John 6:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

NIV: Sir,' they said, 'always give us this bread.'

NASB: Then they said to Him, 'Lord, always give us this bread.'

CSB: Then they said, "Sir, give us this bread always."

NLT: Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread every day.'

KJV: Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

NKJV: Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1–26), she misunderstood His spiritual teaching in a material way. When Jesus mentioned living water to her, she asked Him to give her that water to drink (John 4:15). Whether sarcastic or serious, her response showed that her focus was on actions, works, and material things. The rest of Jesus' conversation with the woman was meant to explain the spiritual nature of His claims.

This verse is another example of Jesus needing to correct confusion between physical and spiritual matters. Jesus has been speaking to the crowds about being the "true bread from heaven." Rather than looking to perishable food, the people ought to pursue eternal food (John 6:27; Isaiah 55:2). That food comes only in the form of belief, specifically the Son of Man (John 6:27–29). Jesus has just made a clear statement that the "bread of God" is a person come from heaven who gives life to the world. Just as the Samaritan woman did, these people completely miss the point, and once again ask for something material.

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 meant to be 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 lunch, 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 from Him in disappointment.

John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus' crucifixion. As with the rest of the Gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus' status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus' miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ''I AM'' statements found in this Gospel. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/3/2024 6:52:43 AM