YOUTH STS LESSON 141 THE BREAD OF LIFE

TEXT: John 6:1-71        

 MEMORY VERSE: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

Our text focuses on the miraculous multiplication of “five barley loaves, and two small fishes” to feed a multitude of people that were “number about five thousand”. Here, Christ’s Omnipotence is proven once again before the multitude. We also see His miraculous and majestic walk on the “sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias”. Here, His authority over natural elements is also proven. Christ is not only Lord, but almighty, all – Powerful and all – Supreme. He has divine sovereignty over all things in this life and that which is to come (Colossiafis 1:16). Christ is not only the provider of physical bread which only nourishes our body, but He is the bread of Life that caters for our spiritual needs. What a great indescribable privilege for Christian youths to have “this same Jesus” as our own Lord and personal Saviour, and to have His inexhaustible riches of grace at our disposal. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

CHRIST’S MIRACULOUS WORKS AND WONDERS AMONG MEN (John 6:1-21; Mark 6:30-44; Matthew 14:15-21; Luke 9:12-17; Philippians 4:19; Matthew 14:32,33)

The effect of Christ’s healing ministry on the people was immeasurable as countless number of people followed Him when they saw the miracles. However, despite the crowd, Jesus still had time to fellowship with His disciples. “And Jesus went into a mountain, and there sat with his disciples” (John 6:3). The purpose of coming apart was for both physical and spiritual renewal. Intimate fellowship with Christ results in spiritual renewal for greater exploits in Christian service. “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5, 6). Christ was moved with compassion when He saw the multitude. His compassion moved Him into action: Here is divine care! He is still the same today. He cares for the needy. Christ’s faith is immeasurable. He can do all things. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Interestingly, Christ fed the five thousand with the loaves and fishes He took from a lad. It is worthy of note here that a young boy contributed to the progress of Christ’s ministry even at a time when His disciples did not know what to do.

Question 1: What lessons can we learn from the young boy whose loaves and fishes were used by Christ to feed the multitude?

We learn the following lessons from the boy who gave his five loaves and five fishes.

(1) the boy was eager and interested to learn from Christ.

(2) He willingly gave what he had for Christ’s use. He neither hesitated nor grumbled.

(3) He gave all that he had. However, we should note that for our gifts to have earthly and eternal reward, we should first give our lives to God. Just like the multitudes, many today see Christ as a miracle worker who only meets their physical needs. Christ declares, “I am the bread of life” which means that He is to meet both our physical and spiritual needs. Christ performed several miracles which projected His majesty and sovereignty. People sometimes marvelled and wondered at His miraculous acts. Even His disciples sometimes wondered what manner of man He was. One of such miracles was the act of walking on the sea. This supernatural act consolidated the conviction of the disciples as regards Christ’s personality and Deity. Unfortunately, the generality of people missed the purpose of Christ’s miracles.

CHRIST CHALLENGES THE MULTITUDE (John 6:22-66; Mark 7:6,7; Acts 28: 26,27; Numbers 11:4-7; Romans 8:7,8)

“When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus” (John 6:24). The day following the feeding of the five thousand men, the multitude sought Jesus Christ.

Question 2: Why did the multitude seek Jesus?

These men sought Jesus Christ merely because they thought He would always give them bread to eat. They said to Him: “Lord, evermore give us this bread” (verse 34). Carnal youths can be identified by the following:

(i) they come to the church to have only their physical needs met;

(ii) they do not appreciate teachings that challenge people to deeper Christian living.

(iii) Their obedience is based on sight and signs.

(iv) They prefer spending their resources on mundane things rather than spiritual things.

Question 3: What are the dangers of coming to church just to meet our physical needs?

“Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, this is an hard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6:60). Youths that are in church just for their physical needs to be met have no spiritual root; once their needs are not met, they leave the fellowship of God’s people and seek other carnal alternatives. They are spiritually unstable and would damn their souls if they do not repent.

Question 4: Mention some factors that can lead to backsliding?

Carnality, which is often manifested in form of lack of understanding of spiritual matters, is a major cause of backsliding among Christian youths. A carnal youth has a very weak string of attachment to Christ. Our understanding of God’s word cannot rise above how much of His Spirit we have received, “…for the Spirit şearcheth all things, yea the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10b). It is only the Spirit of God who has the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of God. Carnal people have little or none of God’s Spirit. (Jude 19). Since the multitude were carnal-minded, the reason for their confusion was not far-fetched. They had no illumination of God’s word. Many youths who were never convinced of the basic Christian teachings easily backslide. As Christian youths, we should not be carried away by the tendencies of the last days. We should learn to rely more on God’s word and ensure we are “…doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).

THE CHALLENGE TO CHRISTIAN YOUTHS (John 6:67-71; Romans 8:35-39; 2 Timothy 1:12; Daniel 3:14-17; Matthew 13:20, 21)

When the carnal-minded multitude noticed that Jesus was not ready to gratify their lust and that they did not understand His teachings, many of them stopped following Him. Then He asked His disciples, “will ye also go away” to challenge their faith and steadfastness. The response of Peter is a great challenge. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of eternal life” (verse 68). This implies that he had the conviction that Jesus Christ is the Author of eternal life. As a matter of fact, he said, “we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”. (verse 69). A very deep conviction on who Jesus is, His power and personality will give a Christian youth the courage to stand when the danger of backsliding arises. There are so many church-going youths who show much zeal for the Lord Jesus Christ. They could even dare to fight for the name of their church or the dignity of their pastors. But they do not have the strength to overcome temptations. They are like Judas, who followed Jesus Christ but could not withstand temptations. Being a victorious and spiritual having a very Christian is more than attending a church or good leader. Judas had all that but backslid and became a carnal follower.

Question 5: How can a youth become an overcomer?

To be an overcomer, a sinning youth must repent of his sins and carnality. He must believe in Jesus Christ as the Saviour and the author of eternal life, develop a very strong conviction on spiritual matters through diligent study of the word of God and keep company with people of like-precious faith and spiritual resources (such as messages, Christian literature etc) (verse 27). Christ wants our attention to be on spiritual things to place our priorities right. He wants us to be resolute in following Him no matter the challenges that we face in life.