What does John 6:35 mean?
This verse represents the first "I am" statement of John's gospel. In each of these instances, Jesus uses the phrase "I am" in reference to Himself, providing perspective on His mission and His ministry. This echoes the reference used by God Himself when speaking to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:13–14). Jesus will use this same phrasing, to the same disciple writing this gospel, in a vision many decades later (Revelation 1:8).The people have come to Jesus looking for another miracle: more free food (John 6:26). Instead, Jesus says they need to be seeking the "true bread from heaven" to obtain eternal life. Jesus has already clarified that this does not mean good works; it means belief in the One sent by God (John 6:29).
Jesus explicitly declares that He, Himself, is the One sent by God. Eternal life is found only through belief in Jesus Christ (John 3:36; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Jesus continues the analogy of food here, combining the ideas of spiritual hunger (Matthew 4:4) and spiritual thirst (John 4:13–14). Saving faith is seen as an analogy to food and drink: a person must take it inside of themselves. Acceptance is a requirement for these blessings to have any effect.
John 6:22–40 describes the initial aftermath of Jesus' feeding of thousands the previous day. The crowd's actual desire is for another supernatural spectacle and more free food. In this passage, Christ begins to explain the true meaning behind His miracle and His ministry. This includes the first of seven ''I am'' statements in the gospel of John—moments where Jesus declares His own divinity. Jesus clarifies that physical things such as bread are symbols of a spiritual truth. In the following segment, the crowd will stop seeking and start complaining.
In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small meal, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away in disappointment.
