The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-07-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson in the International Series fes
July y, 10OO-Jesus the Bread
of Life,

SseSS
given the day after the miracle. Th
full discourse is included in the sixth
chapter of John, verses 22-7l.
The People Seeking Jesus.-The
miracle of feeding the 5,Ooopeople from
five barley loaves of bread increased
the desire Of the people to see Jesus.
So the multitude returned to Caper-
naum seeking Him. But Jesus was not
seeking this sort OF popularity. He
wanted them as He wants now that all
should seek Him, but the purpose in the
heart of the seeker has somewhat to
do with the result of the seeking. Jesus
divines the motives of the people, and
says: "Ye seek me, not because ye
saw the miracles, but because ye did
eat of the loaves, and were filed" In
other words, they had seen a great won
der performed, and sought to see other
great wonders. They had failed to Ter
ceive the real purpose in the miracle,
and had seen only the multiplying of
loaves and fishes.
The lmpcrishable Bread.-It Is in eX-
PLANTATION of that miracle that Jesus
now goes on to speak. He tells them
that the barley loayes were only SYM
bo,s of that higher nourishment, "the
meat which endureth unto everlasting
life." Then some of those before Jesus
perceive the drift of His teaching. They
knew what the rabbis had been teach
ing that works for God" were profit
able to the spiritual life. So they ask
what they shall do. Relieve" comes
the word of Jesus. This is the work
of God that We believe" believe on Him,
Jesus, whom God hath sent. But the
Jews were slow to believe. They for
get the wonderful works of Jesus only
the day before and ask for sign. But
as they speak they remember the
signs already given, and seek to back
down by belttling the miracle of the
loaves, suggesting that Moses, day after
day for many years, had given their
fathers mama from Heaven. Jesus
does not offer to defend His own mir
acle; His only answer is that the bread
for the body is not the Heavenly bread
of which He has been speaking. "rhe
bread Of God is He which cometh down
from Heaven, and giveth life unto the
world" Loaves and fishes help give
life to the body, but Jesus Himself gives
life to the spiritual man.
Jesus the Bread.-This teaching of
Jesus is unlike any of the teachings of
the Jewish rabbis, and the Jews find
1t hard to understand. They think He
is speaking Of material bread which
may possess some superior quality, but
still bread after the fashion of that
used by them every day. So they say:
Lord, evermore give us this bread"
Jesus then speaks to them plainly: 81
am the bread of life;" and speaking no
more in figures, adds: II came down
from Heaven to do the will OF Him that
sent me. And this is the will
OF Him that sent me, that everyone
which seeth the Son. and believeth on
Him, may have everlasting life"
Objection Raised by the Jews.-The
Jews were unwilling to accept the pain
teaching of Jesus. Perhaps they could
not. Here was man they knew and
whose parents they knew. How is it
then that this plain peasant carpenters
son, one of themselves, saith: 81 came
down from Heaven"
Jesus Answer.-Jesus does not argue
with the Jews. They can accept or no.
as they will. He reiterates the truth
He has uttered: 81 am the bread Of
life" and gives expression to a new
truth, adding in verse 81: "The bread
that will give is my flesh, which will
give for the life of the world"
Another jection.-Christian will
see in the statement of Jesus fore
shadowing of the cross, but the Jews
could only think it foolishness. "IIow."
they ask, "can this man give us His flesh
to eat?"
Eating Of the Bread OF Life-Jesus
does not go into any detailed explana-
tion of His meaning. Of His coming sac
rificial death upon the cross, and how
this would bring the hope of eternal
life through His resurrection to count
less millions through the centuries to
come. They could not have understood
il He had told them, but He did youch-
safe that they were to eat of the Heav-
enly bread, mot as your fathers did eat
mamma They ate of that and are
dead. You, He says, may partake Of
me and with me have everlasting life.
Many Disciples Leave Jesus.-But not
all OF Jesus hearers, not even His dis
ciples, understood this lesson Jesus
meant to impart. They said: This is
an hard saying" and, like many later
disciple who could not all at once un-
derstand the mysteries Of Christ.
walked no more with Him.
The Twelve Remain.-The desertion
Of the many disciples at this time must
have saddened the heart of Jesus very
greatly, but still the twelve remained.
To these comes the question of the
Master: "Will ye also go away?' But
Peter, the Rock upon which He was to
build His church, answered.: Lord, to
whom shall we go? Thou (only hast
words of eternal life. We believe and
are sure that Thou art that Christ, the
Son of the living Cod"