Cell questions

I am the bread of life: John 6 25-40

The events in the reading take place the day after the feeding of the five thousand. The crowds chase after Jesus because they see in Him someone who can provide their food. When they find Him, he doesn’t address their physical needs but their spiritual ones. He likens their need to eat in a material sense to their need to eat in a spiritual sense, and goes on to describe how they need to feed spiritually – which means feeding on Him and letting Him work in them preparing them for eternal life.

The crowds had wrong expectations of Jesus, and we looked at how we all have expectations of Jesus that we need to lay down. We then looked at how being spiritually hungry helps us acknowledge our need of God. We saw that we do not just get fed once, but that we need to keep on feeding on the bread of life throughout our lives if we are to grow in our relationship with Jesus and be changed by Him.

The image of the bread of life is extended further at the Last Supper when Jesus takes the bread and says “This is my body which is given for you.” The bread is identified with Jesus sacrifice on the Cross.

Jesus offers us spiritual bread: it is an invitation that we have to decide whether to accept.

1. What is your favourite type of bread?

2. How does the image of bread speak to you?

3. What expectations do you have of God? Are there any deal breakers that would stop you trusting Him if He didn’t deliver?

4. What happens to your faith when God does not meet your expectations?

5. How spiritually hungry are you? What makes you more or less spiritually hungry?

6. Growing as a Christian can be a difficult process especially when God exposes raw places in our lives. What has helped you grow?

7. How has the disappointment of not having your expectations met helped you grow in faith?