17 Mar I AM the bread of life

John 6:22-35

²² On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. ²³ Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” ²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Introduction

You wake up in the morning in Indonesia, and you’re hungry. You go to the kitchen, but there’s no bread. No problem! You can have rice, noodles, or maybe a nice bowl of soup. In our culture, bread is just a snack—it’s something extra, not something we depend on to survive.

But in Jesus’ time, bread wasn’t just an option. It was everything. If you didn’t have bread, you didn’t have a real meal. For many people, bread was the difference between being full and being hungry, between having strength or being weak. It was their daily necessity.

Now, imagine standing in that culture, where bread is life, and hearing Jesus say, “I am the Bread of Life.” That wasn’t just a poetic statement. It was a bold declaration: “Just as you can’t live without bread, you can’t truly live without Me.”

Now let’s bring this into our world. How do we see Jesus? Is He our daily necessity, like bread was back then? Or is He just an extra—something nice to have, but not something we depend on?

Many of us treat Jesus like bread in our culture—just a snack. Something we grab when we feel like it, maybe once a week at church, or only when we need help. But Jesus wants to be more than that. He wants to be the core of our lives, our daily source of strength and life.

As we dive into today’s message, let’s ask ourselves—What does it truly mean for Jesus to be the Bread of Life in our lives? Is He just a side dish, or is He the meal that sustains us?

Are you spiritually hungry?

Imagine that you are part of the group following Jesus and suddenly Jesus said I am bread of life. What would you think? I might be confused. I may say that “so you are messiah and now you are bread”. Some kids may think that “I think he is magician who will turn himself to bread”. It’s weird, right? Let’s find out bit more context. In verse 22, it starts with “on the next day”. If you read pericope and it starts with “therefore”, “on the next day”, please do not ignore that. It means that you need to get more context from the previous verses.

“On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.”- John 6:22 ESV

What happened before this pericope? This pericope happened after Jesus fed the 5,000 and walked on water, the crowd was looking for Him.

Curious and eager to find Him, they searched the area. When they couldn’t find Him, they traveled to Capernaum, thinking He might be there. They were excited to find Jesus because they had seen His miracles, especially the way He had fed them the day before. It sounds good, right? People eagerly looking for Jesus. They want to see Jesus. How good is that?

The question now are.;

• What are they searching for? Were they searching for more teaching, longing to know more about the kingdom of God?
• Were they truly seeking something deeper, something that would satisfy their souls?
• Or were they just hoping to see another miracle and get more free bread?

Listen to this

“When they found him (Jesus) on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

John 6:25-26 ESV

What interesting here is the crowd ask when did you come here? When? The correct answer would have been, “I walked over the Sea of Galilee in the night time to help My disciples, then I miraculously transported our boat across the remaining distance of the Sea. That’s when and how I came here.” Instead of telling them when and why He came, Jesus told them why they came – because they wanted more food miraculously provided by Jesus.

The problem Jesus faced was that people don’t see what they truly need. Jesus had just left this same crowd after feeding them miraculously with bread and fish. They had followed him to the other side of the lake after he had fed over 5,000 people. These people weren’t following Jesus because of Him instead they were hoping of an easier lifestyle. They weren’t seeking Him because they truly wanted to follow Him—they just wanted more food and miracles.

Listen carefully, church. It’s possible to look for Jesus but for the wrong reasons. We might come to church, serving in church but instead of truly seeking Him, we are looking for other things—maybe approval, success, blessings, or just feeling good about ourselves.

The problem was that the crowd were only focused on physical bread. They wanted an easier life, where God would take care of all their physical needs without them having to worry. They were so concerned about filling their stomachs that they didn’t realize how empty their heart are!

Even so often we can think this way, and many churches fall into this trap too. In prosperity gospel, You might have heard people say that if you truly believe in Jesus, He will make you rich and successful.

It’s a tragedy when people spend their lives chasing after material things but never think about their spiritual needs. Many people keep chasing after more and more of what this world offers, not realizing that, in the end, it will never truly satisfy them. No matter how much we have, without God, our souls will always be empty.

The people had a deeper hunger, a spiritual hunger, but this crowd didn’t recognise it. They were so focused on their struggles—especially living under Roman rule—that they ignored their real need. During that time, hunger is big problem. Everyday, people spend whole day to find food. They may think if someone can give me bread everyday, it would be lovely.

Same as us, life can be so busy and distracting that we forget to feed our souls. we can starve spiritually if we don’t recognise our need for God. We have to be willing to admit that we are spiritually hungry.

These are some examples;

1. Non-stop scrolling – You wake up and immediately check social media, spending hours online but never taking time to pray or read the Bible.
2. Overloaded schedule – You’re so busy with school, work, or hobbies that you never pause to reflect on God’s presence in your life.
3. You binge-watch shows or play video games late into the night but feel too tired to spend even few minutes in prayer.
4. Skipping church – You tell yourself you’ll go next week, but other plans or laziness keep pushing it off.
5. Some people believe that “I don’t need church community”. This is a warning sign that you will starve spiritually. This is just misconception thinking that “I can follow Jesus” without being connected to community. We need community to support us. And we also need community to challenge even rebuke us. So, remember don’t isolate yourself from community.

Everyone is searching for something to fill the emptiness inside. Deep down, our souls are craving peace, love, purpose, and true joy. But when we feel that hunger inside, where do we go to satisfy it?

Do we run to Jesus, the only one who can truly fill us? Or do we try to satisfy ourselves with other things—money, success, relationships, or entertainment? Maybe we even look to people, hoping they will give us what our hearts need. These things will not satisfy us. Instead, we will keep pursuing them because it gives us temporary joy and fake fulfilment.

In this pericope, the people followed Jesus because they wanted more bread. But Jesus told them they needed something more—something that would truly satisfy their souls.

This pericope emphasises two main issues: WHAT they are seeking for satisfaction and HOW they seek it. This is what we are going to see in next 2 points.

 

 

What They Seek for Satisfaction

The people went to the place where they thought the disciples had gone, and to their surprise, Jesus was already there! They asked Him how He got there. But Jesus didn’t answer their question. Instead, He went straight to the real issue. READ VERSE 26- “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

Jesus told them the real reason they were looking for Him—not because they truly wanted Him, but because they wanted more food and more miracles.

After Jesus pointed their issue, they have little conversation with Jesus.

²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 

Basically, the convo went like this. “Okay we hear what you’re saying, Jesus. You gave us food one time (ONE TIME!), but Moses gave our ancestors food every day for 40 years in the desert. (40 years vs one time) That was a real miracle—what you did isn’t that impressive.”

³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 

Jesus quietly corrected them. He explained that it wasn’t actually Moses who provided the bread—it was God. And now, God was offering them something even greater.

Hearing this, the people got interested and said, “Sir, give us this bread always!” They were thinking about physical bread, something they could eat every day.

But then Jesus gave them a surprising answer. He didn’t offer them a never-ending supply of regular bread. Instead, ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

When Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life,” He was telling the people that He is the most important thing they need.

Today, we often think of bread as just a small part of a meal—maybe a side dish, like a dinner roll. But in Jesus time, bread wasn’t just a side—it was the main meal. People relied on bread to survive because, for many, it was their only food.

By calling Himself the Bread of Life, Jesus was saying, “I am everything you truly need. I am the one who will completely satisfy you.” Just like bread kept people alive physically, Jesus gives life to our souls. He wasn’t offering just a little extra help—He was offering Himself as the one thing that can fully satisfy and sustain us.

–

This is why chasing after satisfaction in life can feel so frustrating—when you don’t even know what you truly need. People often try to fill the emptiness inside them with material things, substances, relationships, entertainment, or pleasures. But no matter how much they get, they are never truly satisfied. They just keep searching for more.

We all have a deep spiritual hunger—a longing for meaning, security, love, and fulfilment. This hunger was designed by God and can only be satisfied by Him. But so often, instead of turning to God, we run to other things—idols that promise satisfaction but ultimately leave us empty.

Jesus told the people why they were really looking for Him. Now in verse 27, He tells them what they should be seeking instead.

READ VERSE 27: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.””

Jesus told the people they were chasing after the wrong thing. They were spending all their energy looking for food that would only satisfy them for a little while. The day before, He had fed them, but now they were hungry again. That food didn’t last.

What Jesus try to do here is Jesus made a contrast between material things and spiritual things.

It reveals a fundamental truth: people naturally crave and pursue material things more than spiritual things. If given a choice between free food and eternal life, most people will choose the food.

Why are people more attracted to material things?

1. Material Needs Feel Immediate, Spiritual Needs Feel Abstract

Hunger, thirst, money—these are things we immediately feel. If someone is starving, food becomes their top priority. But spiritual hunger isn’t always as obvious. People may feel empty, restless, or unfulfilled, but they don’t always recognise that the root problem is a spiritual one.

That’s why a sign that says “Free Money” or “Free Food” will always attract a larger crowd than one that says  “Eternal Life” or “Spiritual Fulfillment”— because people prioritise what they can see and touch over what they can’t.

2. The World Conditions Us to Value the Temporary Over the Eternal

Society constantly pushes the idea that success, wealth, and pleasure are what matter most. Advertisements, social media, and entertainment all reinforce the message:

• Money will give security and happiness
• Fame will give validation and worth

Spiritual things, like faith, holiness, or eternal life, are often seen as less urgent or even unimportant because they don’t provide immediate gratification.

3. People Often Misunderstand Their True Need

People chase after money, relationships, achievements, or entertainment, thinking these will satisfy them. But these things only give temporary happiness, and the hunger always comes back. 

Jesus wants us to seek Him, not just for temporary things like money, success, or comfort, but for the true life He gives. Earthly things can never fill the emptiness in our hearts. They might make us happy for a little while, but that feeling always fades. Only Jesus, the Bread of Life, can fully satisfy us forever.

This is our first problem that we seek our satisfaction in wrong places. The second problem is how we seek satisfaction.

It leads me to last point.

 

 

How We Seek Satisfaction

Look at verse 28.

The people asked Jesus, “What must WE do to do the works of God?”

The sense behind their question seemed to be, “Just tell us what to do so we can get what we want from You. We want Your miracle bread and for You to be our Miracle King; tell us what to do to get it.

This seems like a great question, but they were missing the point. The people thought they could earn their way to get true satisfaction by doing good works. They wanted a checklist—something they could do to get to that on their own, without depending on God.

This is the problem. The crowd wanted a transaction, not a relationship. Their question reveals a transactional mindset. That’s how a religion works.  “Just tell us the right prayers, rituals, or good deeds to do, and we’ll do them.”

But Jesus wasn’t offering them a trade; He was offering them Himself. Jesus wasn’t asking them to earn anything. He was asking them to trust in Him. But they didn’t want that—they wanted a king who would make their lives easier, not a Savior who would change their hearts.

Look at verse 29. ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 

Jesus gave them the real answer—our job is to believe! The work God wants from us is faith. To trust in Him.

The problem with the crowd was that they were following Jesus, not because they wanted to serve Him, but because they wanted to get something from Him. They didn’t want to give their lives to Him—they just wanted Him to meet their needs.

But Jesus calls us to more. He wants us to believe Him for who He is, not just for what He can give.

The same mindset still exist today. Many people today approach Jesus the same way:“Tell me what to do so I can get what I want.” “If I go to church, will God bless me financially?”“If I pray more, will God give me success?””If I obey certain religious rules, will God fix all my problems?”

How to satisfy our hunger? To believe in Jesus. To truly seek Jesus, we must come to Him just as we are—broken, sinful, and in need of His grace. Many people think they need to “fix themselves” before coming to God. But the truth is we can’t fix ourselves.

We are guilty before God because of our sin, and no amount of good deeds can erase that guilt. Because of sin, we live under a curse—we have to struggle, work, and fight for survival. Under the curse, we are always struggling to get what we need. But Jesus came to lift that burden.

Jesus doesn’t tell us to try harder—He tells us to come to Him as we are, admitting that we are helpless without Him. Seeking Jesus starts with humility—recognizing that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Trust completely in what Jesus did on the Cross. The good news is that Jesus has already done everything needed to save us. When He died on the cross, He took the punishment we deserve. There is a key truth we need to understand: Jesus didn’t just give us bread but He gave us Himself.

• We don’t have to work for our salvation. Jesus already did the work.
• We don’t have to earn God’s love. Jesus already secured it for us.
• We don’t have to fight for eternal life. Jesus already paid the price.

So will you come? Not trying to fix yourself, not trusting in your own strength, but simply believing in what Jesus has already done. That is how you find the food that endures to eternal life.

How do you satisfy your hunger? First, by believing. Second, by eating daily bread. Don’t think that just because you ate the bread five years ago, it’s enough. Don’t think that just because you put your faith in Christ five years ago, it’s enough. It is not enough! We need daily bread—the bread that sustains us every day. Come to Jesus every day. Taste His goodness daily through His Word and through prayer. We need that bread every single day.

Still, many of us chase after things we think will satisfy us—money, success, relationships, or approval from others. These things become idols in our lives, and we hold onto them because we think they bring us security. But they never truly satisfy. We love our idols so much that it’s hard to let it go. How can we let go of our idol?

Let me close with baby shark story. When you visit SeaWorld in Indonesia (or maybe in Sydney, too!), you might have the chance to touch a baby shark. It’s cool but a little scary, right? Just because they’re baby sharks doesn’t mean they are vegetarians! They still eat meat. But here’s the interesting part: The sharks don’t bite the visitors or the kids who pet them. Why? Because the staff has already fed them right before, and they are full. When they’re fed with the real food, they don’t feel the need to look for anything else.

In the same way, when our hearts are fully fed with the real food—Jesus, who gives true satisfaction—we won’t be looking for other things to fill us. When we’re filled with His love, peace, and truth, we won’t be searching for what the world offers.

Thomas Chalmers said, ““The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one.” – The only way to remove an old love is by replacing it with a stronger love.” The only way to let go of idols is to love Jesus more than anything else. We overcome idols not by trying harder, but by seeing how much Jesus loves us. When we truly understand what He did for us, our hearts will be drawn to Him, and we won’t need to chase after empty things anymore.

Will you receive the Bread of Life? Jesus has already done everything for you. He lived the life you couldn’t, He died the death you deserved, and now He invites you to receive Him as the Bread of Life. All you need to do is: Come to Him as you are. Trust in what He has already done. Receive the free gift of eternal life. The world says, “Work harder.” Jesus says, “Believe and receive.” Which one will you choose? – Let’s Pray.

 

 

Discussion questions:

1. What struck you the most from the sermon?
2. What are some distractions in your life that keep you from recognising you are spiritually hungry?
3. Based on your experience, why do you think people pursue material over spiritual things?
4. How do you receive Jesus as the bread of life?
5. “The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one.” – Thomas Chalmers. How does the gospel change your appetite?

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