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Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6:56-69

Good News Translation (GNT)

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56  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
   live in me, and I live in them.
57  The living Father sent me, and because of him
   I live also. In the same way whoever eats me
   will live because of me.
58  This, then, is the bread that came down from
   heaven; it is not like the bread that your
   ancestors ate, but then later died.
   Those who eat this bread will live forever."
59  Jesus said this as he taught in the synagogue
   in Capernaum.

   The Words of Eternal Life
60  Many of his followers heard this and said,
  "This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to
   it?"
61  Without being told, Jesus knew that they were
   grumbling about this, so he said to them,
  "Does this make you want to give up?
62  Suppose, then, that you should see the
   Son of Man go back up to the place where he
   was before?
63  What gives life is God's Spirit; human power
   is of no use at all.
   The words I have spoken to you bring God's
   life-giving Spirit.
64  Yet some of you do not believe."
   (Jesus knew from the very beginning who
   were the ones that would not believe and
   which one would betray him.)
65  And he added, "This is the very reason I told    you that no people can come to me unless the
   Father makes it possible for them to do so."
66  Because of this, many of Jesus' followers
   turned back and would not go with him any
   more.
67  So he asked the twelve disciples, "And you -
   would you also like to leave?"
68  Simon Peter answered him,
  "Lord, to whom would we go?
   You have the words that give eternal life.
69  And now we believe and know that you are
   the Holy One who has come from God."

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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

Jesus the Bread of Life

     John 6:56-69

When we have, spiritually, eaten the flesh and drunk the blood of Jesus, He remains in us spiritually.

His life, His Holy Spirit, dwells within us, and we spiritually become part of Christ. Whoever abides in Jesus abides also in God
(1 John 4:15).

Jesus again says that He is the life-giving bread, which is much better than manna. In the Jews' opinion, manna was the best of all foods. But the Old Testament Jews ate manna and eventually died.
But those who believe in Jesus - will never die. They have eternal life. All these things Jesus taught in the synagogue at Capernaum

Besides the twelve main disciples
(Mark 3:13-19),
Jesus had many other disciples also. These had to some extent believed Jesus' words, but their faith was very weak and shallow. It was some of these disciples who began to say, "This teaching about eating Jesus' flesh is hard for us to accept."

Jesus knew their thoughts.!
The disciples were not grumbling because they couldn't understand Jesus. They were grumbling because Jesus was demanding that they become united with Him. Jesus was demanding that they follow Him with their whole heart. They were not prepared to do that.

If the disciples find it difficult to accept Jesus' teachings now, it will be even more difficult for them when He ascends to heaven.

The Holy Spirit - gives life.
When men "eat" Jesus' flesh, it is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is trying to teach us to understand the spiritual meaning of His words.
His words ... are spirit. Just as God is spirit, so Jesus' words are spirit. His words come from God. Jesus' words can be understood only by our spirits, with the help of God's Holy Spirit

The words of Jesus give life.
Even though the disciples had heard Jesus' words, most of them understood the words only in a fleshly sense. They had followed Jesus because of the miracles they could see, but they didn't really believe in him.

Then Jesus reminded them that no one can follow Him unless God first draws him: If God does not Himself first draw a man out of darkness and sin, he can never come to God. A sinner will never turn to God by his own desire.

Therefore, Jesus knew that some of His disciples would fall away, because they had not been truly "drawn" by God.
Therefore, just as Jesus said, many of His disciples turned away. They had thought that the Messiah would be like an earthly king.

Perhaps they had thought they would get some worldly advantage by following Jesus. Now they saw that being a disciple of Jesus was different than they had expected.

Therefore, they left Him.
Peter, acting as spokesman for the twelve disciples, answered Jesus: "Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life".
If Jesus had the power to give eternal life, why should the twelve disciples go elsewhere?
Then Peter said, "We believe and know you are the Holy One of God" - that is, the Messiah).

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