John 6:31-68 (35, 48, 51): "I am the bread of life," Jesus told them. "No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.”  “I am the Living Bread that came from above.”

Seated in Capernaum’s synagogue (vs 59), Jesus, accompanied by His disciples, had just crossed the Sea of Galilee. They came over water by boat while Jesus walked on it. (vs 19) Many of his audience had been guests during Jesus’ recent bread and fish picnic.  (vs 9-14,  22-24)  But they are late-comers this day (vs 25) and made it seem that they’d preceded Jesus there. (vs 25) In response, Jesus slams them with a powerful right jab – “You’re lazy. The only reason you search for me is so you can once again fill your bellies without having worked for it.” (vs 26) When Jesus instructs them to devote themselves to labors with eternal rewards, (vs 27) they make noises that sound like devotion. (vs28) Though Jesus had just delivered a TKO, “It’s your gut that brought you following me not you desire to hear from or perceive Father God (vs 26) they continue to bandy words in their futile defense effort.

Attempting to turn the table on Jesus, they ask, (paraphrased) “What miracle will you perform so that when we see we’ll have to believe?” (vs 30) But with the next verse, their true colors are clearly displayed, “Our fathers ate manna.”  Once again they are focused on what they may consume rather on intimacy with and service to Adonai. He confronts them over their selfish, myopic attempt to placate, as they see Him, a distant YHWH, Whom they think to appease by negotiated rule observance.  In response to their smoke-screen question, "What can we do to perform the works of God?" (v28) Jesus lights fire to their straw man of unbelief saying, “believe in the One He has sent." (v29)

When Jesus isn't successfully bated by their bogus offer of devotion, they try to goad Him into a competition with Moses.  It is almost as if they are saying, “Moses fed millions in the middle of a wilderness, you only fed 5000+alongside the Sea of Galilee.  By what sign will you prove you are greater that Moses? He fed our fathers with the 'bread from heaven'.  You used a boy's lunch, a loaf and fish.”  Their taunts, if not verbalized, were clear none-the-less, “What will you give us today to slake our appetites?”  In their eyes Jesus is little more than a man-servant detailed with providing for their every wish.

Jesus' reply to their taunt is found in verses 32-36.  His opening is a full-on broadside – Moses' manna was not bread from heaven.  Jesus stands against millennia of tradition and understanding.  Then he maneuvers to support his opening salvo saying, “bread of God is the One who comes from heaven.”  Moreover the real bread of God gives life unlike the manna that was only capable of sustaining it.  Once He got their attention He proceeded to tap His index finger on their foreheads, “I AM the Bread of Life.”  Once their eyes returned from being crossed, Jesus hit them where it really hurt, dead center in the bulls eye of their disbelief. “You've seen me and yet you do not believe.” (vs 36)

Remember when John's disciples came to Jesus (Matthew 11:2-6) with the question, “Are you the One”? Jesus reply was, “Go and report to John what you hear and see.”  Jesus never backs away from providing visible reasons for belief, but always confronts unbelief and never satisfies those searching out their next entertainment fix.  These hangers-on were not hungry for God or Truth; they had all the truth they wanted.  Unlike John & Co. these refuseniks were willfully blind.  Further, real belief cannot be manipulated and even an overabundance of emotion can’t breathe it to life.  Jesus' makes a stark pronouncement to these refuseniks, “You are and will remain hungry in your heart because, you will not believe.”

The words Jesus voices next (v 35-60) sure reminds me of Jesus, whip in hand, clearing out the Temple.  The emotional impact of Jesus' words causes an image to bubble to the surface:  Jesus is grabbing these refuseniks by the lapels and slamming them against the wall with tears of grief streaming down His cheeks, crying, “Believe!” Their refusal to believe prompts Jesus to confront them with the following four truths and with withering effect decimate His followers.

My Father sent me here and it is His will that I gather in, transfuse life into, and preserve until the last day all those whom He is drawing to Me. (vs 37-39) I am the true life-giving bread of God, the bread from heaven. I alone possess pure, undiluted life and I alone may provide life eternal to those who consume Me, take Me into themselves. (vs 35, 41, 48)Those who come to and believe in Me will have their hunger filled and thirst quenched – eternally. (vs 27, 35, 50-51) Many of you cannot hear and learn from that which I teach. So because of your refusal to believe, Abba cannot 'draw' you and you will remain hungry of soul. (37, 44-45) When I balance Jesus’ 'hard saying' (vs 51, 53-56) against what I know of the man Jesus, it occurs to me that there is a purpose beyond the abrasive hardness of His cutting words. On the uppermost level Jesus is drawing a line in the sand; “you're all the way in or not in at all.” On a deeper, personal level Jesus' words disguise a request for bone-deep intimacy. The marriage ceremony quotes Genesis 2:23 and 24, “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh” and “be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Do you recognize Jesus asking for this same level of intimacy – that of a marriage relationship? It this level of intimacy that alone produces new life. So Jesus is offering you and me the right and privilege to consume Life, take in into ourselves and where it will multiply and then birth new life into this His world.

The refuseniks' response was certainly telling (vs 60, 66-67). I'm paraphrasing: “This cut of meat is more like cured leather and just as unpalatable. He can't disrespect us this way.”  “We've followed Him and deserve better than this! I'm going back home.” And that day, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Jesus. (vs 66)

We've been told, “Do good and you'll receive good.” So when disaster strikes, do you find yourself asking what you'd done wrong? Job felt himself undeserving of what seemed to be God turning His face from him.  Perhaps we are undeserving. God testified so of Job. (Job 1:8) We have been purged from and forgiven of all sin and punishment is no longer an issue. Why, then, does it appear that God punishes His kids? Just maybe, like with Job, Abba is preparing the future via the experiences, hard and otherwise, we live through today.

Hard experiences? Any dreams the disciples might have entertained of public support sweeping Jesus into a palace were now completely dead. As if this dream was a wineskin, Jesus’ ‘hard sayings’ pierced and shredded it. Turning to the Twelve Jesus asked, “Do you also wish to go away?” (vs 67) Haven't you been tempted to turn back when sitting on the ash heap of devastation looking out to a parched future?

Jobs wife asked, “Are you still holding onto your principles [integrity]?” (Job 2:9) Does your integrity or faithfulness to God mean that much to you? Are you willing to sacrifice all rather than question God's goodness? Peter answered for the Twelve, "Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.” (vs 68)

How about you? Are your times with Jesus a meeting of lovers or are they bargaining sessions?  When things get hard, almost more than you can take, do you wish to go away, to hide or do you crawl into Abba’s lap? When you experience death, physical, emotional or intellectual, what is your answer “Do you also wish to go away?” (vs 67)