“Brenda wept when she told me that now, as a young woman, all of
it seemed hollow to her: the sermons, the Bible, the Lord’s
Supper—all of it. Even speaking in tongues (which she did less and
less) seemed artificial. She desired to be fed by God, but her
deepest fear was that nothing could reach her heart, nothing could
penetrate her cynicism. She had seen it all. And she had watched
Christian leaders with bravado use their own style of religion to
defeat their competitors in the Christian marketplace of ideas. She
had watched the healers, the revival preachers, the moral majority,
and almost every other religious configuration. Now she was
tired. She simply wanted to be with God, to find out if there was any way to be fed once more, to see if there
was any new dance that she had not already seen. She was hungry, but had reached that level of despair in
which a person doubts the existence of food.” (from Gary M. Burge, John—The NIV Application Commentary,
pp. 208-209).
For Discussion
How can a believer have years of Christian experiences, and yet feel so empty? What is the reason?
Encounter
Read God’s word so He can speak to you.
John 6:43-58, 66-69
43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent
me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by
God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except
the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread
that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world."
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 Jesus
“ALL OR NOTHING”
TAKING STRIDES - LIFE FEBRUARY 9-15, 15
said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last
day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one
who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers
ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 "You do not want to leave
too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Examine
what the passage says before you decide what it means.
Read it carefully three times.
Underline anything you see as important. Write any questions you have.
Explore
God's Word by asking questions of what you saw.
The notes that follow may help you think through these questions.
1)
Read John 6:29-59. Why does Jesus describe Himself as “bread”? What is bread to people?
2)
How is Jesus like the manna God gave Israel in the wilderness? (compare Exodus 16)

How is Jesus different?

Jesus said He is the bread of life. What life does He mean? What does this life give?
What is required of people in order to have what Jesus provides?
3)

Why does Jesus describe it as eating his flesh and drinking his blood (vv. 53-58)? Does this describe something more or different than what we usually think of “saying a prayer to receive salvation”? Why or why
not?
“ALL OR NOTHING”
TAKING STRIDES - LIFE FEBRUARY 9-15, 15
Why did so many followers of Jesus stop following Him? (note: “disciple” in John doesn’t necessarily mean
“believer,” but can also describe the curious who followed)
4)

Why are some believers in Jesus still so hungry for God, so disillusioned? What is needed?

Why did the twelve choose to stay?
Is your hunger for God being satisfied? Do you even still have a hunger? How do you know? What proves
it?
5)

If not, why? Do you want to change? If so, what do you need to actually do?

When the prodigal son was hungry was hungry, he went to eat with the pigs. When he was starving, he decided to go back home.
Notes On The Passage
(Adapted from Thomas Constable,
Expository Notes)
43-44
- He rebuked their grumbling
dissatisfaction by reminding them of what
God had given them—the offer of salvation. However, He
explained that those whom the Father had chosen for
salvation among them would believe in Him, regardless of
their inability to reconcile His earthly and heavenly origins.
The important thing for them to do was believe Him, not first
harmonize all the apparent contradictions they observed.
Jesus clarified also that the Father's drawing (Gr. helkyo) is
selective (cf. v. 37). He does not just draw everyone in the
general sense of extending the gospel invitation to them. He
selects some from the mass of humanity and brings them to
Himself for salvation. It is that minority that Jesus will raise
up to eternal life on the last day (cf. v. 40). This truth does
not contradict 12:32, where Jesus said that He would draw
(Gr. helkyo) all men to Himself. There He was speaking of all
peoples (ethnic groups) without distinction, not just Jews but
also Gentiles.
45
- Old Testament "prophets" had revealed that God
would teach His people (Isa. 54:13; cf. Jer. 31:34).
“ALL OR NOTHING”
Those whom God enlightened about Jesus' identity would
believe in ("come to") Him. That enlightenment comes
primarily through the Scriptures, God's principle tool.
46
– God does NOT draw people by giving a mystical
revelation of Himself in His unveiled splendor to
people. Jesus is the only "One" who "has seen" God fully (cf.
1:18). He is the only mediator of that knowledge of God,
without which no one can know God. Listening to Jesus then
becomes essential for learning from God.
47-48
- This summary continues through verse 51.
He repeated what He had told Nicodemus
more concisely (3:15). In spite of the truth of the Father's
drawing the elect to Himself, it is still imperative that they
believe in Jesus. This is the human responsibility. The result
is "eternal" or everlasting "life," that the new believer begins
to enjoy the moment he or she believes in Jesus. All of this is
part of what Jesus meant when He claimed to be the "Bread
of Life."
49-50
- Jesus had been speaking of everlasting
life, and had claimed that He, as the Bread
of Life, could provide it. Now He clarified the distinction
TAKING STRIDES - LIFE FEBRUARY 9-15, 15
Notes On The Passage (con’t)
between the physical bread that God provided in the
wilderness, and the spiritual Bread that He provided in Jesus.
The result of eating the manna was temporary satisfaction but
ultimately physical death, but the result of believing in Jesus
was permanent satisfaction and no death—i.e., victory over
physical death and no threat of the second or spiritual death.
51
- Jesus is "living" Bread, not manna, but He also
"came down" from God ("out of heaven")—as manna
did. Those who believe on Him (whoever "eats of this bread")
will experience eternal life ("live forever"). The terms "coming
to Jesus" (v. 35), "listening to Him" (v. 45), and "seeing
Him" (v. 40)—all mean "believing on Him" (v. 35). Jesus
would "give" His body as "bread" so the "world" could live
spiritually. He referred to His coming sacrificial death. Not
only had the Father given the Bread, but the Bread would now
give Himself.
52
- As Jesus' hearers had objected to what He had said
about His identity (vv. 41-42), so they now expressed
confusion about what He meant by "eating flesh." An intense
argument (Gr. emachonto) erupted among them.
53-54
- Jesus was speaking metaphorically, and
not literally. By referring to His "flesh" and
"blood," He was figuratively referring to His whole person.
Jesus was illustrating belief—what it means to appropriate
Him by faith (v. 40). He expressed the same truth, first
negatively (v. 53), and then positively (v. 54a). He referred
again to resurrection, as well, because it is the inauguration of
immortal eternal life (cf. vv. 39, 40, 44). The idea of eating
blood was repulsive to the Jews (cf. Lev. 3:17; 17:10-14). Jesus'
hearers should have understood that He was speaking
metaphorically, but this reference offended many of them (vv.
60-61).
55-56
- This verse explains why Jesus' statements
in verses 53 and 54 are true. Jesus' Person
(symbolized by His "flesh" and "blood") is what truly satisfies
and sustains life. This is the true function of food and drink.
Because Jesus' Person is what truly satisfies and sustains life,
those who believe in Him remain (Gr. meno, "abide") in Him.
This is a new term in the discussion, but it is synonymous
with having eternal life. Jesus was saying that believers
continue to possess eternal life; they will never lose it.
Believers remain in Christ, and He remains in them.
57-58
- Jesus traced the eternal life—that the
believer receives when he or she trusts in
Jesus—back through the Son to the living God (cf. 5:21, 2427). This helps us see that eternal life is essentially God's life
that He imparts to believers. It also clarifies Jesus' central role
as the Mediator of eternal life from the Father to humankind.
In conclusion, Jesus returned to His initial claim that He had
come from the Father (v. 29).
66
- Jesus lost "many of His" followers because of the
Bread of Life discourse (cf. v. 60). His explanation to
them following the discourse did not change their minds. He
had made no concessions. They had understood Him correctly
the first time. The Greek phrase ek toutou can mean "from
this time" or "for this reason." Both meanings fit here.
67
- Jesus' question assumed a negative answer, as is
clear from the Greek construction. He undoubtedly
asked it, not because He had questions about the Twelve's
perseverance (v. 64), but because they needed to reaffirm
their commitment. It would have been easy for them to agree
with the crowd. The question also implied that very many of
His disciples had abandoned Jesus, perhaps the majority.
68-69
- Typically, "Peter" spoke for the Twelve.
"Lord" (Gr. kurios) can mean simply "sir,"
but here it probably has a deeper meaning. These disciples
were reaffirming their allegiance to the One whom Peter now
identified as the "Holy One of God" (cf. Ps. 16:10; Isa. 41:14;
43:3; 47:4; 48:17; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34). Peter probably did
not mean that they viewed Jesus as their last resort, but that
Jesus was their only hope. They "believed" that Jesus'
teachings ("words") resulted in "eternal life" for those who
believed (v. 63), and they had "believed" in Him as the "holy"
Messiah whom "God" had sent.
Going Further
One thing we can do to train ourselves to remember, is to memorize a part of what our Father has said to us. The Holy
Spirit can use this to change our thinking so that our “heads” are more like Jesus.
This week, memorize John 6:44.
“ALL OR NOTHING”
TAKING STRIDES - LIFE FEBRUARY 9-15, 15