“I Am the Bread of Life”
Lesson 12 – John 5; Mark 6:30-44; Matthew 14:22-33
Introduction
What
do “rock”, “light”, and “bread” have in common? Well, Helaman 5:12 refers to Jesus Christ as “the rock”. Then, John 8:12 records that Jesus declared
that he is “the light of the world.”
Later in this lesson we will discuss how Jesus is “the bread of life”
(John 6:35).
Jesus healed a man on the
Sabbath and declared himself the Son of God.
John
5:1-9 provides
an account of Jesus healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. Elder Boyd K. Packer
used this account to emphasize that we should help people who have
disabilities. He said bodies and minds with disabilities “will be made perfect.
In the meantime, we must look after those who wait by the pool of Bethesda” (Ensign,
May 1991, 9).
John
5:14 Jesus
gave instructions to the man when he saw him in the temple later that day to
“sin no more”. The effects of sin are “a worse thing” than physical infirmities
because physical infirmities will not stand between us and our Father, but sin
certainly does.
John
5:16-18
The Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus because he had healed the man on the
Sabbath and then had “[made] himself equal to God by referring to God as his
father.
John
5:19-23, 30
As Jesus responded to the angry Jews, he revealed some things about his
relationship to the Father:
§ John 5:20 Jesus told the people that he would soon do even “greater works” than healing the sick.
§
John 5:21-29 He said that these greater works would include: bringing to
pass the Resurrection, judging all people, and giving everlasting life to the
faithful.
John
5:32-39, 45-47 The Savior said witnesses testified of him including his works and His
Father.
Jacob
4:6 It is
important to have these witnesses so that we might obtain a hope and develop an
unshakable faith in the Savior. Of
course, we too should be witnesses of the Savior.
John
5:39 Jesus
challenged the Jewish leaders to “search the scriptures”. We know that there is
a significant difference between searching the scriptures and reading them. If
we simply see and process the letters into words and the words into sentences,
we’ve read the scripture, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve truly understood its
meaning and significance.
Think about how you have made your personal and family scripture study more meaningful through searching the scriptures and how you have been blessed as you did so.
John
5:39 According
to this verse, if the Jewish leaders had searched and believed the scriptures,
they would have known that the scriptures testify of Jesus Christ. (See also
John 5:40, 46-47.) The scriptures should also strengthen your faith in Christ
as you search them.
Jesus miraculously fed more
than 5,000 people.
John
6:1-3
(note: the Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 6:31 in footnote 31a, says
that Jesus and his disciples went to a solitary place.) Jesus and his disciples
went up into a mountain.
Mark
6:33-34; Matt. 14:14 record how Jesus responded when the multitude came to
him—with compassion.
John 6:5-13 (see also Matt. 14:21) records how Jesus fed the multitude. As you read it, think about how we can follow the example of the boy who gave his loaves and fishes to Jesus. The Lord blesses us when we, like the boy, give whatever we have in His service.
Elder James E. Faust said: “Many nameless people with
gifts equal only to five loaves and two small fishes magnify their callings and
serve without attention or recognition, feeding literally thousands. … These
are the hundreds of thousands of leaders and teachers in all of the auxiliaries
and priesthood quorums, the home teachers, the Relief Society visiting
teachers. These are the many humble bishops in the Church, some without formal
training but greatly magnified, always learning, with a humble desire to serve
the Lord and the people of their wards. …
“A major reason this church has grown from its
humble beginnings to its current strength is the faithfulness and devotion of
millions of humble and devoted people who have only five loaves and two small
fishes to offer in the service of the Master. They have largely surrendered
their own interests and in so doing have found ‘the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding’ (Philip 4:7)” (Ensign, May 1994, 5-6).
Jesus walked on the sea,
invited Peter to come to him, and calmed the winds.
After
Jesus fed the multitudes, he instructed his disciples to get into a ship and go
to the other side of the sea. He then sent the multitudes away and went up a
mountain to pray. As the disciples were crossing the sea, they were caught in
strong winds.
Matt.
14:26; John 6:19 The disciples reacted with fear when they saw Jesus walking toward them
on the water.
Matt.
14:27; John 6:20 shows how Jesus responded to their fears.
Matt,
14:28-29
records Peter’s request when he heard the Savior’s voice.
Matt.
14:30 Peter’s
faith faltered as he walked on the water.
Matt.
14:30-32
gives the account of what Peter did when he began to sink and how the Savior
responded. For us there is a lesson
here about our relationship with the Lord. Each of us has had experiences that
have tested our faith and times when we have felt the Savior strengthen us and
calm our fears.
Jesus declared that he is
“the bread of life.”
John
6:26 The
day after Jesus’ miracle with the loaves and fishes, the people followed him to
Capernaum and this verse tells why they followed him.
John
6:27-35 (Note that the word meat in verse 27 means food.) Jesus used the people’s
excitement about the previous day’s miracle to testify of his mission.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland observed: “During the Savior’s Galilean ministry, He
chided those who had heard of Him feeding the 5,000 with only five barley
loaves and two fishes, and now flocked to Him expecting a free lunch. That
food, important as it was, was incidental to the real nourishment He was trying
to give them” (Ensign, Nov. 1997, 65).
John
6:35, 47-51
“Bread of life” is an appropriate description of the Savior and the blessings
he offers us. Think about what it means to “never hunger” and “never thirst”.
John
6:47, John 6:51-54; Matt. 26:26-28; Alma 5:33-35; D&C 20:77 provide instruction on how
we can partake of the “bread of life”.
President
Howard W. Hunter counseled: “We must
know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we
remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him. Then we will
drink water springing up unto eternal life and will eat the bread of life” (Ensign, May 1994,
64).
John
6:42 Some
people did not believe Jesus because they saw him only as “the son of
Joseph”.
John
6:51-66
Some who had claimed to be Jesus’ disciples murmured and turned away from him,
saying that they did not understand the spiritual meanings of his declaration
that he was the bread of life and his teaching about the need to eat his flesh
and drink his blood.
John
6:67 When
some people rejected Jesus’ sermon, Jesus asked the Twelve Apostles about what
they would do.
John
6:68-69
Peter’s response is significant and these verses show that Peter and the other
Apostles understood something about Jesus that those who left did not
understand.
Conclusion
Jesus
Christ is “the bread of life” and he has “the words of eternal life” (John
6:35, 68). Consider applying his promises from the Sermon on the Bread of Life:
“He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. … He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:35, 47).
These
lessons are posted on the Internet at http://www.neumanninstitute.org