The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1506
John chapter 6

One of the reasons people have difficulty understanding the Bible is that they cannot think on a level higher than the flesh, i.e. the physical, earthly.

The disciples were (and even today are) no exception.  So the Teacher of teachers patiently and through the use of miracles themselves, shows us how to think "above" the flesh and focus on Him.

John 6:1
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
Tiberius means "garden of the prince".
[2] And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
It is important to note that the reason the crowd followed Jesus was because of the miracles He performed. They were looking for a show! And it doesn't take much to gather a crowd!

But be forewarned. It is written that there will be one coming in the very near future who will also perform miracles in the sight of men, like snapping his fingers and calling lightning down from the sky. And guess what? The whole world (with the exception of those who have the seal of God, His Word, locked in their minds) will follow [whore] after him. He will sit in the temple of God and claim to be Jesus (2 Thes. 2), but he will be the Instead-of-Jesus, i.e. Satan.

Yes, people often think that if they truly saw a miracle they would certainly believe and have no doubts.Be careful! How about if you saw the Messiah Himself perform a miracle? Would that do it for you? Keep this thought in mind as we study this chapter 6 of John.

[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with his disciples.
[4] And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
The Passover is feast of all of Israel, not just Judah. Of course the "traditions of men" which is taught in most of our so called them "Christian churches" (instead of the Bible) have our people celebrating Easter, from Ishtar, the ancient Pagan sex goddess, instead of observing the Passover. Satan must be well pleased!
John 6:5
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
[6] And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Of course Christ knew what He was going to do. He went there to "teach a miracle"! In fact, the Father has already sent a young lad with the divinely ordained number of loaves of barley and fishes (vs. 9)! You see, many times God answers our prayers and provides a solution even before we're finished asking, like He did in Daniel's case in Daniel 10:12.

Then too, it's sometimes difficult for us to "see and understand" the solution that God sets before us. I'm sure most of you have heard the story about the devout man who was trapped in his house during a raging flood. As the waters grew higher he climbed up onto his second story balcony and just then a row boat came by and the man in the boat said, "Hey mister, get in!", to which the man on the porch replied, "No, I'm staying. The Lord will take care of me!" But the waters continued to rise and the man now climbed up on the roof when another row boat came by, and the man in the boat said, "Hey mister, better get in the boat!", to which he again replied, "No thanks, the Lord will take care of me!" The waters raged again and the man was now standing on top of his chimney when a helicopter came by and lowered a rope. But the man refused and said, "No thanks! The Lord will take care of me!" Thereafter the man soon drowned and upon entering heaven he asked the Lord, "Lord, why didn't you save me from those raging waters?", to which the Lord replied, "Well, I sent you two row boats and a helicopter!"

With that in mind, let's repeat verse 6 and notice why Jesus said what He did to Philip about feeding the crowd.

John 6:6
And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip is being given a little spiritual test here. That's right, Christ gave him a test to PROVE him. You see, he too has seen the miracles Christ has performed and is now sitting on the mountain, right there along side the Son of God. Put yourself in his position. (You too can sit with the Word of God.)

So what do you think? Will Philip elevate his mind and think in terms of the "spirit" or will he have his flesh eyes only open and see things in terms of the flesh?

[7] Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
Ah, the flesh prevails once again! Give Philip an "F" (for Flesh) on his pop quiz! Lord knows we have all gotten enough of those ourselves. But don't worry, Philip will do well on his final exam.
[8] One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

[9] There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Hmmm, notice good old Andrew too! He points out(from his flesh perspective) that the five loaves and the two small fishes are but a "drop in the basket" among such a huge crowd. So not only didn't Andrew realize that God had provided the solution, he didn't believe the solution was sufficient!

This verse also contains the key elements to understanding the miracle which is about to happen, indeed, which already began with this young lad. The bread and the fish as we noted, and will be documented later on, were supplied by Almighty God, all of it, not just the addition to the 5 loaves and the 2 fishes.

And here once again, the understanding of Biblical numerics (see appendix 10 in the Companion Bible) gives us a deeper look into the meaning of what is happening. "5" is the number of "Grace" and "2" denotes "Difference". We will find out that Christ is that bread, that grace who shed His blood for us. And why barley loaves instead of wheat? Here's the definition of barley:

Barley. Used, by the poor only, for bread... The barley harvest is in March and April, earlier than the wheat harvest by three weeks. ("Smith's Bible Dictionary")
Jesus was born in a manger, not in a rich man's house, i.e. He was lowly, like barley. And barley, because it ripens about a month before wheat, is symbolic of firstfruits.

And fish would later become the symbol of Christianity. AND believe it or not, there the are "2" Christianities. That's right, there is real Christianity (which is not a religion) and there is Anti-Christianity, or Churchianity, (which is a religion). ["Anti" in Greek means "instead of".] Most Christians cannot tell the difference between the real thing and that which is clothed in religious garb. Why, you say?  Because they are Biblically illiterate! Many have sat in pews for decades and still only know about salvation and baptism. (So just wait until the "first supernatural miracle worker" appears at the 6th Trump. There will be a crowd follow him alright! It is called the great apostasy!)

Anyway, here's what the apostle Paul has to say to many of today's church goers:

Hebrews 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
If one has been a Christian for say 10+ years then he should have a pretty good knowledge of the scriptures, shouldn't he?  He (or she) should be able to feed others some "meat" from God's Word. But nooooo! Most are still sucking on milk bottles! Is that a good thing?
[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
If you're still on milk then you have remained a "Baby Christian". Babies wear diapers, you know!

But grown ups, mature Christians, get to eat "steaks and full course meals"!

[14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Let's return to the mountain where the Word of God is about to feed 5,000 people.

John 6:10
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
There's that number 5 again, this time in a multiple form. Also we know from the other Gospels that Christ had the multitude seated by ranks, in an organized fashion. God is not the author of confusion.
[11] And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Christian's should always give thanks.

Notice it was the disciples who did the actual feeding after receiving the blessed "bread" from the Word of God.

[12] When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
[13] Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Let's just say there was enough bread and fishes to feed the whole field [world] and still have enough to FILL UP the entire 12 tribes of Israel. (This has to do with Romans chapter 11, a lengthy subject for another time.)
[14] Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
The people were impressed by this miracle and figured if they made Him king they could get a free lunch everyday!
[15] When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
It was certainly not time for Jesus to be crowned king. Besides, man cannot crown the King of kings. He came as the Lamb of God, but next time we see Him, He will be the Ruler of the Universe and Lord of lords.

And when He comes, every knee in both heaven and earth will bow to the King of kings.

Philip. 2:10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
What a time that will be! And it is closer than you might think!

Jesus had just fed 5,000 people beginning with 5 loaves of barley bread and 2 small fishes, and when He was finished there were 12 baskets full of fragments left over. And His disciples not only witnessed this miracle but HELPED Jesus perform it by distributing the "bread and meat" to the rank and files, after having received it from the Word of God. (That is how His disciples continue to feed the people to this very day.)

Now you would think that having just gone through this miraculous experience that their faith and trust in the Lord would be virtually unshakable. You would think.

Let's find out.

John 6:16
And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Actually you might think that the disciples had been waiting around on the Lord, growing impatient as we sometimes do, but we know from Mat. 14:22 that Jesus sent them to their ship while He went up into the mountain to pray. Do you think He had a reason for doing this? Of course He did. He is about to teach another lesson to His disciples. No, not just those disciples who were with Him! All of His disciples! That should include you and me. By the way, this class will be taught at night so it will be a really good lesson to remember when things get "dark".
[17] And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
Well, perhaps now they are growing impatient because "Jesus was not [yet] come to them", so they decide to go it alone! (All texts read "not yet", oupo in the Greek.)  But in any event, know this: Once you become a true disciple of Jesus you are eventually going to end up in troubled waters. What? You thought that becoming a Christian would mean "easy sailing" for the rest of your life? You've been watching too much Sunday morning television!
[18] And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

Uh oh! "Don't Know Why, There's No Sun Up In The Sky, Stormy Weather!" (I always liked that song). Again, you could say that they didn't wait for Jesus to come down from the mountain, just as their ancestors didn't wait for Moses to come down from the mountain with the commandments of God either, but the disciples were really following Christ's instructions.

And now "mother nature", using the negative of a physical storm to bring about a positive spiritual result, is about to get their attention and make them ready to receive the Lord into their ship.

Note: You would think that all the nature disasters, like the hurricanes, and floods, and earthquakes, that have been occurring would make our people wake up and become ready to receive Him. Perhaps for some it has, but it is obvious that the majority is oblivious. Oh well, keep rowing pal!

[19] So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
They made it about half way across and the situation was now becoming critical. Let's switch to Matthew's account and pick up some more details.
Matthew 14:24
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
There's an interesting type in this scenario for those who are familiar with the ships of Chittim in Daniel 11, which are symbolic of God's elect in the final generation. And we know that the sea [water] is symbolic of peoples and nations (Rev. 17:15). Now check out the word for "wind" used here.
anemos; an'-em-mos, Greek #417, from the base of Greek 109 (aer); wind; (plural) by implication (the four) quarters (of the earth) : wind.
You can't help but be reminded of the four winds of Rev. 7:1 (which is the same word anemos) that are released to consummate the final events just prior to the second advent. And notice the definition of the word "contrary".
enantios, Greek 1727; from Greek 1725 (enanti); opposite; figurative antagonistic :- (over), against, contrary.
And so it is that the prince of the power of air, old blow-hard himself (Satan), will come here (Rev. 12:7-9) and bring with him that furious storm of deception, a flash flood of lies, and the sea [people] will certainly be tossed with waves, even wave after wave of lies and deceit. Unfortunately, most will be drowned [spiritually], as it was in the days of Noah.
[25] And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Are you one of His watchmen? This happened during the final watch! If you are one of His, He will never leave you nor forsake you.
[26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Not only were they scared because of the storm, but now they thought they had seen a ghost! (Could be difficult to recognize who's who during a storm in the night, or shall we say when the sun is darkened.)
[27] But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
But Jesus, straightway, i.e. when He saw that His disciples were in trouble in the storm, came down from the mountain to walk upon the sea tossed about by the contrary wind, and "straightway" identified Himself unto His disciples, using that sacred name, yes, the same one He identified Himself to Moses with, "I Am".

Let's pick it back up in John at this same point:

John 6:20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
[21] Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
They were sure glad to see Him and they "willingly", with desire, received Him into the ship. I guess too!

One more point: The "hour" is coming, during the "storm", when it will be possible to walk with Him in the spirit, even though you are in the flesh. Peter actually did it, though only for a moment! It is recorded for us to take notice, isn't it? For you see, Christ did not walk on the water in flesh. Flesh sinks!

Now notice what else happened here. Once Jesus entered into the ship, after walking to it on the water, it was immediately transported to the other side of the sea. Another miracle in the "darkness of the storm"! Get ready!

So how far has modern man progressed technologically?  LOL (a little computer lingo for Laughing Out Loud). The transporter on the Star Trek Enterprise is still science fiction to man, but not to Jesus.

So let's get it right. It's "Beam me up (or over there), Jesus, not Scotty." Exciting times are just ahead in this final generation!

Next we will see the crowd come seeking again for Jesus. And do you know why? They will be looking for another miracle, yep, another free lunch!

You know, they would just love our Sunday morning TV!

We are fast approaching that final hour when this generation of the fig tree will face the supernatural.

We are fast approaching that time when miracles (the Spirit of God overriding physics, that which is physical) will once again be present, such as the true tongue spoken on Pentecost Day, which goes forth in ALL languages and is understood clearly by ALL who hear it, without the need of any interpreter.

We are fast approaching that time of the great storm [tribulation], when the four winds are released and the flood of lies spews forth from Satan to drown God's people. Rev. 12:15 "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood."

And it is written, that it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. Only those who have the seal of God in their foreheads, who have gotten aboard the ship [symbolic of the ark] will weather the storm. It will be a rough ride, but keep on rowing, because don't forget, the storm will be shortened by Him for the sake of the elect. So Christ instructs us: "Be of good cheer. Do not be afraid."

Matthew 24:38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Remember in the beginning of chapter 24 of Matthew that the disciples had asked Jesus what would be the signs preceding His coming? This is certainly one of them. The whole world will be consumed by the coming flood of Satan, when he comes as the spurious messiah, which happens at the 6th Trump, before the second advent which occurs at the 7th Trump.

Yes, we are fast approaching that time when there will be miracles among His disciples during the storm. By the way, only the disciples saw Christ walking on the water and transport the ship instantly to shore. The other people did not witness it, for it was not for them to see. Besides, they were all asleep at the fourth watch (3 AM to 6 AM).

We now continue in John the day after the feeding of the 5,000 and the night of the storm.

John 6:22
The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
"On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone." (RSV)
23] (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
However, other boats began arriving nearby. The crowd remembered well that after seeing the Lord give thanks they then ate those delicious fish sandwiches. Food, that which is physical, is what remains on their minds. That's the only miracle they "saw". They didn't "see" the real miracle!
[24] When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
"So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus." (RSV)

Don't kid yourself, they were looking for a free lunch!  They wanted to make Jesus the Sandwich King.

[25] And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
We know from verse 22 that the people knew Jesus hadn't taken a ship, because there was only one there, and His disciples had taken it without Him. So what they really want to know is, "How in the world did you get here?"

Do you think they would have believed Him if He told them He walked? Sure, they would believe anything He said for a free meal.

[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
"Yeah man, those were the best fish sandwiches we have ever eaten! Got any more?" They obviously missed the lesson of the "bread of life". That's way too spiritual for them.

But Jesus, understanding what's on their minds, because they didn't "see" [understand] the miracle, still very patiently and lovingly teaches them to seek spiritual food, not physical.

[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Somehow they just don't seem too sincere.
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
"Hmmm", they are thinking, "that doesn't sound too difficult! What sign can you give us that we may see and believe [read, "Can you make some more fish sandwiches"?]"

You see, if you do the work of God, which is to believe on Him, then you will SEEK that true bread of life, the Word of God, and you will become a doer of it! So if you claim to "believe" and do not seek the Word of God daily [give us our daily bread], then you are a fish sandwich Christian [give us our daily fish sandwiches]. Remember, there are two fishes! One is real, the other is religion.

[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Can you believe it? They already saw Him perform the miracle of feeding the 5,000 (even themselves) and yet they want a sign! Good grief Charlie Brown.

"And what work do you do?", they asked Him as they rubbed their tummies. So with food still on their minds they tell Him that their fathers got free meals everyday in the desert.

[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Manna is angel's food, which also nourishes well the flesh body.
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
It wasn't Moses who provided the manna anyway. Our Father provides the "true bread" which we consume daily.
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
You must be hungry for something other than fish sandwiches which satisfy only the flesh. Again, if you do not have the desire to seek the bread of God, His Word, you do not truly believe.
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Fish sandwiches forever more!
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Only His Word can satisfy the hunger of a true disciple. And we have already seen, there is plenty of bread and meat, with 12 baskets left over, so that you will never be famished, nor thirst. But you must see the condition set forth in this verse: "AND HE THAT BELIEVES", which means IF you truly believe.

Right now, as you are reading this Bible Study, we are in the midst of the great famine of the end time! Do you understand that when Jesus talks about "bread" He is not talking about food for the belly? So then why would people think when He talks about famine (lack of bread) that He is talking about food for the belly? I don't know, but I see many TV ministries lead their flocks down the fish sandwich lane. Let's call it Fast Food Christianity.

Here's the famine of the end time:

Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Our people are starving for the Word of God to be taught correctly.
John 6:36
But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
They not only saw the Messiah Himself, they witnessed His miracles, and yet they believed not!
[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Again if you are one of His He will never leave nor forsake you. He will always come to you, so let Him into your boat!
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
God's will is that none should perish. That's the purpose of John 3:16!
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
All those who are Christ's at His coming, will be part of the first resurrection, meaning that they will be raised [granted] eternal life at that time.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Even "seeing" Jesus in the flesh, even "seeing" Jesus perform a miracle will not cause one to believe! You must "see" Jesus in the spirit and "see" the meaning of His miracles and signs, else you do not believe.

And so God gave His only begotten Son to be the Lamb crucified as the sacrifice for the sins of the world, because it is God's will that whosoever does believe on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And he or she will receive that reward at Christ's coming, on the last day of this flesh age, at the sound of the 7th Trump.

Always keep that foremost in your mind when the winds begin to blow, and the seas become tossed about with waves, and the old ship begins to rock and roll. Take a look! He'll be right there walking with you!

Jesus has just told the groupies who were seeking a free lunch that He was the Bread of Life and that He came down from heaven... you remember, "born from above", as He said in John 3:13.

Well, the Jews (which means either Judahites or residents of Judea) didn't like what He said, which tells you that they were Judeans, many of whom were kenites.

John 6:41
The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
[42] And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
Of course we all know that Jesus was not Joseph's son for He was the son of God. They didn't know about the miraculous conception, but even if someone did tell them they wouldn't have believed it anyway. You see, the descendents of this group don't believe it to this very day, so once again there is nothing new under the sun.

Anyway, they figured since they knew His "parents" that He couldn't be the Messiah.  Remember what He said a couple of chapters ago? John 4:44 "For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country."  You just can't get no respect!

[43] Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

[44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Obviously the Father had not given them to Christ, for unless the Father opens their eyes they cannot see Him.
[45] It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
There is more to believing on Him than just hearing the Word of God. One must LEARN it!

Note: "While on earth in the body, ten percent of the daily conversation of Jesus consisted of Old Testament words, quoted literally." (J.P. Green Interlinear Bible) Do you study the Old Testament? You had better if you want to understand the context of what Jesus taught!

Jesus is quoting here from the 54th chapter of Isaiah, whose name means "the Salvation of Yah".

Isaiah 54:13
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
And if they do "learn" then how shall they be established?
[14] In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
Remember the lesson we just learned from the ship in the storm? He will be there to deliver you if you look to Him. But woe to those who gather against His elect. Next verse:
Isaiah 54:15
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Our Father takes care of His own. Let's return to John.
John 6:46
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

[47] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

The positive part of John 3:16.
[48] I am that bread of life.
So Christ is saying that to believe on Him (vs. 47) is to eat of that Bread of Life (vs. 48)! How often should eat of that bread?
Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
Every day! Not just a few crumbs on Sunday mornings.
John 6:49
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Not only did they die in the flesh, but when Jesus spoke these words He hadn't yet paid the price on the cross.
[50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
There are two deaths, one of your flesh (called the "shadow of death" in Psalms 23) and one of your soul (the real death). Bread and fish will feed your flesh and keep it alive (for awhile), but only the Bread which came down from heaven can feed your soul and keep it alive (forever).  Which one should you be concerned about, the body or the soul? Which one is Christ concern about for you? Which one has He been talking about feeding for umpteen verses?

Here are His own words:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Man can only kill your flesh body, which is going to die anyway, sooner or later, one way or another. (Except for those alive in the flesh at the moment Christ returns at the 7th Trump), the last Trump. They get to step from their flesh bodies right into their spiritual bodies, in a moment, in a heartbeat, in the twinkling of an eye (I love figures of speech), i.e. instantly. Paul calls it a mystery, and it is to those who only see bread and fish as belly food.)
John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Having come this far in this chapter it should be obvious that Jesus is not talking about His "literal" flesh body. In other words, He is not advocating cannibalism, is He?

If you read God's Word and cannot "see" anything other than flesh, that which is physical, then you will never understand the Bible.  By the way, you should see the mess many preachers and so-called ministers have made of the Book of Revelation for this very reason. The warfare in the final generation is for the souls of men and is spiritual warfare, i.e. it is about the second death. That is why you must have the seal of God in your forehead! That is why you put on the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) to take a stand against the fiery darts of Satan. The darts aren't actually darts like you throw at a dartboard. It's a shame to have to say!

Let see how the Jews are doing understanding the Word of God.

[52] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Siiinnnnngggggg! Right over their heads! "How about Your Head" Do you understand?

Jesus has so far provided bread for the 5,000 who followed after Him, miraculously rescued His true disciples from the midst of the violent storm in the night, and is now trying to explain the New Covenant to the crowd of miracle seekers, who are hungry only for fish fillets on barley buns.

He just told these followers that He is the Living Bread which came down from heaven and that if they eat of this bread they will live eternally. So while they are murmuring among themselves, scratching their heads trying to figure out what this all means, He lays this next verse on 'em:

John 6:53
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Whoops! Hold it! Whaaaat! Drink His blood? Yeeeech!

Jesus, the Lamb of God, will soon give His badly beaten body and shed His blood to be the sacrifice once and for all for each of us sinners, that we might have eternal life, through Him, IF we accept that sacrifice. Now the fact that Jesus speaks of the betrayal of Judas at the end of this chapter shows that He was thinking about those sacraments of the New Covenant which are symbolic of His BODY and His BLOOD! Let's read from I Corinthians.
1 Cor. 11:23
... That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

[24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
And so when we take communion and partake of those sacraments, we do it remembrance of Him. That should make these next verses easy to understand. He is speaking spiritually, not physically!
John 6:54
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
[55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

[56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

[57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Remember, we have already learned and will so again in this study, that the living Bread is the Word of God. Though we don't take communion daily [for we partake of the sacraments during the feasts, several times a year], we do commune with Him daily BY EATING that living bread each day, IF we believe on Him. "Give us this day our DAILY bread". If not, we are just groupies and will be easily led astray by the one (Satan) who comes claiming to be Jesus and performs miracles in the sight of men! He'll not only provide fish fillet sandwiches for everyone, he'll provide chick fillets too! (You don't suppose that fast food chain is part of prophecy, do you? Nah!)
John 6:58
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Under the Old Covenant they ate manna, bread which came down from heaven from God, but under the New Covenant, we eat the true bread of life, even Jesus Christ, that bread which came down from heaven from God. Do you "see"?
[59] These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
It is significant that this verse is written here. You see, this was not a private teaching to the 12 disciples, nor to the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus taught this openly for all, for the bread which came down from heaven under the New Covenant would be for ALL [everyone of all nations] to eat.
[60] Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
These disciples aren't the twelve "chosen" disciples, for in vs. 66 these disciples will turn and walk away from Christ while His chosen twelve in verse 70 will remain.  So these false disciples would better be called "groupies", for they are seekers of miracles and signs and fish fillets on barley buns.

Come to think of it, there are many ministries today who tell their followers to "expect and receive your miracle today!" "God is waiting right now to give you your miracle, if you will just ask Him". Hey, these other-than-the-twelve disciples just ask Christ for a miracle so that they might believe, didn't they? He gave them His precious word that gives eternal life and you will see in a few verses, they walked away! No show, no stay!

So those who follow miracle promisers, seeking miracles and shows, are simply groupies. They hunger not for the bread which comes down from heaven, which is the Word of God, therefore they have none understanding of His word. They diet on "junk food", not the bread of life!

[61] When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
"Do you stumble at these words?", Jesus ask. They were clueless. Think about it! They have the very Word of God speaking directly to them and yet they do not understand what in the world He is talking about. (It's not that the saying is hard, it's that their hearts and minds are hardened.)
[62] What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
The answer is "so what if they do"?  Even that won't change their minds.
[63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The word "quickeneth" means "makes alive" or "gives life". It is the spirit that gives life! That SPIRIT is the WORD of GOD, all of it, the words that He speaks unto you and me!

Then know that we are hearing (by reading) the very words of Jesus Christ. And from His own lips in verse 63 He says that these [His words] are spirit, and they are life! So the question is, How does one seek Christ?  By going to church? No, you must seek Him in spirit. And that spirit is HIS WORDS, not a church, not a church building, not a denomination, but HIS WORD!

[64] But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Are there any today who call themselves Christians and yet do not believe? Well, let's see, five of the ten virgins don't make it. And then there are those in Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Yes, MANY call themselves Christians, but they do not believe, for they don't seek the Bread.

One thing do see in this verse is that Jesus knew exactly who to walk up to and say "follow me", and also that He knew it would be Judas who WOULD betray Him.

[65] And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Jesus speaks of God's elect, chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). Are you one His elect? If you have understanding, i.e. eyes to see and ears to hear, then you are. If not, your priority is probably more with your church and church activities than with eating bread.
[66] From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
And you can be sure of this: Not only did many of them go back, but they went back to church, too!
[67] Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
"Well, so much for that crowd of sign seeking, miracle seeking, non-believers! You guys don't want to go with them do you?" (In the Greek this question is asked in the negative sense.)
[68] Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Peter knew who the Messiah was. He knew there was none other name under heaven or earth, that had the words of eternal life. The apostle Paul would later make record of this fact in the Book of Acts:
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The true disciples, whom the Father had given to Christ, believed.
John 6:69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
[70] Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
Do you think that any part of Christ's ministry was UNPLANNED? Of course not. Jesus came to do the will of His Father. So do you think that God was going to leave such an important part of the plan [the betrayal] up to chance? Of course not! He chose the very one who should, i.e. was going to betray Him. That's right, Judas Iscariot was "chosen" to be the betrayer! (That ought to get me some e-mail!)
[71] He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
So the question is, Do you believe? We have learned that Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Son of the "living" God, the only God who can give life! All other gods can only give you ceremony and religion to make you feel good and think there's life there! But there's only death.

So we leave you with the immortal words of that great legendary hero, Sir Patrick Henry, "Give Me Bread or Give Me Death!" (He might have said "liberty", but Bread works for me!)

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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