Bread from John's Perspective

In just a few weeks, we're going to be observing the Passover. Many of us know, of course, that the symbols of the New Testament Passover are very powerful. And they remind us of the kind of relationship that we have with Jesus Christ and with God the Father. In preparation for this year's Passover, I thought it might be good for us to review some of the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding the meaning of the Passover symbols, particularly the bread. The blood is very clear. Numerous scriptures about the fact that, of course, His shed blood, which is represented when we partake of the wine on the Passover, is the blood that forgives all sin. We can go back to the Old Testament and see numerous times where it was the shedding of blood of animals that appeased sin until the time when Jesus Christ came and He shed His blood as the perfect Lamb of God to forgive all sin. That could possibly ever be committed. But what about the bread? That tends to be something that is a little more vague, a little more nebulous for us, even when we get into the Scripture, about Jesus actually introducing the symbols. In Matthew, He goes into a little detail about the wine representing His blood, but He just basically says, this is the bread for my broken body, and that's it. That's all He says, and He goes onward. So, as we approach the Passover this year, I thought it might be good to focus on the bread, particularly, as a symbol, but to do it from the perspective of a unique author of the New Testament, and his name was John. Mr. Johnson was given a series of very fine Bible studies, and it was actually during one of his Bible studies that this thought came into my head to look at the Gospel of John maybe in a little different way than we have, because John's Gospel is unique. We may not realize it, but John wrote the last Gospel that was written of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And it's so interesting, because it is as if he had a copy of Matthew, Mark, or Luke in front of him. Because if you look at John's writings, you will see that he adds details to things that they say. There are many things he doesn't cover that Matthew, Mark, and Luke cover. Did you realize that John does not cover Jesus actually introducing the new symbols of the bread and the wine? John doesn't even cover that.

But John covers the foot washing, and if it weren't for John, we wouldn't even know that a foot washing service, as we call it, today occurred. So John adds details. He leaves out things that the other Gospel writers wrote, and then he adds things that they didn't understand or didn't remember, or he just is able to add things to it, because he had the advantage of reading what was already written. And as an old man, he could say, ah, I'm going to add more detail to this, or this section's already covered well. I'm not even going to speak on this issue.

Or he adds new things, because he says, ah, they forgot to mention this important event or example of Jesus. So I thought it would be good for us to focus on John today. Let's begin in John chapter 13 and verse 1. We're going to see where the Apostle John begins with the foot washing. And we're going to see as we go along here that, again, John adds events that were missed by Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the three Gospels called the synoptic Gospels, because they are very similar.

And here he's going to discuss the foot washing service in 31 A.D. And we have John to thank for the knowledge that this even occurred. And this is so important, because it's part of the New Testament service that we have every year at the Passover. We'll pick it up in John chapter 13, beginning in verse 1. John writes, And supper being ended, that was the traditional Old Testament Passover supper, supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself.

So he took off his robe, and he, in modern terms, he had on his undergarments a term that we would use today, and he put a towel around his waist, and he did something that in a typical household the lowest of the servants would do. Usually it was someone who was younger, but it was the lowest of the pecking order of a servant hierarchy who would wash someone's feet. It was considered so humiliating and undignified, it's something that a young or a very low servant would do. Verse 5, After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciple's feet, and to wipe them with a towel from which he was girded.

Then he came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, Lord, are you washing my feet? And Jesus answered, said to him, what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.

And sure enough, Peter, never at a loss for words, never at a loss for inappropriate words, says in verse 8, Peter said to him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me, because Jesus came to wash away sins. And for us to have a relationship with God, it requires that our sins be washed away. Sin is the barrier that separates mankind from God. Sin is the barrier that can separate us from God.

That's one reason we have the annual passover to remind ourselves of the fact that Jesus Christ is our righteousness in spite of our weaknesses and flaws. We have the passover to remind us that we are part of a new covenant, that we made a commitment to Jesus Christ, and as we partake of that bread, it represents that Christ is in us, meaning living in us through his Holy Spirit, and that we have a commitment and an obligation as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Let's pick it up here in verse 9. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. And Jesus said to him, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you.

Verse 11, for he knew who would betray him thereafter. He said, You are not all clean. So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, Do you know what I've done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master. The lowliest servant in a household, the one who does the humiliating feat, bad pun, of washing other people's feet is certainly not greater than the master of the household. Continuing, Nor is he who sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. So Jesus says, I want you to remember this and follow this example. I want you to know that above all what's most important in life is service. Humble, dedicated service. Even God is washing your feet. Jesus was saying to them, The great I AM is washing, humbly, washing your feet in an undignified way. He is still serving you with everything he has, with his entire heart and his soul. He says, as an example, I want you to have that attitude towards your brethren. I want you to have that attitude towards others. So just to keep the chronology straight here, the traditional Old Testament passover meal of the lamb and the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs was finished, and Jesus proceeds to introduce a brand new ritual during that time. At the Passover gathering, he washed his disciples' feet. As an act of humility, it symbolized that Christ had the authority to wash away all sin, to make them completely clean, completely free from sin. And he told his disciples that they should carry on and follow this example of being the lowliest of servants. And that they should always remember this and make it a part of their lives. Well, brethren, we want to be blessed by humbly washing the feet of one of our brethren on the Passover evening. And we will be doing that. We will, as we do every year, be having a part of the Passover, a foot-washing service. Now, I'll be in Meadville this year. I won't be able to share the Passover with all of you here in Cleveland. But anywhere that you find God's people gathered around the world in unity, we will all be participating in a foot-washing service. I want you to keep something in mind. I've met people, and I've talked to people who, before the Passover, would say to me terms like, you know, Mr. Thomas, I find foot-washing a little difficult, but particularly, I hope I don't get Mr. So-and-so this year. Or I hope I don't get Mrs. . . . there would be a female talking, obviously. I hope I don't get Mrs. So-and-so because there's just . . . and there's always some reason or another. And I wonder if you've ever considered this. You know who participated in this foot-washing service? Judas Iscariot. Can you imagine the emotions, the tension between Jesus and Judas as Jesus was washing his feet? I mean, I know Jesus must have looked deeply into his eyes with a piercing look that went right through Judas's soul.

How difficult that must have been. If Jesus could wash the feet of the person who literally would betray him, how can we struggle with the difficulty of washing someone's feet because maybe they're odd or their socks are mismatched or maybe they have big bunions on their feet or whatever it may be. It is so small and shallow when we consider the fact that Jesus washed the very feet of the one who would betray him and cause him to be tortured and cause him to literally lose his life.

Let's pick it up now in verse 18. I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am he. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives someone I send receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

And that's why when someone shows up to the church of God for the first time, that we should receive them. We should give open arms. We should make them feel welcomed and appreciated, the fact that they come here. Verse 21, and when Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit. Now we may spend to think, you know, that Jesus was the mold of the typical American alpha male, that, you know, Jesus was the John Wayne type, just really strong, and never show your emotion.

No, he was troubled in spirit. He knew exactly. He understood prophecy, and he knew what the next eight hours of his life were going to be like. And please excuse the expression, they were going to be a living hell, like people experiencing warfare. He knew that he would be betrayed. He knew that he would be led off, that he would be tortured, mocked, that he would have a crown of thorns smashed onto his head, that eventually he would receive a scourging which would rip the flesh off of his back.

He knew that he would be taken on a cross or a stake, and literally metal nails would be driven through his hide into that metal cross or stake. He knew that he would bleed to death and die and suffer terrible anguish. He knew because of what the redemption was all about, that he would look up and that his father would literally have to turn his back on him. And he would say, why have you, of all things in the universe, why have you forsaken me? Because he stank so much with the sin of all mankind on him that even his father had to turn away for a brief moment.

He understood that all of those things would have to occur. And yes, he was a human being. He was troubled in spirit. And he testified and he said, most assuredly, I say unto you, one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at each other, perplexed about whom he spoke. Now, there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. And this obviously was John. John always kind of spoke in the third person.

He was a humble individual. He never wanted his writings to come across that I did this or I did that or Jesus said to me or it's all about me. So he often would use just a third-person phrase that the disciple whom Jesus loved. And it says in verse 24, Simon Peter, therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom he spoke.

And then leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to him, Lord, who is it? And it's important to understand what their culture was like. I've been in the Sistine Chapel. I've seen the painting of the Last Supper. And it wasn't like that. Hebrew tradition was that people ate in a reclining position. They didn't sit around tables like we do in the Western world and sit on straight-back chairs. And had these cute little cups and table setting for 15. That wasn't part of their culture. They were a relaxed people.

And they sat in what would be known in a modern sense as like a couch or a recliner. And basically, John, when he leaned back, he was about equal to the breast of Christ. So he could whisper something to Jesus that the other disciples wouldn't hear him say.

Then leaning back on Jesus' breast, as he reclined, in his, again, a modern word would be like a couch.

Now, after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said in him, What you do, do quickly. Jesus said, Let's get this over with. You know, this is already, I'm already anguished in spirit. There's a lot in my mind. Whatever has to happen to fulfill prophecy and to fulfill the destiny of the ages, Let's get it done and get it done quickly. Verse 28, Now, why would John have said that? Because it was common during the feast for Judas to go out and buy things to prepare for the feast. Or that he should give something to the poor. Why does John say that? Because it was Jesus' custom. There was an expectation. Jesus usually gave something to the poor during the feast because he loved the poor. He was called to preach the gospel to the poor and be concerned about people who were not as fortunate as he was. Verse 30, So Judas is gone. Verse 31, So when he had gone out, Jesus said, Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. Verse 32, Verse 33, So now I say to you, verse 34, and this is very important. He said, Now doctrine is very important. I'm part of the church of God because I believe that doctrine is essential. But Jesus doesn't say, Having all the right doctrine will show the world that you are my disciples. He doesn't say that. He doesn't say having all spiritual knowledge will show everyone that you are my disciples. No, he says, this is the key identifying sign. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love, one for another. A very powerful thought for us to ponder as we approach the Passover this year. So after the foot washing and before the New Testament Passover symbols are introduced by Christ, Judas leaves the room to betray Jesus. So Judas does not partake of the symbols of the bread and the wine. He's gone. He has disappeared to do his deed. Now since, and it's interesting, I was talking about John earlier, since Matthew and Mark and Luke covered the New Testament symbols, Passover symbols in detail, John doesn't even mention the event of Jesus taking the wine and the bread and explaining that Jesus did that or what it means. It's because as John looked through them, he said, the details were covered adequately. There's nothing for me to add here. So we have to go to another gospel to see what Christ said. So keep your place in John, but turn with me to Matthew chapter 26 and verse 26. Matthew 26 verse 26.

Matthew writes, So here, as we see in Matthew's account, Jesus institutes two new symbols as part of the New Covenant Passover. One is wine, which he explains very clearly, represents his shed blood for the complete forgiveness or remission of sins. But he doesn't specifically give additional meaning to what the bread represents. But we can find out more about its meaning by going back. We have John to thank by going back one year, exactly one year earlier, to the Passover of 30 A.D. around the time of the Passover in 30 A.D. instead of 31 A.D. where we've just been. So let's go back now to John chapter 6, beginning in verse 1, and we're going to take a look at a miracle. A miracle is known as feeding of the 5,000. And at first it appears to be an incredible miracle. Actually, there were many more than 5,000. According to Matthew's account in chapter 14, he said there were about 5,000 men there who ate, not counting women and children. So if your Bible says, you know, the feeding of the 5,000, that's an error. There were a lot more people than just 5,000, including women and children. There may have been up to 25,000 people who were fed during this miracle. We have some minor league ballparks that barely hold 25,000. That is a lot of people. And this is an incredible miracle that we're about to read. Again, it's commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000. And this event in the New Testament is something unique. You know what I've been saying about John all along, that the synoptic Gospels would cover something, and John might add a little bit, or he might cover something that they didn't cover. When you go through the chronology of the life of Jesus Christ, you can find that if you get a harmony of the Gospels and look at it, this is the first event in which all four Gospels talk about the same event. The very first. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, for the first time, all get in sync and talk about what we're about to read, because to them it was that important. It was that meaningful. But John does add something that the synoptic writers didn't. So let's pick it up here now in John 6, verse 1. He says, Now after these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, near the city of Capernaum, by the way, great body of water. Then a great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up in the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples, in verse 4, something that John adds, that Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Why is that important? Because that transforms what just right on the surface appear to be a miracle to a miracle in which bread is used to represent what Jesus Christ is and what the Passover is all about. John caught it. John goes back many years later, and he ties together what he sees as a very important miracle. Let's go down to verse 5, John chapter 6 and verse 5. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing a great multitude coming towards him. He said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread that we may eat? Now it says he said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

So he says to Philip, to put Philip on the spot, a little trial here, see how Philip would respond, see if Philip's going to get angry. You know, Philip, go out and buy some bread so that we can feed this 25,000 people multitude that are here. And verse 6, but he said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. And Philip answered him, 200 denarii, which I might add we don't have, 200 denarii worth of bread isn't sufficient for them. If we spent 200 denarii, we couldn't feed this many people, that every one of them may have a little. We couldn't even give a little bit to this many people for 200 denarii. Now 200 denarii is approximately two-thirds of a man's yearly wages. And it would be insufficient, according to Philip's understanding, looking out at this crowd, to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. It was about eight months' wages for an average worker, since according to the Bible, one denarius wasn't a daily wage. So you worked one day, you got one denarius. So to come up with 200 of those, I mean, most of us don't have that kind of cash flow where we could write a check for two-thirds of what we earn right now in cash over the period of a year. So that was a lot. And obviously, the disciples are a little bit concerned. Now this also shows something about the character of Jesus, that he was a compassionate host. And he saw the need for these people to be fed. They were away from the city, they were following him. The day was long, they were on a mountaintop, they were away from Capernaum. And I'm telling you, you get 25,000 people together, and it's not exactly pleasant. So he's looking out, and he sees people getting hungry. Beginning now in verse 6, one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon, Peter's brother, said to him, There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? So the lad that's here was most likely a lowly little servant boy who was in the crowd, sent by his master to sell the barley bread and the fish. He was young, most likely a servant, owned by someone, and he was sent out by his master, Go and sell this bread and sell these fish all day. I want you to be a vendor. But instead of yelling, Beer here, I want you to yell, Barley here, Bread here. So the disciple says, We have this young lad who has these things, but it's just so small, it isn't going to really do us any good. Now the thing that we need to understand, and we'll get back to it in a little bit, is that it was barley, it was five loaves of barley bread. Barley was considered an inferior grain compared to wheat. It was only worth about one-third of the value of wheat. As a matter of fact, barley was considered the cheap food of the common people. Anyone who had any sense of wealth would not be caught dead eating barley bread because it was common. Remember Leona Helmsley? She said, you know, taxes are for little people. Remember her comment? She was a multi-multi-billionaire because she married well.

And she said taxes are for the little people. Well, barley bread was considered inferior, and it was for the little people. And we'll get back to that in a bit. Verse 10. Then Jesus said, make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, and the number of about 5,000. Again, that's 5,000 men, not including women and children. This was an open amphitheater space, and some believe that it was near what is known today as the Golden Heights in Israel. So many people believe that there's an area of the Golden Heights is exactly where this event took place. Verse 11. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples and the disciples to those who were sitting down, and likewise the disciples were the fish as much as they wanted. In other words, people were fed until they were full. You want a second helping? You want a third helping? You want some more bread? You want some more fish? He just kept coming and coming until everyone was filled. All as much as they wanted. Verse 12. When they were filled, he said to his disciples, I don't want one little crumb to be laying here, one little fragment of bread or fish to be laying here on this lawn. We need to gather them up so that nothing is lost. Verse 13. Therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

And of course, we know, there are twelve baskets here, that twelve is the number of completion. Everyone was completely filled, and all hunger was eliminated by everyone who was in the crowd. Now, at first this seems like a beautiful story, a powerful miracle that Jesus Christ instructs and directs and intervenes in a massive way to feed many, many thousands of people. But, knowing, as John reveals, that it occurred just before the Passover of 30 A.D., we must realize that there is more to this story than first meets the eye.

There's actually some very powerful analogies and symbolism in this story. Hold your place in John, but turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 8 beginning in verse 1. Deuteronomy chapter 8 in verse 1. What are some of the symbols behind this miracle? What are some of the things that we can learn from this miracle that can prepare us for the Passover this year? We'll begin in Deuteronomy chapter 8 in verse 1. Jesus himself is going to be drawing these analogies, and he did through this entire miracle.

First, he's performing a modern analogy with giving manna to Israel when it needed it in Exodus 16. We all know the story that Israel complained they had left Egypt, and they were afraid that they were going to starve to death. So God provided bread from heaven.

He provided manna so that they could physically continue to live so that they could survive. And looking back in that event, Moses wrote in Deuteronomy chapter 8, You know something? That statement could be said about you and I. We could have our names in there. God began calling us, in my case, 30-something years ago. So many years ago, I can't even remember anymore. There are brethren in this congregation, 40 years plus, some one or two years.

But Jesus began us on a journey, and for a lot of us, it may have seemed like a journey in the wilderness. And you know what? God has allowed a lot of trials in our lives, hasn't he? I'll bet he's allowed some in your life. I'll bet he's tested you with certain things that have happened in your life, all in an effort to see if you would keep his commandments or not. All in an effort to see if you would carefully observe the values that God reveals to us in this book that we know of as his word.

Verse 3, So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and he fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know the man, he might make you to know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

That whole thing going on there with manna was just a token. It was a forerunner. It was nothing more than a small taste of what the bread of life known as Jesus Christ, the living bread, would offer all mankind some day. That instead of just receiving physical bread, in which you had to go back each day and get a replenishment, that Jesus Christ as the bread of life would offer eternal life if we abide in him. That's what that miracle was about regarding the manna. It looked forward to a time when Jesus Christ would walk the earth and would announce to everyone that he was the bread of life, and indeed, the words that proceeded from his mouth are the words that give eternal life, far beyond physical bread.

The second thing that I think is important for us to understand regarding the miracle in John 16 with the feeding of the many thousands was notice that there were seven items of food. There were five loaves of bread, and there were two fishes, which add up to seven. And seven is the number of perfection. Jesus Christ, in his word, are perfection, and they lack in nothing. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was perfection, and it lacked in nothing with the ability to forgive all sin, all possible and potential human sin.

Unlike the mere physical bread that was offered to ancient Israel, Jesus Christ is the bread of eternal life. Let's go to Hebrews 2 and verse 9 and read a scripture regarding how perfect Jesus Christ was. Remember that Jesus Christ, in his word, are perfection, and they lack nothing. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9.

Paul wrote, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone, for it was fitting for him, for whom all things, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, that's you, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Jesus Christ was perfect, and he offers a complete and total sacrifice for sin. Let's go just a few chapters back in Hebrews 12 while you're in the book of Hebrews. Paul draws a wonderful contrast between the Old Testament when miracles like manna were given to the people, in contrast to what Jesus Christ the bread of life offers us. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 18. For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire to bring blackness and darkness and contempt. Of course, he's referring to when the people in the Old Testament approached Mount Sinai to hear the law, verse 19. And the sound of the trumpet and the voice of words so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore, for they could not endure what was commanded. And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. And that's a direct quote from the Old Testament. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses, Moses himself, a righteous man that God used, even Moses said, quote, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. Continuing, Paul says, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly of the church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. Are we justified in God's eyes? You bet. Not because of any other thing that we could do, but because the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the living bread of God has made us just in God's eyes, has removed that sin, that barrier that would eliminate our having the ability to have a relationship with God. That's been removed. It's gone. All because of what Jesus Christ did. And to the spirits of just men made perfect.

We're perfect, not because of anything that we can do, because of ourselves. We have sin. Of ourselves, we fall short. But we are made perfect because when Jesus Christ is in us, He is our righteousness. He makes up for the lack that we have in our sinful carnal natures. Because He was perfect. Because He shed His blood. Because He was worthy to be called the Lamb of God. He makes men, those who are called by God and receive His Spirit, He makes the spirits of just men made perfect. Here's the third thing I think we should understand from John chapter 6. The bread used was barley, and it was considered inferior or lower quality, the quality of the common person. But the truth is, is that Christ offered complete healing and forgiveness, even though He was despised, even though He wasn't given the credit He deserved. The truth is, is that Jesus Christ offered complete healing and forgiveness. Isaiah chapter 53 in verse 2. So what did the barley represent? The fact that the bread in this miracle was barley. It represented the attitude of the nation towards their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah chapter 53 verse 2, a scripture we're very familiar with. We read at least once during this time of the year.

It says in Isaiah chapter 53, beginning in verse 2, And He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness. There's nothing about Him that would naturally attract people to Him. And when we see Him, there's no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him, especially when He was dying on that cross. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. In other words, the attitude was, you deserve it. You're up there hanging on that tree because you must be a very vile human being for God to allow this to happen to you. You're just getting the reward that you deserve hanging on that tree. Verse 5, but He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. And that's one of the reasons that 2,000 years later we can ask God, we can be anointed and we can ask God to heal us because of that beating that Jesus Christ accepted on our behalf. Passover represents a complete healing spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and our ability to go to God and ask Him to intervene on our behalf. Verse 7, He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep before the shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. Very powerful in this is what reminds us of what the barley loaves, the inferior bread of the common man represented during that miracle. I'd like to read this, and I just want you to listen. I'd like you to read the Scripture again in the New Century version because I think it's just so powerful and so beautiful in the way that it's put. So I'm going to read verses 2 through 7 again in the New Century version.

He grew up like a small plant before the Lord, like a root growing in dry land. He had no special beauty or form to make us notice Him. There was nothing in His appearance to make us desire Him. He was hated or rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at Him. He was hated, and we didn't even notice Him. But He took our suffering on Him and felt our pain for us. We saw His suffering and thought God was punishing Him. But He was wounded for the wrong we did. He was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment which made us well was given to Him, and we are healed because of His wounds. We have all wandered away like sheep. Each of us has gone his own way. But the Lord has put on Him the punishment of all the evil we have done. He was beaten down and punished, but He didn't say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet. While its wool is being cut, He never opened His mouth. Very beautiful prophecy about Jesus Christ and how despised He was. The fourth thing that I believe that we should understand from the miracle of feeding the thousands in John 6 is that after gathering up all the fragments so that nothing was lost, there were 12 baskets of bread left over. Now, number 12, as we know, is significant in a number of ways. It represents unity. It represents completeness. And indeed, Jesus intended His 12 disciples, who were fishermen, to become fishers of men. And the reason that fish were included in this miracle, there were 12 of them, when Judas would betray Jesus, He would be replaced by a 12th. And they obviously understood, looking back, what this meant and that it referred to them. Some believe that this means that the gospel was to first go to the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel. If you'll turn to Revelation 22 in verse 1, this is just a scripture that I personally believe is prophetic and may tie in with what the 12 baskets represented. Revelation 22, verse 1. We must remember, first and foremost, that it represented the fact that the 12 baskets were the disciples, the 12 disciples that Jesus would call to carry on His mission and who would become fishers of men. But I think this is very beautiful in Revelation chapter 22, in verse 1. After all, the tragedy of this world is over. And after the Day of the Lord and great tribulations and all the horrific things that we know Bible prophecy tells us will occur, it says this in Revelation chapter 22. And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and the middle of its street. And on either side of the river there was a tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. I've just always found that so beautiful, particularly referring to the one who, by His stripes, we were healed. And the fact that the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. So point number again was, after gathering up all the fragments so that nothing was lost, there were 12 baskets of bread left over. The fifth point that I would like to draw from this miracle in John chapter 6 is that everyone who was fed was completely filled and satisfied with bread. Everyone who was fed was completely filled and satisfied with bread.

Brethren, Jesus is the author of our salvation and He provides us with all of our spiritual needs. When we live in harmony as a child of God, we lack nothing. He even said, if you seek you first, the kingdom of God. All those material things that we spend far too much of our lives worrying about will be added unto you. We get up and we need to worry about how we're going to pay our utility bill, and, you know, buying clothes, and, you know, are we ever going to be able to retire? And we worry about all these worldly things, and Christ said, seek you first, the kingdom of God, and we'll take care of the rest. You will lack for nothing. Romans chapter 15 and verse 13. Here's what Paul said about the truth that we have and what it gives us. Romans chapter 15 and verse 13.

Paul said, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness filled with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. You also are full of goodness filled with all knowledge able to admonish one another. So what Jesus Christ did for us is complete. We have the opportunity, if we take Christ at His word and we become a disciple and understand what that means, that we're completely filled. Every spiritual desire that we could have has been fulfilled. That includes being part of a resurrection. It includes eternal life. It includes an opportunity to serve in a unique area in which our natural and native talents were gifted to be able to serve in that area for all eternity. It means being able to share time with our loved ones and family members who died centuries ago that we never even met, to eventually be able to spend time with them and to be a greater family than could possibly occur in this physical life. We've been given it all. All the promises, all the glory, all the wealth of the universe, there is nothing lacking. And that's why it was important that all of those fragments of bread were picked off that ground and put into the baskets. Well, let's go back to John, Chapter 6, now. Let's continue to read the book of John and see if the crowds got the analogy or if they really understood the message that Jesus was trying to relay to them here. John, Chapter 6 and Verse 14. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, This is truly the prophet who has come into the world. Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he departed again to the mountain by himself alone. Now, hold your place there, but turn with me to Deuteronomy, Chapter 18 and Verse 15, because we need to understand why they referred to Jesus as the prophet. Unfortunately, their mindset was distorted.

Jesus came to be a savior and to offer eternal life. All they saw in Jesus was a political leader like Moses. Remember Moses took ancient Israel out of Egypt? By performing miracles, he was able to break the back of the greatest empire who ever lived? All they saw in Christ was a common boy who grew up around here. After all, we know his mom, we know his dad, we know his brothers and sisters. He's nobody special, but he's got some pretty neat miracles. And if we can get him to channel those miracles against the Romans, then we can be freed. We can get rid of Herod, who's a puppet of the Romans, and we can get rid of the Romans. And as king, he can give us a nation once again, and we can be this paradise on earth. That's what they're thinking when he is offering eternal life. Deuteronomy 18, verse 15, Moses wrote, And the Lord your God will give you a prophet like me, who is one of your own people. Listen to him. This is what you asked the Lord your God to do when you were gathered at Mount Sinai. You said, don't make us listen to the voice of the Lord our God again, and don't make us look at the terrible fire anymore, or we will die. So the Lord said to me, what they have said is good. So I will give them a prophet like you, who is one of their own people. I will tell him what to say, and he will tell them everything I command. This prophet will speak for me. Anyone who does not listen when he speaks will answer me. Now, where are they crossing their wires? Moses was a political leader. It was his brother who was a high priest who had a religious spiritual connection with God in an office. Moses took everyone out of Egypt. Moses performed miracles to take care of the people and to give them their freedom. So they're looking for another prophet like Moses, and they're looking to Christ, because they see that he has the signs. He can create the signs that make good things happen. He can give us our political freedom. If he can take loaves and fishes and magnify it, maybe he can take spears and knives and multiply them. Maybe he can find a chariot and make 400 chariots. This guy is capable of anything, and he can be our king. So the Jews looked at Christ as a miraculous political ruler who would replace Herod and free Judah from the domination of Rome.

After the miracle of feeding thousands here, Jesus departed because it wasn't yet his time. It would be yet another year, the next Passover, when his time would come, when he would finally be arrested, and when he would finally die for the sins of mankind. But now it was too early. So he departed again to the mountain by himself alone. Now something happens in between that time and what we're going to pick up shortly. What happened was that after this miracle of feeding many thousands, Jesus departed, and eventually he meets up with the disciples and he miraculously walked on water in the Sea of Tiberias. I don't have time to cover that today, so we're going to pick up what events occur the next day. John 6, verse 22, we're going to pass by that, as interesting as it is, I'm going to resist, and pass by Jesus walking on water because we want to complete our theme today of Jesus as the bread. John 6, verse 22, we pick up the story the next day. It says, On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one which his disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away, however, other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks. So as you can imagine, if there were 25,000 people there, there were a large number who weren't going to give up in finding this guy. We think he's special. We think he's going to be a king. And we're not letting him get loose. We're not letting him get away. Verse 24, When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? You know, he's like, I'm trying to get away from you. What do you mean, when did I come here? I obviously went to the wrong spot because you found me. And actually, Jesus is in a synagogue. What we're about to read occurred in a synagogue in Capernaum. Now, Capernaum had many synagogues, but the words we're about to read occur there. So the next day, many of the people who were fed bread during the miracle diligently search for Christ, and they find him. And the things that Jesus states here, again, are in a synagogue at Capernaum. And this is only recorded by John. What we're about to read was not recorded by Matthew, Mark, or Luke. And it's so important because Jesus is going to directly refer to himself as the bread of life. And he's going to use some phrases that tie into the actual Passover symbols that occur one year after he says these things. John, having the ability of being an older man and hindsight being 20-20, looking at the manuscripts that already existed, wanted to make sure that this was never lost and added these events in the Gospel. He got the symbolism of the bread feeding the thousands a day earlier, and he remembered this event and wrote it down for us. John 6, verse 26.

So continuing here, verse 28.

Now, unfortunately, because of 500 years of Protestant influence, I have to now go through this ritual to explain the fact that the world has redefined the word believe. They knew what he meant, believe. Believe meant more than, I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. I mean, that's fine. But belief meant that you became a disciple. Belief meant that you immersed yourself in the words and the teachings and the belief of the teacher, that you changed your life so that you could become like the teacher, that you did everything you could for a lifetime to mold and conform yourself, to try to reach the stature of the greatness and magnificence of the teacher.

That's what the believe in him meant. So I'm sorry that I have to explain that, but again, it's one of those words that have been redefined over hundreds of years and confuses a lot of people. So Jesus begins to explain the real purpose behind his miracle earlier, a day or so ago. Unfortunately, as I said, they're looking for a parlor trick. They don't understand what Christ is talking about and what he's talking about is the gift of eternal life.

Verse 30, Therefore he said to them, or they said to him, What sign were you performed then that we may see and believe you? What work will you do? Now, if you think about it, that's rather demeaning. And where were you yesterday when I took five loaves of bread and two fishes and fed 25,000 people? And now you're asking me to show you something, a sign, so that you'll believe that I'm someone special, that you'll believe that I'm someone unique and called into this world? Verse 31, They continue, For our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say unto you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. Now, Jesus isn't quite ready to let the cat out of the bag. What he really means here is that Moses didn't give your ancestors manna. I did. I am the great I am. I gave them manna from heaven. But even more important than that is my Father, through me, is now offering you eternal life. So again, verse 32, Then Jesus said, And they mess assuredly I say unto you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven, which is Jesus Christ.

So Christ presents himself as the spiritual food of endless supply, the living bread of life. Receiving him into your life by faith guarantees unfailing spiritual satisfaction for eternity, complete and full and lacking in nothing. Verse 33, He says, For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, Lord, give us this bread always.

And Jesus said unto them, I am. And this is the first of the seven great I am's mentioned in the Gospel of John. We'll see what this meant to them in a minute. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst, but I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.

There's going to be no one left behind. If the Father calls someone and they come to me to remember the fragments on the grass, Jesus said, don't leave anything behind. Pick up all those fragments and put them in a basket. Jesus says that when the Father calls someone and they come to Christ, they will by no means ever be left behind.

They will not be cast out. They will not be forgotten. Verse 38, for I've come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that all he has given me, that I should lose nothing.

Every fragment of bread was picked off of that grass and put in one of the baskets and equaled twelve baskets. They lost nothing. That all he has given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Now hold your place in John. Turn with me to Exodus 3 and verse 13.

And I'm going to have to turn this up from 16 RPM to 33.5 RPM. Exodus 3 and verse 13. They understood what Jesus said when he said, I am the bread of life. There in verse 3 and 4, we just read it. In Exodus 3, 13, then Moses said to God, Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me, and they say to me, What's his name? And what shall I say to them?

And God said to Moses, I am who I am. He said, Thus, yes, you shall say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. Now, there's more meaning behind just that phrase, I am, in English. What he basically was saying was that I transcend all history. Millions of years ago in the past, I am. I was there. Today, I am. I'm there. A million years into the future, I am. I will be there. So he was saying, I am the past. I am the present. I am the future.

I transcend all time, all history. I transcend eternity. I am. And when Jesus said those words in John 6, they obviously were startled by what he said, because we'll go back to John now. John 6, and we'll look at verse 41. Hopefully you kept your place.

John 6, verse 41, it said, The Jews then complained about him because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. He was the barley bread. They complained about him because he's common. Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, I have come down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Do not murmur against yourselves. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God.

Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the father, except he who is from God. He has seen the father. Most assuredly I say to you, He who believes in me has everlasting life. So Jesus is boldly proclaiming that he was sent to earth by the father, and that no one was being offered salvation that day unless the father was calling them and drawing them, meaning opening their minds to understand spiritual matters and wanting to truly listen, not just hear, but listen to the words of Jesus Christ.

Never forget that the stumbling block was that the Jews only looked upon Jesus as a physical messiah, as a political leader with miraculous power to rebel against Rome. He didn't come as a political leader. He came to be their savior, and unfortunately they didn't get it. Why? Because the father was not drawing them. He was not yet their time. That's why. Verse 48, Jesus says, I am the bread of life, your fathers ate the man in the wilderness and are dead.

This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I give is my flesh which I give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore quartered among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Verse 54, Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day, for my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Now from these very powerful words, another year will go by. The Passover of 31 A.D. when Jesus once again will bring up this concept and tie it into the fact of the Passover, that his life, his broken body, is represented by that bread that we eat, and that his blood is represented by that wine that we drink on that night.

Verse 57, As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me. That's what we do on the Passover. Symbolically, we feed on Christ. We eat his body. We drink his blood through the symbols of bread and wine. We abide in him through that way. We put Christ in us.

Once again, reflecting our commitment as disciples to be part of the new covenant and to allow the values of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and be a part of us. Verse 58, This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. These things he said in his synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. And again, we have John the thank for tying together that miracle that occurred in John 6 and the bread and the barley bread and tying it all together with events that occurred the following day, which the other writers of the New Testament didn't remember and didn't record for us.

So this discourse is the first time Jesus mentions both his flesh, represented by the bread, and his blood, later symbolized by wine, as providing eternal life. So as we begin to conclude the sermon, brethren, here are some things about the value of the Passover bread that we can learn from the words of Jesus Christ. I have just five quick things I would like to mention. Number one, we are told that Jesus was the I AM God of the Old Testament. That's something that's often lost in many people. They think God the Father was the God of the Old Testament. But Jesus clearly shows that no one even knew that there was God the Father until Jesus came to earth and revealed that he existed and revealed a little bit about him because the way Christ lived and the way Christ thinks, because they think alike.

They're in complete and total harmony as Father and Son. Jesus was the God of the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was the God who gave them manna in the wilderness, just as a token, as a just a small physical thing to represent a time when he would shed his divinity, humble himself as a man, and walk on earth to be the living bread of life and offer salvation to everyone.

It was Christ who gave Moses manna in the wilderness. Number two, it's the Father who is doing the calling of individuals. That's something we may not realize, not Christ. He clearly says that it's the Father who is doing the calling of individuals. It's the Father who are allowing minds to be opened because this is their time rather than another time, and He is attracting them to the words and the teachings of Jesus Christ and being offered salvation.

The third thing is that Jesus states that He is the living bread. This means that anyone who consumes this bread will live forever. And we continue to take the paths over because as part of the new covenant, we want to demonstrate our faith in God's promise that we will live forever as His children. Number four, Christ states that these symbols show we abide in Him. Now, to abide in Christ, and that's the word that He used, this means that we walk as disciples and live by every word of God.

It means that we analyze our lives, as Mr. Henderson was mentioning in the sermonette. It means that we adopt God's value system as ours and that we develop the fruits of the Holy Spirit and we work hard to rip out of our lives the work of the flesh. And sometimes that's what it seems like it takes to get the works of the flesh out of our life.

It's a pulling, it's a yanking, it's a ripping to get those bad, nasty foul habits and attitudes out of our hearts and our minds. That's what it means to abide in Him. It means we walk as disciples. We live by every word of God. And the Passover service demonstrates our acknowledgment, our commitment to continue to abide with Christ in a new covenant of relationships. And the fifth and final point, and then we have one more scripture, the fifth point, we are told that those who feed on Me, that was the phrase Jesus used, those who feed on Me will live because of Me.

Jesus lived and He died and He was resurrected as our Savior. He lived a perfect life. He then He shed His blood so that all sin could be forgiven and then He was resurrected from the dead so that we can live for Him and that He can live in us through His Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, again, and I can't emphasize this enough, He is our righteousness.

And when we abide in Him, His righteousness makes up for our imperfections. It's His righteousness in us that allows that Son-Father relationship to continue with the Father. We are the children of God. We are His children. And that relationship continues in spite of our flaws and weaknesses because Christ is our righteousness, again, symbolized by taking that bread and swallowing it and putting it in our mouths.

Well, I have one more scripture. I'd like to go further into the book of John and see an event that occurred after Jesus Christ died and was resurrected if you'll turn to John 21 beginning in verse 1. Now, guess what? This is another event that John records that is not mentioned by any other gospel writer. And because we took the time to look at John 6, because we spent time together looking at a number of things that occurred at a number of scriptures regarding bread and fish and realizing where and when the events occurred in the miracle of feeding the thousands, this may now make more sense to us.

John 21, verse 1, again, something that was only remembered by John. After these things, Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. That's where He walked on the water. That's where that miracle occurred. And in this way He showed Himself, Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathaniel of Canaan Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

I forgot to add, if you probably perceive it, this is after Jesus was crucified and was resurrected, but they're confused. They don't really know what's happened. They're like in shock. Verse 3, Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. You know, as the old saying goes, when the tough get going, the tough go shopping? Well, Simon Peter, he's feeling a lot of stress, so he's going to go back and do what comes naturally to him.

He's going to clear his mind. He's going to spend some time at the Sea. He's going to meditate. He's going to try to figure out what this three-and-a-half-year experience with Jesus of Nazareth was all about because they killed him, because he died. So Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. They said to him, we are also, we're going with you also.

They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. And Jesus said to them, children, have you any food? They answered him, no. And he said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.

They cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved, we know this is John, said to Peter, it is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it and plunged into the sea. The time for skinny dipping was over.

It's the Lord, and we all know the Lord has at least 20-20 vision. Perhaps better. So Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it, and he plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from land, but about 200 cubits, dragging the net with fish. Then they came as they had come to land, and they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it and bred.

Jesus said to them, come, or bring some of the fish that you have just caught. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to the land full of large fish, 153, and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

And Jesus said to them, come and eat breakfast. Yet none of the disciples dared ask him, who are you, knowing that it was the Lord? In verse 13, Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. Just like the miracle of feeding the thousands. This now is the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

So, brethren, in conclusion, Jesus is the bread of eternal life who shed his blood on a cross so that all sins can be forgiven. He reminds his disciples in this last scripture that we've read that they are to be fishers of men and that they are to abide in Jesus Christ. They must continue to do what God gave them to do. And the same holds true for us today. For each of us, a certain number of years ago, we made a commitment to Jesus Christ. We put our hand to the plow, and we said, Father, whatever I have to go through in life, I'm making a commitment to you to become your disciple.

You're the teacher. I'm the learner. You know everything. I know nothing. Please work with me. Love me. Teach me. Grant me your Holy Spirit. And put me on a path so that I can be used by you to serve forever in eternity and to care and love for others and to be like Jesus Christ. And brethren, just like the disciples were given a mission, our mission continues. Our mission must go on.

We have an opportunity this spring to look at our lives, to look at our hearts and minds, to make adjustments, to repent of our sins, to try to reinvent ourselves to get to another level of becoming more like Jesus Christ and less carnal like we are today. Let's take advantage of that. Let's appreciate the fact that Jesus Christ is the living bread of life. And the scriptures I read today for most people, I might as well have been speaking mumbo-jumbo because they wouldn't have gotten anything I said.

I could have been speaking Welsh and people would have looked at me with blank looks. I didn't get too many blank looks today because you get it. You get it and you understand it because the Father called you and the Father has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit. So let's continue in our mission and let's have a wonderful and indeed a miraculous spring-holy-day season.