John 6:25–58 (NIV)

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’?”

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 forever. 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 forever.”

1. Satisfying our spiritual hunger with himself.

“For the bread of God

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” Exodus 16:2-5

2. Jesus is the bread of life who comes to us.

is the bread that comes down from heaven

Seven signs: changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing the royal official son (4:46-54), healing the paralytic (5:1-15), feeding the 5000 (6:5-14), walking on water (6:16-24), healing blind man (9:1-7) and raising of Lazarus (11:1-45).

Seven I am’s: “I am the bread of life” (6:35), “I am the light of the world” (8:12), “I am the door” (10:7), “I am the good shepherd” (10:11-14), “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6), “I am the true vine” (15:1)

“What matters is not what Jesus can do for you; what matters is who Jesus is.” --N.T. Wright

3. Jesus gives life to the world.

and gives life to the world.”

“There is a mysterious link between our brokenness and our ability to give to each other. The times of our lives when we feel like we have the least to offer are often the times that make us able to give more instead of less. Our brokenness opens us to a deeper way of sharing our lives and offering each other hope.” Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Matthew 25:44-45

As needed, refer to the Order of Worship and Resources at solanabeach.church for sermon video, message outline, and small group questions print version.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

Before beginning your time in John and the message, create intentional time getting acquainted and re-acquainted with one another. Share together, using the following ice-breaker question: What’s your favorite meal and why?

CONNECT WITH GOD (Use one of the below practices or choose one from a previous week.)

• Simplicity: Read the below quote and then write a prayer in your journal that reflects your own journey with simplicity. 

“Simplicity creates margins and spaces and openness in our lives. It honors the resources of our small planet. It offers us the leisure of tasting the present moment. Simplicity asks us to let go of the tangle of wants so we can receive the simple gifts of life that cannot be taken away. Sleeping, eating, walking, giving and receiving love, the benefits we take for granted, are amazing gifts. Simplicity invites us into these daily pleasures that can open us to God, who is present in them all.”  -Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

• Centering Prayer: a simple practice that helps you become more attentive to God’s activity in your life. We quiet our minds, cease striving and make room for God’s deep work in us. 
• Take a moment to breathe, slow down and be attentive. 
• Choose a sacred focus for your prayer time: a name for God or simply “Lord, I am Yours.” Or imagine Jesus’ loving look or Jesus calming the sea. Or focus on your breath.
• Using your sacred focus, quiet your mind. When your mind wanders, return to your sacred focus, trusting that the Holy Spirit is at work in you.
• After the allotted time, thank the Holy Spirit for working in you.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

Together: Read John 6:25-58

• Before digging into the scripture and message more, pray together. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate and enlighten, and to speak to each one of you through the passage. 
• Alone: Reflect/journal on the following prompts: 
• How have you experienced hunger in your life? 
• How do Jesus’ words in this passage speak to you? 
• As a whole group: Around the circle, share your personal reflections and questions about the passage. Encourage one another to engage curiosity, confusion, or bigger questions. 

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE 

If needed, read the passage again. Then select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.

• Review the main points from the sermon outline. 
• How did God meet you in the message this week? 
• Which phrase or section of the passage stands out most to you? Why? 
• What do you think Jesus means when he talks about ‘food that spoils’ in verse 27? 
• Reflect together on the similarities and differences between Exodus 16 and John 6. 
• Read John 6: 60-71. What does this tell you about following Jesus? 
• How do the themes of identity, belonging, and belief connect to your own life today?
• What are you still wrestling with? 
• Where do you identify literal or figurative hunger in our world today? How do Jesus’ words speak into our current context? 

ENGAGE AND EXPLORE 

Together: explore the quote below, in connection with John 6.

“What matters is not what Jesus can do for you; what matters is who Jesus is. Only if you’re prepared to be confronted by that in a new way can you begin to understand what he can really do for you, what he really wants to do for you.” N.T. Wright, John for Everyone

PRAYER 

Include the following prayers for the world in your time of closing prayer. 

For your church in every place, that we may worship and serve you faithfully…

God of grace, hear our prayer. 

For violence and war, that there may be peace…

God of grace, hear our prayer.

For justice throughout the world, that there may be flourishing for all…

God of grace, hear our prayer. 

For those who hunger and thirst, that they may be filled with good things…

God of grace, hear our prayer.

For those who are ill, that they may know your loving care…

God of grace, hear our prayer.