SLOW TO HEAR, SLOW TO BELIEVE

John 6:41-52
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jesus, The Bread of Life

41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.


We have the benefit of the complete story. The people who Jesus was teaching didn’t have the full story. They knew of His earthly parents but obviously were missing the account of the virgin birth. They knew about Moses and the wilderness but not about the Passover celebration in the Upper Room where Jesus gave new meaning to the bread and the wine. Because they didn’t have all the information they were slow to hear, slow to believe.

We have the complete story and yet many are still slow to hear, slow to believe. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth…”. We must continue to tell the story as God has given it to us and allow Him to draw those to Himself who will hear and believe.