Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
John 6:24-35
24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”
28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.
29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”
30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”
Original Intent
1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
In John 6:1, just before this passage, the same crowd of people we see here experience the miracle of Jesus feeding them with nothing more than a few loaves of bread and fish. When they seek Him out again, Jesus calls out the fact that they are looking for Him to meet their earthly needs, or “food that perishes.” Jesus wants the people to understand that they are searching for satisfaction in things that don’t matter, when He could offer them so much more – eternal life through belief in Him as the son of God.
2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
As Jesus continues to talk to the people, He refers to God’s past work with the Israelites, when He provided them manna from heaven to take care of their hunger (Exodus 16) before they made it to the Promised Land. In verse 30 above, the people ask for a similar miracle from Jesus. The motive of their request is to see another miracle, in order to confirm that Jesus is who He claims to be. Jesus responds by telling them that God has already given them something more in Him, through His life and ministry among them. Jesus tells the people that the only requirement is for them to believe in Him as the one and only Son of God. In Him, they can know life in a deeper and more meaningful way.
3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Once again, Jesus exposes the true heart condition of the people seeking after Him. Though the people say in verse 34 that they want the bread He offers, Jesus still knows they are still missing the point; the people are looking for their physical hunger and thirst to be satisfied. However, Jesus isn’t promising that physical hunger and thirst will not be an issue; rather, He tells them that they can have their deepest needs, their spiritual needs, filled and met in Him, through placing their faith in Him alone.
Everyday Application
1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
Physical needs are real, and we do have to deal with them regularly…there’s no getting around that reality. But how often are we guilty of the same thing these people were? Have you considered how many times you come to God seeking Him for his practical blessings, only when you have a felt need? Do you ask Him as often to meet your spiritual needs? Are you ever guilty of ignoring Him until there is something you want? Consider how you need to seek God for all things, not just the physical needs of this life. Don’t lose sight of the fact that earthly things are temporary. Jesus wants us to instead focus on the eternal, spiritual things that truly matter – our relationship with Him.
2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
Take a few minutes to examine your heart and your patterns of coming to Jesus with your prayers. It’s hard to admit our faults, I understand. But try to be honest with yourself. Do you relate at all to the demands the people make of Jesus? Do you ever find yourself looking for something that you want God to DO for you, all the while missing what he has already provided in the person of Jesus? We must always remain mindful of the truth that Jesus is all we truly need. He is the answer to every deep desire or hope. Are you ever in a place where you require proof from God, asking Him to do something specific to somehow prove His love or power to you? If we ask in that way, we expose a lack of faith and belief similar to the crowds Jesus was addressing. Instead, we should trust in His greater power, believing He will work on our behalf. In His time. In His way. Not according to our selfish requests.
3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Jesus promises that in Him, we have all we need. Yet hunger and thirst are still a real part of life. We often have difficulty being satisfied. We covet what others have. We long for more. We want “just one more” of whatever we desire. Where do you still hunger and thirst for “more” than what He has already given? Consider why you struggle to be satisfied with what He has already provided. What things other than Jesus do you turn to in order to fill that need for more? How do you need to turn to Jesus instead, trusting in Him to provide for you? Write out as many thoughts as you can, with practical ideas of how you can place your trust in Jesus alone.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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