Chasing the Bread of life
I. The CROWD is CHASING Jesus…or are they? (v.25)
A. CHASING their next MEAL. (v.21-26)
B. CHASING more and more PROOF . (v.28-40)
C. CHASING their own IDEAS. (v.41-66)
D. CHASING the God they WANT. (v.25-66)
The story today conjures up images of the paparazzi of today chasing down celebrities. Jesus has a bunch of groupies that are following Him everywhere He goes. As is often the case, they all want different things from Him. But Jesus engages people where they are.
1. Kid’s Question: If you could meet and talk to one celebrity today who would it be and why?
2. In what ways have you found yourself chasing Jesus in your life? In what ways have you found yourself running away from Him?
II. Jesus CHASES the crowd AWAY . (v.66)
A. He EXPOSES their SELF-FOCUS. (v.26-27)
B. He invites RELATIONAL TRUST. (v.29)
C. He CHALLENGES their UNDERSTANDING. (v.31-40)
D. He INVITES them into MYSTERY. (v.43-58)
E. The only QUESTION that REMAINS. (v.67)
At the end of the passage most of the “groupies” walk away. Jesus is saying things that are just to out there for them to stick around. This is one of the ways that Jesus is so different than what we would normally expect. He tends to shake things up so that only the very few stick around.
3. Why do you chase Jesus? Does this passage challenge any of your reasons for chasing Him?
4. What does “relational trust” in Jesus look like at this point in your own life? How willing are you to walk that way?
5. Where is God (or has God) inviting you into the “mystery”? Is that a challenge for you or are you drawn to that? Why?
III. Why RELATIONAL TRUST beats CONTROL. (v.28)
A. We THINK we know what we NEED. (6:14-15,26-27; Phil. 4:19)
B. We ALWAYS want one more SIGN. (v.30-31; Lk. 16:27-31)
C. We often MISUSE the SCRIPTURE. (v.31; 2 Pet. 3:15-16)
D. We OVERESTIMATE our UNDERSTANDING. (v.34-66; Mt. 18:2-4)
E. The best OPTION is relational TRUST. (v.67-68; Jas. 4:8; Mt. 11:28-30)
He’s calling them (and us) to something different than what we normally think of when we think of religion today. It’s less a set of things that we know for sure, and more a relationship with someone we don’t fully understand but are learning to trust. While it makes life more challenging to move this way, at least at the beginning, it cultivates a deep freedom and peace that can come no other way.
6. When have you thought you knew what you needed and later realized you were wrong? When have you overestimated your understanding?
7. How can you make sure your interpretation of a given scripture is heading in the right direction? What role does the larger church community play in that?
8. What are one or two specific ways you can deepen your relational trust with Jesus