It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 WEB
In the first part of chapter six in John, Jesus miraculously feeds the masses from five small loaves of barley bread and a few fish. At the end of the meal, Christ asks his disciples to collect the leftovers and they return with more food than there was when the meal started.
When the people saw what happened, they praised Christ as a prophet. We read in John 6:13 What happened next as it says, “Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself. WEB”
The miracles continued as the disciples left in a boat for Capernaum. As a storm raged and the sea tossed them about, Jesus appeared, walking on the waves of the water. Upon entering the boat, immediately the group arrived at their destination safely.
On the next day, the great crowd who experienced the miracle of the loaves and fishes sought Jesus and his disciples, but they had already left. They sought him on the other side of the sea and found him there with his disciples.
Jesus then reveals the significance of the miracle they had seen the day before. This message was not well received. Seeking a similar sign as they had seen, the crowd asks what Jesus will do next, mentioning that their ancestors ate manna from heaven.
The Bread of Life
Jesus follows by teaching that he is the bread of life. His physical analogy confuses his listeners. Jesus tells them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to obtain eternal life. Missing the spiritual message of these words the same crowd who had praised him is now offended.
Of course, Christ is referring to his death on the cross and the shedding of his blood as an atonement for our sin. The message is that the flesh does not prosper but that it is the death of the flesh that engenders eternal life through the Spirit of God. The Spirit gives life.
Revealing that the Holy Spirit gives life, Jesus teaches a valuable lesson. Specifically, as food and drink nourish the physical body and must be consumed to become the body, the word of God must be taken in fully to be effective. It is not an intellectual pursuit. As holding or touching food is not enough to nourish the flesh, we must take the truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection deeply into our being in a spiritual sense.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you that the Spirit gives life. Give me wisdom to understand your word and purpose for my life. Increase my opportunities to share the good news of salvation through faith in Christ with the word. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: In Righteousness
