What does John 6:38 mean?
The people are struggling to understand Jesus' teachings. He has recently attempted to explain that His miracles are meant to point towards a greater truth. Rather than focus on material things, the people ought to be emphasizing eternal, heavenly things. In the same way, the bread provided by Jesus is only meant to be a sign, like the manna provided by Moses. That sign should point people towards the "Bread of Life," a person sent by God (John 6:27–33), so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 6:40).Once again, Jesus claims that He has "come down from heaven" (John 6:33). From the perspective of Jesus' critics, this is blasphemy, and will be part of their criticisms of Him during His arrest. Not only is this audacious, but it would be depraved for a normal man to claim. Yet this is the primary theme of the gospel of John: that Jesus Christ is God incarnate (John 20:31).
In this verse, Jesus also makes an additional reference to His obedience to God the Father. As part of the Trinity, Jesus Christ is God the Son. So, His will and the will of the Father are always in alignment. And yet, as a fully human man, Christ also experienced the temptations and emotions of a physical person (Hebrews 4:15). Part of His sinless example to us is His willingness to obey God, no matter the consequences (Mark 14:36), and no matter the personal cost (Philippians 2:8). In the context of this discussion, Jesus is also pointing out that the ministry He has been given comes from God and ought to be recognized as such.
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.
