John 6
Read the following scriptures and respond in writing to the corresponding questions and tasks:
What miraculous event had taken place the day before the Savior preached the sermon on the bread of life? (See John 6:1-14)
Jesus fed five-thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.
According to John 6:22-26, why were many people seeking out the Savior at this time?
They were seeking out Jesus because when they had partaken of the bread, and heard his word, they had been filled with the spirit, so they were seeking to be filled with this again. They liked the feeling of having the Holy Ghost with them, so they were seeking Him to feel it again.
What motivated you to “seek” the Lord today?
What motivates me to seek the Lord is usually pain or trouble, but I should be seeking for the Lord in all things so that I can do his will at all times and in all places and with all things.
What did the Savior teach in response to these people in John 6:27-51?
The Savior prophesied that He was the Christ that was written about in the Bible, and said that if people believed His word and the word of His people and acted on those same words, then they would have everlasting life.
In John 6:27, the Savior spoke of “the meat which perisheth” and “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” Read Matthew 6:19-21, and identify another way the Savior described the difference between that which perishes and that which endures. In what ways do people today labor for “the meat which perisheth” or “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life”?
Another way to speak of all of this is in the way of saying – are you working for the things here on earth which will rust and fade away, or are you working for the things that will last forever in heaven? In today’s world, people may find affluence, money, power, or even material wealth to be the most important thing to strive for and leave everything else behind, and sadly, this will not get them anywhere in heaven. What matters for us to work on is family, learning and teaching the gospel, helping others, and learning everything that is worth learning; this is what we will be able to take with us to heaven, so this is what matters in the long run.
After the Savior taught the bread of life sermon, what was the response of many of the people described in John 6:60, 66?
Many people took the words hard and decided to no longer follow Christ. They ignored His words, and walked away.
From John 6:67-69, what was the response of the Apostles?
The Apostles said that they will stick with Him, because they know that He is the Christ and that He knows the way, and can teach the way, for them to reach eternal life.
According to verse 69, what enabled Peter and the other Apostles to respond in this way? What examples can you think of (in the scriptures, Church history, or the lives of people you know) where someone responded to a “hard saying” with faith like Peter?
The verse says, “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” – which is the answer exactly. They had complete faith in Him. I have a friend who received a “hard saying” while on a break from her mission due to medical reasons. She has always wanted to serve a full-time mission, so being home was extremely hard for her. Naturally, she was praying to be healed quickly. Pleading to be healed so she could go back out and continue doing His work. She told me that she received an answer one night saying, “I know you have the faith to be healed, but do you have the faith to not be healed?” This was hard for her. What was she going to do if she wasn’t healed? She struggled only for a short while, and came to the conclusion that God knows best. After being home for a year she was finally well enough to go back out into the mission field and was able to complete her mission. Still, to this day, she has problems with the same medical condition, but it’s better than it was and she does what she can to not make it worse. She certainly responded with faith to a hard answer.
Explain what John 6 teaches you about following Jesus Christ even when it’s not convenient.
It teaches me that following Christ is not always going to be easy, but it will most certainly be worth it. I will have to analyze my faith, but it to the test, and just keep moving forward if I decide to follow Christ. He knows the way and will help me along the path, I just have to choose to stay on that path no matter if I’m alone, if it’s hard, out of my way, or not my idea of what I should be doing. Christ knows best, so I will follow Him in faith.
Read the following scriptures and respond in writing to the corresponding questions and tasks:
What miraculous event had taken place the day before the Savior preached the sermon on the bread of life? (See John 6:1-14)
Jesus fed five-thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.
According to John 6:22-26, why were many people seeking out the Savior at this time?
They were seeking out Jesus because when they had partaken of the bread, and heard his word, they had been filled with the spirit, so they were seeking to be filled with this again. They liked the feeling of having the Holy Ghost with them, so they were seeking Him to feel it again.
What motivated you to “seek” the Lord today?
What motivates me to seek the Lord is usually pain or trouble, but I should be seeking for the Lord in all things so that I can do his will at all times and in all places and with all things.
What did the Savior teach in response to these people in John 6:27-51?
The Savior prophesied that He was the Christ that was written about in the Bible, and said that if people believed His word and the word of His people and acted on those same words, then they would have everlasting life.
In John 6:27, the Savior spoke of “the meat which perisheth” and “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” Read Matthew 6:19-21, and identify another way the Savior described the difference between that which perishes and that which endures. In what ways do people today labor for “the meat which perisheth” or “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life”?
Another way to speak of all of this is in the way of saying – are you working for the things here on earth which will rust and fade away, or are you working for the things that will last forever in heaven? In today’s world, people may find affluence, money, power, or even material wealth to be the most important thing to strive for and leave everything else behind, and sadly, this will not get them anywhere in heaven. What matters for us to work on is family, learning and teaching the gospel, helping others, and learning everything that is worth learning; this is what we will be able to take with us to heaven, so this is what matters in the long run.
After the Savior taught the bread of life sermon, what was the response of many of the people described in John 6:60, 66?
Many people took the words hard and decided to no longer follow Christ. They ignored His words, and walked away.
From John 6:67-69, what was the response of the Apostles?
The Apostles said that they will stick with Him, because they know that He is the Christ and that He knows the way, and can teach the way, for them to reach eternal life.
According to verse 69, what enabled Peter and the other Apostles to respond in this way? What examples can you think of (in the scriptures, Church history, or the lives of people you know) where someone responded to a “hard saying” with faith like Peter?
The verse says, “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” – which is the answer exactly. They had complete faith in Him. I have a friend who received a “hard saying” while on a break from her mission due to medical reasons. She has always wanted to serve a full-time mission, so being home was extremely hard for her. Naturally, she was praying to be healed quickly. Pleading to be healed so she could go back out and continue doing His work. She told me that she received an answer one night saying, “I know you have the faith to be healed, but do you have the faith to not be healed?” This was hard for her. What was she going to do if she wasn’t healed? She struggled only for a short while, and came to the conclusion that God knows best. After being home for a year she was finally well enough to go back out into the mission field and was able to complete her mission. Still, to this day, she has problems with the same medical condition, but it’s better than it was and she does what she can to not make it worse. She certainly responded with faith to a hard answer.
Explain what John 6 teaches you about following Jesus Christ even when it’s not convenient.
It teaches me that following Christ is not always going to be easy, but it will most certainly be worth it. I will have to analyze my faith, but it to the test, and just keep moving forward if I decide to follow Christ. He knows the way and will help me along the path, I just have to choose to stay on that path no matter if I’m alone, if it’s hard, out of my way, or not my idea of what I should be doing. Christ knows best, so I will follow Him in faith.