the soul.
3. Christ meets both physical and spiritual needs. As He fed the crowd and offered Himself as living bread, believers should trust Him for their total welfare and also care for the needy around them.