Lesson 2: Jesus Is the Bread of Life

Lesson 1 covered Jesus as the “I am.” He is the answer to the spiritual needs of every person. In this lesson, we will look at Jesus as the bread of life.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NET)

Paint Color #2: Purple

Today, we are painting with the color “purple.” What does the color purple mean to you, or what do you associate with the color purple?

Throughout history, the color purple has often been associated with kings, queens and other very rich people. Kings and emperors dressed in purple clothing to display their importance because purple dye was quite expensive. Only the wealthy could afford to have clothes dyed with purple. So, purple as a color represents abundance—having plenty of everything, including food so that your hunger was being satisfied.

1. Consider the word satisfied. What does it mean to be satisfied?

2. Give examples of feeling satisfied because of having abundance.

One day Jesus saw a huge crowd of people coming towards Him as He was teaching. He knew they would be hungry so His disciples found a boy with 5 small loaves of bread and 2 small fish. That’s all Jesus needed to feed the crowd of more than 5000. Do you remember what happened?

3. Read John 6:5-15. If you were a reporter, what parts of this event would really stand out to you so that you would write about it?

Did you notice that Jesus fed every one of those people as much as they wanted to eat so that they were satisfied? For that day, at least.

The next day, the crowd was hungry again so they searched for Jesus. When they found Him, Jesus fussed at them because they were only looking for Him to give them more food, not to believe in Him as the Son of God. He said they should not be hungry just for physical food but for the bread that comes down from heaven to give life to the world.

4. Read John 6:25-34.

• When they asked Jesus what works they must do to please God (verses 28-29), how did Jesus answer?
• What kind of bread were the people thinking Jesus was offering to them (verse 31)?

5. Read John 6:35. How did Jesus answer them?

6. Have you ever gone without eating for a whole day or longer? What was that like?

Without food, your body begins to get weaker. Food is one of our basic needs; we all must eat to live.

In most of the countries of the world, the main food source for people is bread made from some kind of flour. That’s been true for the past 4000 years or so. People have eaten bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with some other things like cheese and fruit. To them, bread means life. Without it, they starve. When their grain crops fail because of drought or disease, they have no bread. That was true for the people in Jesus’ crowd. There were no grocery stores.

Today, we don’t depend on just bread in America because we have so many different kinds of food. But we still need food to live, whether bread or not, so food sustains life. Jesus was telling the crowd that He is even more important to them than their daily meals.

7. Reread John 6:35.

• What does Jesus promise to those who come to Him?
• Do you think Jesus meant that you don’t have to eat food or drink water every day?

Jesus must have meant something else. During this story in John chapter 6, Jesus says 6 times that He is the bread who came down from heaven to give life to the world (verses 33, 38, 41, 50, 51, & 58).

Since bread is usually meant to be eaten, that means you must personally take it into your body so that it nourishes you for life. That’s physical bread giving physical life. Jesus refers to Himself as spiritual bread that gives spiritual life through a relationship with God.

8. God creates every human being with a hunger for a relationship with Him. How have you tried to satisfy this hunger in the past?

Sometimes people try to satisfy that hunger by staying very busy or doing good works or following a set of rules. The Jewish people followed many rules. But, Jesus didn’t say, “I am the bread of life. He who completely follows the rules will never go hungry again.”

9. Read John 6:35 again. What invitation does Jesus give in this verse to satisfy our hunger?

That’s an invitation to have a relationship with God because Jesus is God. It’s not through just following rules. And, Jesus promised that no one who comes to Him would ever go hungry. The food He gives will never spoil. He will never run out of it. That’s abundance. Look at this promise He makes to everyone who comes to Him.

10. Read John 6:36-37. What does Jesus say He will never do?

Wow! Isn’t that wonderful? He wants you to be close to Him, and He will never reject you. Never push you away. That’s eternal life. Knowing Jesus as your best friend. And, His love for you is abundant and satisfying.

You will not feel hungry for God’s love because you will have it constantly.

Jesus is our bread of life. His abundant love satisfies our hunger for a relationship with God. Next time you have lunch or dinner, think about how that never lasts long. You always get hungry again. But, Jesus said if you come to Him for your spiritual food, He will satisfy the hunger in your heart for a relationship with the God who made you.

11. Think about it, in what areas of your life do you not feel satisfied?

So, the question to ask is this, “How do I go to Jesus for spiritual food so that I can be satisfied?“

• First, by trusting in Him to take away your sins. You only need to do this once in your life. After you have done that…
• Follow Him every day by reading your Bible, especially the parts that talk about Jesus—the books called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Those will tell you all about who Jesus is. The “Filling in the Portrait of Jesus” at the end of each lesson suggests that you read through the book of John, a couple of chapters at a time.
• Talk to Him through prayer. Prayer is simply conversation with Someone who loves you dearly. Jesus is always there for you. Will you do that this week?

Following Jesus

1) Bible verse to learn:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NET)

2) Response in prayer & praise:

Talk to Jesus about any feelings of spiritual hunger or thirst that you might have. Tell Him you are ready to begin to experience being satisfied by His abundant love that He gives to those who come to Him and follow Him.

3) Filling in the portrait of Jesus:

Christianity is Christ so spend a few minutes each day reading the verses and reflecting on Jesus—His life, His relationships, and His teaching. Get to know Him well—this One who loves you dearly.

• Read John 3:1-21. Reflect on what you read.
• Read John 3:22-36. Reflect on what you read.
• Read John 4:1-26. Reflect on what you read.
• Read John 4:27-54. Reflect on what you read.