John Reading GuideSample

Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five loaves of bread, walks on water across stormy seas in the middle of the night, and follows that up by declaring to a crowd of people that in order to live they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. To be honest, John 6 is a little scary. Not because Jesus talks about eating flesh and blood, but because it is hard to accept. Many in the crowd felt the same, “from this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.”

Walking on water and making bread join a long list of miracles along with raising people from the dead and opening blind eyes. Jesus’s miracles and His controversial “eat my flesh” statement all convey the same message: Jesus is the point. In this life and the next, we can never be satisfied apart from Jesus. And on the opposite end of that spectrum, if we have nothing but Jesus, we have everything.

I understand why some walked away. They didn’t want to surrender everything to Jesus. Some people probably wanted a show, to be a part of something powerful, or to have a need met. Their world was similar to our world today, looking for more money, more things, more options and more religion. More was the focus of their desires, actions and attitudes.

Jesus speaks in direct contrast, saying “I am” the answer. Jesus did not come to leave us wanting; He came to give us everything. He is everything. Like Peter, we can say with joy, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

1)  What did you learn about Jesus from this chapter?
2)  What, if anything, are you scared to surrender to Jesus? Is anything in your life holding you back from a 100 percent commitment to Him?
3)  Do you think you are living a full life? Why or why not? Ask God if He wants to change the way you live.