23rd November 2025

The Bread of Life – Andy McCrae – 23rd November 2025

Readings: John 6:25-51

I want to talk today about one of the most important messages that Jesus ever gave us and which the crowd in Jesus’ time didn’t understand and which many people don’t today.

After Jesus had fed the 5000 he went again to the mountain to be alone. When evening came the disciples went down to the sea, it was dark and were rowing towards Capernaum when the wind rose up. Jesus met them, walking on the water towards them, and telling them not to be afraid. The next day, the crowd followed the disciples to the other side of the lake at Capernaum. Imagine the scene, the crowd jostling and pushing, hungry for more, the disciples, expectant and unsure, the pharisees watching and waiting. This mysterious man, who walks on water, performs miracles, feeds us, teaches us, questions us. 

How did you get here they ask? Jesus does not answer their question, but tells them, more importantly: ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed, because you ate the loaves and had your fill.’ Only, concerned with their physical needs they missed the true message. They had been there with him, knew what people said, saw him, but missed it, blinkered, tunnel visioned, concerned with themselves. Like us today perhaps, concerned with the things of today, missing the big message, what really matters.

 From the beginning of time God had a plan, a great plan and Jesus Christ is  the Father’s ultimate solution. The crowd ask, “What must we do, to do the work God requires?’ Jesus tells them, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” The crowd want a sign even after all they have seen. They want him to do still more. They are never satisfied. They want the bread that Moses gave them. 

Jesus corrects them both scripturally and spiritually. ‘Very truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of heaven is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives true life to the world.’ Eternal Life How would feel if we were in the crowd at this point, would we believe, or would we demand more?

While we have the full gospel today, we don’t always see the plan or the truth, the bigger plan that God has devised from the beginning. Many of us hear the message but arrogantly ignore it, or disclaim it intellectually, others hear the message and it only touches their hearts briefly, while others hear the message and understand but the message is choked by the cares of this world. The ones who truly hear God’s word when he says, ‘I am the bread of life, Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never go thirsty.’ Can rejoice at this wonderful message. We don’t need to fear for we have life eternal.  We must continually strive to put away the things of this world, that ‘the tempter’ uses to drive us away for God.  God doesn’t care how much money we have, how successful we are, what we look like. God looks in our heart and wants to see the things of God. Forget the physical, there is a spiritual world out there, an eternity, for ever and forever. This is God’s plan for us. He wants to be with us, he wants to have a relationship with us. 

Jesus our conqueror, our saviour, our shelter, our only hope. Jesus knew in his divine wisdom what was coming, but in his humanness, he chose to suffer the pain and torture and humiliation so that we might have eternal life. It’s unbelievable difficult to comprehend the depths of pain and degradation that Jesus, endured for us, as the servant, doing the will of the Father. We must never lose sight of the surety of eternal life, if we truly believe in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins.

 And so, it is only fair that we share this message, wherever we can, with our families our friends, our work colleagues, our neighbours. I pray that we have the courage and compassion to speak out when we can, on the big plan that Jesus is Our Saviour. Jesus promises us, ‘I shall lose none of all 

those he (the father) has given me but raise them up on the last day. What hope, what a future and what a beautiful message to take us through the week and evermore.