The People Seek Jesus

22 On the morrow the crowd which stood on the other side of the sea, having seen that there was no other little ship there except that into which his disciples had got, and that Jesus had not gone with his disciples into the ship, but [that] his disciples had gone away alone; 23 (but other little ships out of Tiberias came near to the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks;) 24 when therefore the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they got into the ships, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25 And having found him the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when art thou arrived here? 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, Ye seek me not because ye have seen signs, but because ye have eaten of the loaves and been filled. 27 Work not [for] the food which perishes, but [for] the food which abides unto life eternal, which the Son of man shall give to you; for him has the Father sealed, [even] God.

28 They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent. 30 They said therefore to him, What sign then doest thou that we may see and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. 32 Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, [It is] not Moses that has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. 34 They said therefore to him, Lord, ever give to us this bread. 35 [And] Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst at any time. 36 But I have said to you, that ye have also seen me and do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and him that comes to me I will not at all cast out. 38 For I am come down from heaven, not that I should do my will, but the will of him that has sent me. 39 And this is the will of him that has sent me, that of all that he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up in the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son, and believes on him, should have life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews therefore murmured about him, because he said, I am the bread which has come down out of heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? how then does he say, I am come down out of heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me except the Father who has sent me draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every one that has heard from the Father [himself], and has learned [of him], comes to me; 46 not that any one has seen the Father, except he who is of God, he has seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes [on me] has life eternal. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which has come down out of heaven: if any one shall have eaten of this bread he shall live for ever; but the bread withal which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore contended among themselves, saying, How can he give us this flesh to eat? 53 Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and drunk his blood, ye have no life in yourselves. 54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day: 55 for my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. 56 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him. 57 As the living Father has sent me and I live on account of the Father, he also who eats me shall live also on account of me. 58 This is the bread which has come down out of heaven. Not as the fathers ate and died: he that eats this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things he said in [the] synagogue, teaching in Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

60 Many therefore of his disciples having heard [it] said, This word is hard; who can hear it? 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmur concerning this, said to them, Does this offend you? 62 If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver him up. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no one can come to me unless it be given to him from the Father.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 6:22-65

Commentary on John 6:22-27

(Read John 6:22-27)

Instead of answering the inquiry how he came there, Jesus blamed their asking. The utmost earnestness should be employed in seeking salvation, in the use of appointed means; yet it is to be sought only as the gift of the Son of man. Him the Father has sealed, proved to be God. He declared the Son of man to be the Son of God with power.

Commentary on John 6:28-35

(Read John 6:28-35)

Constant exercise of faith in Christ, is the most important and difficult part of the obedience required from us, as sinners seeking salvation. When by his grace we are enabled to live a life of faith in the Son of God, holy tempers follow, and acceptable services may be done. God, even his Father, who gave their fathers that food from heaven to support their natural lives, now gave them the true Bread for the salvation of their souls. Coming to Jesus, and believing on him, signify the same. Christ shows that he is the true Bread; he is to the soul what bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls. Bread nourishes only by the powers of a living body; but Christ is himself living Bread, and nourishes by his own power. The doctrine of Christ crucified is now as strengthening and comforting to a believer as ever it was. He is the Bread which came down from heaven. It denotes the Divinity of Christ's person and his authority; also, the Divine origin of all the good which flows to us through him. May we with understanding and earnestness say, Lord, evermore give us this Bread.

Commentary on John 6:36-46

(Read John 6:36-46)

The discovery of their guilt, danger, and remedy, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, makes men willing and glad to come, and to give up every thing which hinders applying to him for salvation. The Father's will is, that not one of those who were given to the Son, should be rejected or lost by him. No one will come, till Divine grace has subdued, and in part changed his heart; therefore no one who comes will ever be cast out. The gospel finds none willing to be saved in the humbling, holy manner, made known therein; but God draws with his word and the Holy Ghost; and man's duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace offered, and consent to the promise. None had seen the Father but his beloved Son; and the Jews must expect to be taught by his inward power upon their minds, and by his word, and the ministers whom he sent among them.

Commentary on John 6:47-51

(Read John 6:47-51)

The advantage of the manna was small, it only referred to this life; but the living Bread is so excellent, that the man who feedeth on it shall never die. This bread is Christ's human nature, which he took to present to the Father, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world; to purchase all things pertaining to life and godliness, for sinners of every nation, who repent and believe in him.

Commentary on John 6:52-59

(Read John 6:52-59)

The flesh and blood of the Son of man, denote the Redeemer in the nature of man; Christ and him crucified, and the redemption wrought out by him, with all the precious benefits of redemption; pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the throne of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. These are called the flesh and blood of Christ, because they are purchased by the breaking his body, and the shedding of his blood. Also, because they are meat and drink to our souls. Eating this flesh and drinking this blood mean believing in Christ. We partake of Christ and his benefits by faith. The soul that rightly knows its state and wants, finds whatever can calm the conscience, and promote true holiness, in the redeemer, God manifest in the flesh. Meditating upon the cross of Christ gives life to our repentance, love, and gratitude. We live by him, as our bodies live by our food. We live by him, as the members by the head, the branches by the root: because he lives we shall live also.

Commentary on John 6:60-65

(Read John 6:60-65)

The human nature of Christ had not before been in heaven, but being God and man, that wondrous Person was truly said to have come down from heaven. The Messiah's kingdom was not of this world; and they were to understand by faith, what he had said of a spiritual living upon him, and his fulness. As without the soul of man the flesh is of no value, so without the quickening Spirit of God all forms of religion are dead and worthless. He who made this provision for our souls, alone can teach us these things, and draw us unto Christ, that we may live by faith in him. Let us apply to Christ, thankful that it is declared that every one who is willing to come unto him shall be made welcome.