Title: The Bread of Life.....
2006 11/11 True Sarang Church Sunday Sermon
The miracle of five fish that Jesus performed in the field of Bathseda was a miracle that showed that the Lord knows our needs best and provides abundantly before we ask for them. It was also the sacrament meeting in the wilderness that the Lord performed the miracles of the five fish and gave food to so many people. In the text, we can see a comparison between the miracle of the five bowl fish performed by Jesus and the miracle of the Israelites eating manna in the wilderness. And all of this ultimately shows that Jesus became the bread of life for us by coming to this earth from heaven and dying on the cross to save us.
What Byeong-Eye Oh’s transfer showed
Through the miracles of Oh Byeong-Eye, Jesus revealed that He is the One who knows our needs first and fills them. Furthermore, he showed that He is the Almighty God. Who could perform such a mighty miracle? Such a miracle could only be done by God. Therefore, those who saw this miracle could believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God.
But the Jews did not believe so easily. The next day they came to Jesus and asked for a sign. “They asked, “Then what are the signs that we see and believe in you, and what are you doing?” (verse 30) They did not believe even after seeing the wonderful miracles such as the five worms. It was that if I showed him something bigger, he would believe it. What bigger transfers could they expect? They were asking for a miracle like the manna that fell from heaven when Israel was in the wilderness. “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written, “Bread was given to them in heaven to eat” (verse 31).
It was God who gave Israel manna in the wilderness. But the Jews thought it was as if Moses had given him manna. So they said that if Jesus were greater than Moses, he must do a greater miracle than Moses did when he sent manna from heaven. If Jesus would perform another miracle like Moses made manna fall in the wilderness, he would believe in Jesus.
Jesus said that the manna was not given by Moses, but by God. “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give the bread from heaven, but my Father gives the true bread from heaven” (verse 32). I was just telling the people how to do it, and it was God who gave the manna. Therefore, it would be wrong to compare Moses with Jesus. Just as God sent manna, Jesus performed the miracles of five worms. Such a miracle was not something a man could do. Therefore, Jesus was God.
bread of the flesh
Even the Jews could not have disputed that the manna that came down from the wilderness was not given by Moses, but by God. Jesus went further and said that the bread of God is the bread that gives life. “For the bread of God is the one that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (verse 33). Jesus came into this world to give people the bread of life. However, the Jews did not understand the word of the Lord and still sought the bread of the flesh. “They said, Lord, always give us this bread” (verse 34).
The demands of the Jews are the same as those of the Samaritan woman of Suga in chapter 4. When Jesus spoke of living water that never thirsts, the Samaritan woman asked for some of it if she had it. “The woman said, “Lord, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw water” (John 4:15).
bread of life
Of course, the Lord knows and supplies our physical needs. But what the Lord valued more was salvation. Jesus came into this world to save sinners and died on the cross to save us. The Lord saved us by giving up his body, which he gave us. So this is what the Lord said. “Jesus said, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (verse 35).
The day before His death on the cross, the Lord made this even clearer. “As they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” And he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink it, all of you. It is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for our sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). The Lord came to this earth to save us from eternal destruction because of our sins, and shed His blood on the cross to die for our sins. You gave your life to save us. It was you who gave us your life.
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God gave them manna. Without the manna in the wilderness, they would not have survived. However, this manna was not simply food for the flesh, but a foreshadowing of the coming of Jesus and giving us eternal life. The miracle that Jesus performed in the wilderness was also to show that the Lord is the bread of life.
In this hour we will share in the body and blood of Christ, who is the bread of life. God sent manna to Israel in the wilderness. As I partake of the flesh and blood of the Lord, remember that the Lord suffered and died to save me. Rejoice and be thankful that I have been saved because of it. Furthermore, I hope that by participating in the flesh and blood of the Lord, I hope that you will live fully in me and become a saint who more vividly experiences and enjoys the blessings of the Lord's control over me.