Hunger
Bread of Life: The Least Supper
07 04 25 Filed in: Sermons | The Chosen Suppers
The Least Supper: Bread of Life
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
The Chosen Suppers
April 6, 2025
John 6:1-15, 25-71; Exodus 16
Series Big Idea: The Chosen depicts profound scenes of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Big Idea: We need Jesus, the bread of life. Only he can satisfy the deep hunger of our souls.
Scripture Reading: John 13:21b-30
Who was it? That clip from The Chosen doesn’t reveal it, but our scripture reading tells us.
Why did Judas do it? Nobody knows for sure. Some possibilities include financial greed, forcing Jesus’ hand at launching a political revolution, anger over Jesus’ ministry methods, the fulfillment of prophecy, and being possessed by evil and Satan’s influence.
There might be another reason, but first, we must go back… way back!
In Exodus 16, God feeds the people of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’S hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Exodus 16:4a)
Later, we’re told:
The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. (Exodus 16:31)
This is not the only example of God feeding people with bread. One of the most famous stories in the Bible is known as the feeding of the five thousand… plus!
The people were hungry after following Jesus. Simon Peter said,
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated, as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. (John 6:10-11)
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (John 6:12-13)
Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:14-15)
We’ll see this attitude again on Palm Sunday. The Roman government was oppressive, and many hoped Jesus would seize power and overthrow it. But that was not his mission.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (John 6:25)
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (John 6:26)
The people weren’t interested in following God. They wanted free bread.
We all have a deep hunger for the bread of this world, don’t we? The things and the stuff of this world?
There are things we need—clean water, food, shelter, daily bread. But as we noted in our last sermon series, we often want more. More money. More recognition. More…
Jesus continues,
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27)
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
They responded,
“What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 6:30-31)
This harkens back to Exodus 16.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)
The bread of God—you can’t buy this at the corner bakery.
“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” (John 6:34)
Then Jesus declared,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
Are they satisfied? Are they excited? Hardly.
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” (John 6:41-42)
The people were never satisfied. They wanted more bread. And they weren’t the only ones who rejected Jesus, the bread of life.
From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66)
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. (John 6:67)
Simon Peter answered,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
Then Jesus replied,
“Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70-71)
He meant Judas, who would later betray him.
Now back to our opening question: Why did Judas betray Jesus? Could it be that he was thinking only of his stomach? He wasn’t interested in the things of God but in the things of this world—bread, thirty pieces of silver. He sacrificed eternal life for the Least Supper.
So What?
What do we truly need? Our stomachs need bread and water. But what about our souls? Our souls need forgiveness—
· Forgiveness for our idolatry, greed, and betrayal of God.
· Forgiveness for our disobedience, indifference, and hypocrisy.
We need Jesus, the bread of life. Only he can satisfy the deep hunger of our souls.
The contrast between Simon Peter and Judas is stunning. Both were at the table with Jesus in John 13. Both had been with Jesus. Both betrayed him. But while Simon Peter took hold of the bread of life and was restored—over a meal—Judas’ actions led not only to Jesus’ death but also his own.
As we come to the table today, will you take hold of the bread of life? The crowds were impressed with Jesus, but they weren’t willing to follow him. They wanted Jesus on their terms, not God’s. They wanted to fill their stomachs, but only Jesus can satisfy the soul’s deep hunger.
True peace and contentment can’t be bought at Walmart… or Panera! You won’t find it climbing the corporate ladder, graduating with honors, marrying your dream spouse, or gaining fame. It is only found in Christ.
Will you follow Jesus, the bread of life?
Credits: some ideas from The Chosen and Outreach
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
The Chosen Suppers
April 6, 2025
John 6:1-15, 25-71; Exodus 16
Series Big Idea: The Chosen depicts profound scenes of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Big Idea: We need Jesus, the bread of life. Only he can satisfy the deep hunger of our souls.
Scripture Reading: John 13:21b-30
Who was it? That clip from The Chosen doesn’t reveal it, but our scripture reading tells us.
Why did Judas do it? Nobody knows for sure. Some possibilities include financial greed, forcing Jesus’ hand at launching a political revolution, anger over Jesus’ ministry methods, the fulfillment of prophecy, and being possessed by evil and Satan’s influence.
There might be another reason, but first, we must go back… way back!
In Exodus 16, God feeds the people of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’S hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Exodus 16:4a)
Later, we’re told:
The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. (Exodus 16:31)
This is not the only example of God feeding people with bread. One of the most famous stories in the Bible is known as the feeding of the five thousand… plus!
The people were hungry after following Jesus. Simon Peter said,
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated, as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. (John 6:10-11)
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (John 6:12-13)
Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:14-15)
We’ll see this attitude again on Palm Sunday. The Roman government was oppressive, and many hoped Jesus would seize power and overthrow it. But that was not his mission.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (John 6:25)
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (John 6:26)
The people weren’t interested in following God. They wanted free bread.
We all have a deep hunger for the bread of this world, don’t we? The things and the stuff of this world?
There are things we need—clean water, food, shelter, daily bread. But as we noted in our last sermon series, we often want more. More money. More recognition. More…
Jesus continues,
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27)
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
They responded,
“What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 6:30-31)
This harkens back to Exodus 16.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)
The bread of God—you can’t buy this at the corner bakery.
“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” (John 6:34)
Then Jesus declared,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
Are they satisfied? Are they excited? Hardly.
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” (John 6:41-42)
The people were never satisfied. They wanted more bread. And they weren’t the only ones who rejected Jesus, the bread of life.
From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66)
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. (John 6:67)
Simon Peter answered,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
Then Jesus replied,
“Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70-71)
He meant Judas, who would later betray him.
Now back to our opening question: Why did Judas betray Jesus? Could it be that he was thinking only of his stomach? He wasn’t interested in the things of God but in the things of this world—bread, thirty pieces of silver. He sacrificed eternal life for the Least Supper.
So What?
What do we truly need? Our stomachs need bread and water. But what about our souls? Our souls need forgiveness—
· Forgiveness for our idolatry, greed, and betrayal of God.
· Forgiveness for our disobedience, indifference, and hypocrisy.
We need Jesus, the bread of life. Only he can satisfy the deep hunger of our souls.
The contrast between Simon Peter and Judas is stunning. Both were at the table with Jesus in John 13. Both had been with Jesus. Both betrayed him. But while Simon Peter took hold of the bread of life and was restored—over a meal—Judas’ actions led not only to Jesus’ death but also his own.
As we come to the table today, will you take hold of the bread of life? The crowds were impressed with Jesus, but they weren’t willing to follow him. They wanted Jesus on their terms, not God’s. They wanted to fill their stomachs, but only Jesus can satisfy the soul’s deep hunger.
True peace and contentment can’t be bought at Walmart… or Panera! You won’t find it climbing the corporate ladder, graduating with honors, marrying your dream spouse, or gaining fame. It is only found in Christ.
Will you follow Jesus, the bread of life?
Credits: some ideas from The Chosen and Outreach