NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 37
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6:47
John 3:15-16, 36
6:48
John 6:35, 41, 51, 58
6:51
John 10:10-11
Heb 10:10
6:54
John 6:39-40, 44
6:56
John 14:20; 15:4-7;
17:21-23
1 Jn 2:24; 3:24
6:57
John 5:26
6:58
John 6:31
•
J ohn
6
47“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48Yes, I am the bread of
life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50Anyone who eats
the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51I am the living bread that came down
from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will
offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
52Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can
this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
53So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54But anyone who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.
55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Anyone who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57I live because of the living Father who
sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58I am the
true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your
ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus (101)
60Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
6:62
Acts 1:9-11
Eph 4:8
6:63
Rom 8:2
1 Cor 15:45
1 Pet 3:18
6:64
John 13:11
6:65
John 6:44
6:68
John 6:63
6:69
Matt 16:16
Mark 1:24; 8:29
Luke 9:20
1 Jn 2:20
61Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this
offend you? 62Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?
63The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very
words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But some of you do not believe me.”
(For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would
betray him.) 65Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the
Father gives them to me.”
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus
turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”
68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give
eternal life. 69We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.*”
6:69 Other manuscripts read you are the Christ, the Holy One of God; still others read you are the Christ, the Son
of God; and still others read you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
6:47-58 The religious leaders frequently asked Jesus to prove to them
6:66 Why did Jesus’ words cause many of his followers to desert him?
why he was better than the prophets of the past. Here Jesus refers to the
manna that God had given their ancestors in the wilderness during Moses’
time (see Exodus 16). This bread was physical and temporal. The people
ate it, and it sustained them for a day. But they had to get more bread
every day, and this bread could not keep them from dying. Jesus, who
is much greater than Moses, offers himself as the spiritual bread from
heaven that satisfies completely and leads to eternal life.
6:47 As used here, believes means “continues to believe.” We do not
believe merely once; we keep on believing in and trusting Jesus, following
him as our Lord and Savior day by day.
6:51-53 How can Jesus give us himself as bread to eat? To eat living
bread means to accept Christ into our lives and become united with
him. We are united with him in two ways: (1) by believing in his death
(the sacrifice of his body, or flesh) and resurrection and (2) by devoting
ourselves to living as he requires, depending on his teaching for guidance
and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power.
6:56 This was a shocking message—to eat flesh and drink blood sounded
cannibalistic. The idea of drinking any blood, let alone human blood, was
repugnant to the religious leaders because the law forbade it (Leviticus
17:10-11). Jesus was not talking about literal blood, of course. He was
saying that his life had to become their own, but they could not accept this
concept. He was predicting his death and what it would mean to all believers. The Gospel writers and the apostle Paul used the body and blood
imagery in teaching about the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
6:63, 65 The Holy Spirit gives spiritual life; without the work of the
Holy Spirit, we cannot even see our need for new life (14:17). All spiritual
renewal begins and ends with God. He reveals truth to us, lives within
us, and then enables us to respond to that truth.
(1) They may have realized that Jesus wasn’t going to be the conquering Messiah-King they expected. (2) Jesus refused to give in to their
self-centered requests. (3) Jesus emphasized faith, not deeds. (4) Jesus’
teachings were difficult to understand, and some of his words were
offensive. As we grow in our faith, we may be tempted to turn away
because Jesus’ lessons are difficult. Will your response be to give up,
ignore certain teachings, or reject him? Instead, ask God to show you
what his teachings mean and how they apply to you. Then persist with
courage to act on God’s truth.
6:67-68 After many of Jesus’ followers had deserted him, he asked
the 12 disciples if they were also going to leave. Peter replied, “Lord, to
whom would we go?” In his straightforward way, Peter answered for all
of us—there is no other way. Though there are many philosophies and
self-styled authorities, Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. People
today want to go their own way or no way at all. They look to their own
imaginations, instincts, or some intangible wisdom inside them. People
look everywhere for eternal life and miss Jesus, the only source of it. Stay
with him, especially when you are confused or feel alone.
6:67 Jesus offers no middle ground. When he asked the disciples if they
would also leave, he was showing that they could either accept or reject
him. Jesus was not trying to repel people with his teachings. He was simply
telling the truth and giving them a choice. The more the people heard
Jesus’ real message, the more they divided into two camps—the honest
seekers who wanted to understand more and those who rejected Jesus
because they didn’t like what they had heard.
