First Quarter 2004 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"The Gospel Of John"

Insights to Lesson 7
The Sacred in the Common
February 7-13, 2004

(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)

I AM the Bread of Life

All spiritual life is derived from Christ. The word of Christ is spirit and life, and the more knowledge we have of His word, the more vigorous will be our spiritual growth.

In John 6:32-58, Jesus used bread as a metaphor to illustrate the vitalizing power of His Spirit. While earthly bread sustains physical life, the words of Christ satisfy our hearts and strengthen our moral powers. If a person will eat of His life as expressed in the Bible, then that person will have an imperishable life that is derived from the life of God.

Standing before the crowd in the Capernaum synagogue, Christ wasn't speaking of temporal bread, but of the bread of life--His life. This was an appropriate metaphor, well adapted to the present occasion. The Passover was approaching, during which the pascal lamb would be slain and eaten in a symbolic ritual that typified the giving of the Son of God for the sins of the world. When Jesus said "I am the bread of life," He could just as well have said, "I am the pascal Lamb." With Calvary in view, He was setting forth Himself as the life given to redeem the world.

Jesus prefaced His discussion of the living bread by admonishing the people for their lack of true faith, counseling them to obtain from Him that which "endureth unto everlasting life." The listening Pharisees misunderstood the meaning of Jesus’ words to be an exhortation to holier living, and replied, "What must we do, that we might do the works of God?" (vs. 26-28). Ever dependent upon their own works of righteousness (legalism), these men wanted to know what they could do to make themselves stand more worthily before God.

When Jesus told them that their only source of salvation was faith in God’s work through Christ, they were insulted. Demanding that Jesus prove Himself that they might have "reason" to believe His words, they set themselves more firmly in the path that led to their complete rejection of Him as their Saviour.

The prejudice of the Pharisees lay deeper than their questions here indicate. This prejudice had taken root in the bitter perversity of their sinful hearts. Jesus’ words and miracles had not created these evil feelings, but only called into action what already resided in their hearts. His pure and elevated doctrine of righteousness was not in harmony with their preconceived opinions.

Can we apply this lesson to the current state of affairs? Is there a more recent time when the Bread of Life was presented to the people and rejected?

"The Lord has raised up Brother Jones and Brother Waggoner to proclaim a message to the world to prepare a people to stand in the day of God. The world is suffering the need of additional light to come to them upon the Scriptures,—additional proclamation of the principles of purity, lowliness, faith, and the righteousness of Christ. This is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Many will be moved and humbled. After a time they will drink of the waters of life. Jesus proclaimed Himself the bread of life: 'I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'" John 6:51 (Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, pp. 1814-1815).

What was the reception of this message? Was it essentially different from the reception given to Jesus by the Pharisees of His day?

Because of preconceived opinions and a fear that the "old landmarks" were being overturned, at the 1888 General Conference the leadership of the church virtually rejected the unique message of Christ and His righteousness which was presented to them though Elders Jones and Waggoner. With a disbelief similar to that displayed by the Pharisees, many were fearful that Jones and Waggoner's views on the covenants would destroy the church's position on the Sabbath. Thus, the leadership chose to remain in their legalism, preaching the law until they were as dry as the hills of Gilboa, rather than come up to the high calling of Christ our righteousness. The 1888 message and the messengers were treated as the ancient Jews had treated Christ when He stood before them that day in Capernaum.

"I have no smooth message to bear to those who have been so long as false guideposts, pointing the wrong way. If you reject Christ's delegated messengers, you reject Christ . . . I entreat you now to humble yourselves and cease your stubborn resistance of light and evidence" (Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 97-98).

Jesus bids us to come and eat of this “most precious message” that we may live eternally. Our Saviour is the bread of life, and it is through study of His message, that we feed upon the Bread which came down from heaven.

"The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God . . . This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure" (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 91-92).

By beholding the charms of His matchless love, we receive His righteousness into the soul. The world can only be expelled from the soul by filling the soul with Christ through the study of His word. The message of the uplifted Saviour will soften stony hearts and prepare a people for the soon coming of our Lord.

Read the study notes for Lesson 8