Session 8 John 6:26-40
share about a time they felt like a nuisance.
discuss how this impacted
their relationship with the person or place that made them feel that way.
In Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist,
a starving Oliver brings his empty bowl to the master and pleads
for more food.
Instead of food, he receives a blow to the head
and a prompt decision to sell him.
That master viewed Oliver as a nuisance and not a person in need.
Jesus not only compassionately fed thousands of hungry people,
He reminded us that only faith in Him will satisfy our deepest needs.
Emphasize that we are never a nuisance to Jesus
and that He wants to satisfy our deepest needs.
How we view Jesus will determine what we expect from Him.
The crowds that followed Jesus failed to fully recognize who He was.
As a result, their expectations usually focused on
temporary, physical wants instead of recognizing their eternal needs.
As we walk through today’s verses,
consider where you make the same mistakes about Jesus
and how you can avoid that in the future.
gain an understanding of the events recorded in the first half of the chapter.
summarize Jesus’s feeding the multitude
and walking on water.
Explain that each of these events fit into John’s desire
to reveal Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah.
Share that they also set the context for today’s study passage.
As we will study these verses,
notice the difference between what the people were asking for
and what Jesus was offering.
Consider why the crowds continued to misunderstand Jesus
and how we are also guilty of expecting
the wrong things from Him at times.