W E E K T W O

Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ ~ John 6:35 ~

As you read John 4:43–6:71, take time to notice the characters, their responses and the themes you encounter. What is the Father like, and what is his relationship with this broken, hungry world?

Notice …

4:43 – 5:11

JOHN 4 : 4 3 – 6 : 7 1

43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’ 49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ 50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’ The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’ 53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed. 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

The healing at the pool

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralysed ˻and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.˼ 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

7 ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no-one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’

8 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’

11 But he replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Pick up your mat and walk.” ’

5:12 – 5:36

12 So they asked him, ‘Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’

13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The authority of the Son

16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defence Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’ 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

19 Jesus gave them this answer:

‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no-one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.

24 ‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out – those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Testimonies about Jesus

31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

33 ‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 ‘I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me.

5:37 – 6:17

37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41 ‘I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

45 ‘But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?’

Jesus feeds the five thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing those who were ill. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’

10 Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus walks on the water

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

6:18 – 6:42

18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realised that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realised that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the bread of life

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’

26 Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’

28 Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’

29 Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’

30 So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’

32 Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’

34 ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’

35 Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42 They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’

6:43 – 6:71

43 ‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. 44 ‘No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No-one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’

53 Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’ 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many disciples desert Jesus

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no-one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

67 ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.

68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’

70 Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’ 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

Her story

Latha and Geetha: ‘I just want to be with my sister’

Latha, aged 16, and her sister Geetha, 13, were sold by their mother into the unimaginable nightmare of child prostitution. Lodged in different brothels, they each served a minimum of seven men every day and were subjected to physical violence when they resisted. The woman who managed them would buy them expensive clothes, and they had to give her all the money they earned.

The trauma was too much to bear, and one day, the elder sister escaped, found her sister, and they ran away together. They were rescued by the police and brought to a state home.

Latha still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is also constantly mocked by her peers for the sores on her body, which they ascribe to her bad behaviour. Latha finds it difficult to concentrate on her studies and blames herself for her mother’s decision to sell her and her sister to the brothel.

Geetha channels her anger on the volleyball court. Her stance is usually defiant and aggressive. She has an ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude when she speaks. She doesn’t want to reunite with her mother, even though she sometimes rationalises that her mother would not have deliberately deserted them. For Geetha, her sister is the only family she has. When asked what she looks forward to, she responds, ‘Nothing. I just want to be with my sister, and I will do what she wants.’

Geetha says that her only hope in and through all this is Christ, and that she managed to escape her past life because of him. Still, she is a guarded person and does not trust anyone except her sister.

Her story

Malathi: ‘Yessappa will get me through’

Malathi was brought into the child welfare system after her school headmistress noticed that the usually smiling child had for some time been withdrawn and dull. On careful questioning, Malathi revealed that she was being sexually abused by the men in her house: three brothers, two uncles and her grandfather. On most days, all of them would abuse her. The men also repeatedly inflicted physical hurt.

The abuse started when she was 12 years old, after Malathi’s parents had abandoned her, leaving her to be cared for by her grandparents. When her grandmother found out about the abuse, she did not help. Rather, she was furious that the child had caught the attention of the men in the house.

During Malathi’s rescue, when asked why she failed to report the abuse, her grandmother denied having any knowledge of it. Eventually, the perpetrators were arrested, but one man escaped. Her grandmother has since attempted to make amends with the child, but the government officials have strict policies against it.

Malathi is now 15 years old, studying in Class 9. Slightly built, she looks more like a 12-year-old, and is shy and soft-spoken. How could her tiny frame have endured such violence? Starved of love, nurture and protection, where did she draw her inner strength from? Malathi says, ‘During the times of abuse, I would ask God when the horror would end.’ Asked how she copes with the aftermath of the abuse, she responds, ‘Yessappa (Jesus) will get me through.’

Thinking of the future, she flashes her wide, yet shy smile and says that she wants to become a teacher. She wants to help girls like her have better lives.

How could her tiny frame have endured such violence? Starved of love, nurture and protection, where did she draw her inner strength from?

Reflect

Jesus’ body, broken for you

God has always been in the life-giving business. From fruit in the garden of Eden to manna in the wilderness, God continually interacts with his creatures to give and renew life. Jesus came into our broken and hungry world as the bread of life to continue God’s life-giving work, feeding crowds in the wilderness and the disciples in the upper room. He quite literally was bread – giving life, nourishing bodies and empowering human beings to live each day with energy and enjoyment.

In addition to feeding bodies, Jesus came to feed souls. He invited all people into a love relationship with himself, knowing that what we all hunger for most is to love and be loved. In offering himself as the bread of life, Jesus spoke of his own body, which he would sacrifice in the ultimate expression of his love for each one of us.

In contrast to what bread signifies and offers, abuse destroys life. When Jesus called himself the bread of life, he was offering himself to be used as strength and nourishment. Abuse, on the other hand, is the misuse of a person, stripping her of dignity and strength. Abuse breaks.

Bodies have been bruised with violence; souls have been mangled with despair, fear and hate.

Through the course of human history, God has heard the cries of each of his beloved image bearers suffering under the life-crushing effects of abuse.

Do their lives matter to God? How does he feel about the horrific treatment they have endured? What does he do about it?

God notices both the abuser and the abused. This is why he took on a body and walked the earth in response to the silent cries of the abused for help. Jesus takes up the grief of the abused and carries their sorrows. On the night in which the Jews celebrated the Passover, he took bread and said, ‘This is my body given for you’ (Luke 22:19). He distributed the broken pieces of bread to the 12 disciples and asked them to eat it in remembrance of the abuse that he was about to be subjected to. Later that night, the Levites would hand him over to a mob of angry men who would strip him naked and desecrate his body until it was mangled beyond recognition. But his blood on the crossbeams would save all those who put their hope in him.

Jesus’ death speaks a message of life to each beleaguered girl and woman. He tells the Geethas and Malathis of this world: ‘You are loved. This is how much God cherishes you. He gives his own body to feed you and his own blood to heal you.’

And his resurrection offers a poignant ray of hope with the message, ‘There is life for you beyond the pain. Look to me, the author and perfecter of your faith. Follow in my footsteps, and I will raise you up along with me into a new kind of life.’

Engage

What is the Father like, and what is his relationship with this broken, hungry world?

  1. Identify
  1. Interpret
  1. Involve
  1. Intercede