JOHN CHAPTER SIX

Jesus Takes The Message To The People

A Gallup survey which was released a few years ago suggests that Americans are in fairly good moods. The poll revealed that 56 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. 

In the past, polls have found that Americans’ reported contentment is predictably linked with their confidence in the economy and the president. The Gallup organization’s reported results show that Americans are leery about the current economic conditions, yet their hope that things would improve was widespread. Other similar studies by other organizations, suggest Americans are largely a happy, resilient lot, in spite of fearful conditions or people.

Many times, our source of trust influences our state of mind. When we base our trust on political leaders or economic conditions, our feelings rise and fall with each new day. The Lord offers us a constant source of contentment and encouragement and strength, regardless of circumstances. Confidence in the Lord is a secure, and unshakeable foundation.[fn] The psalmist writes in Psalm 20:7-8 “Some may trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”

Do you think the Jews of the Gospels based their sense of well-being on their economic condition as well? We get a clue in John 6:1-14.

After being rejected by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and the surrounding regions, Jesus took His message north to the people of Galilee.

John 6:1-14 NAS:
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).
2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.
3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.
5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”
6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

If you look at a map there is a considerable distance between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. It would take several days to get there and possibly a good deal longer if Jesus and His disciples were to spend time stopping and teaching in each of the villages and towns they passed through along the way. We believe that is exactly what Jesus did because it is most likely that six to twelve months passed between the end of chapter five and the beginning of chapter six.

How do we know this? Well, if you go back to chapter 5, verse 1, you will see that Jesus had gone up to a feast in Jerusalem. The text does not specify the exact feast but we know it was either the Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, or the Feast of Tabernacles because those were the three feasts that required Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem. Then here in John 6:4 we see that Jesus was in Galilee when the Passover was about to begin. If the feast in John 5:1 was the Feast of Tabernacles, then about six months had passed (October to April). If the feast in John 5:1 was the Passover or Pentecost, which was only seven weeks after Passover, then almost a year had passed. Most evidence suggests it was the Passover. 

So after six months to a year the miracles and healings that Jesus performed had become widely known throughout the land. The Jewish leaders may have continued to reject Him, but the common people were awed by the things He was doing, and many believed that He was actually the Messiah that had been promised by the prophets throughout the Old Testament.

In verse 2 we see that a large crowd of people followed Jesus wherever He went. They were probably anxious to see the next miracle in person and to hear the words that Jesus might speak to them. So we might visualize a picture here of Jesus as a Pied Piper with a large throng following every move He made everywhere He went. You might imagine what it would be like if Jesus came today. He would undoubtedly be hounded by hoards of news people as well as massive crowds wherever He appeared. Imagine yourself sitting in a large arena, such as the United Center in Chicago, that is filled to capacity with 20,000 people. Jesus walks out on the stage with His 12 disciples and He is carrying with Him a large basket that He empties on a table. The total content of the basket is revealed to be five loaves of bread and two fish. He puts the contents back into His basket, then turns and goes to each of His disciples taking something from His basket and placing it in the basket of each disciple. The disciples then distribute what was placed in their baskets to all 20,000 people in the stadium giving each of them as much as they think they can eat. They return to the stage and place twelve overflowing baskets of leftovers on the table. What do you think the CNN or FOX news commentators would have to say when they saw that?

But let us go back to the actual event, sometime around the year 30 A.D., when the world was blessed without news coverage other than what was spread by word of mouth among the people. And people were spreading the word everywhere that perhaps this Jesus was the Son of God, the One whom they had been promised, Jesus.

As Jesus moved up the side of the mountain and sat down to teach His disciples, the people followed. Now remember that some of these people may have been following Jesus for some time and came from all over Galilee. There may have been others who lived locally and may just have joined the crowd. Now in those days they did not have a fast-food restaurant at every bend of the road as we do today. In fact the location described in verse 1 was most likely on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. Since Jesus had crossed to the east side of the lake, the mountainside mentioned would have been what is now called the Golan Heights.[fn] And a crowd gathered even in this “solitary” (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:32) and “remote place” (Matthew 14:15).[fn]

Jesus and His disciples realized the people needed to be fed, and that simple fact allowed Jesus a great opportunity to really display His miracle-working abilities, proving conclusively that He was who He claimed to be, the Messiah. Even though He asked Philip where they could buy food to feed all of these people, as we see in verse 5, Jesus knew full well what He was about to do. The question He directed to Philip was undoubtedly meant as a test to determine Philip’s faith. Jesus was interested in how Philip would respond to a need of major proportions. Would he call a meeting of all the disciples? Would he call in a consultant? Would he send out scouts to see where they might get that much food? Would he throw up his hands saying, “I don’t have a clue as to what to do? Or would He turn to Christ? It seems that Philip leaned toward the “I don’t have a clue” answer. But then Andrew jumped in and said that there was a boy in the crowd who had five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, but that would hardly feed so many. So it looks like Andrew also opted for the “I don’t have a clue as to what to do” option.

If you look at verse 6, the Greek word that Jesus used for test was the same word used to describe what Satan did to Jesus in Matthew 4:1. That word was also used in Genesis 22:1 in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) for the testing of Abraham. Jesus intended to test his disciples’ insight and faith and to show them that he was the true bread of life.[fn] So Jesus’ disciples once again, as they did so often, proved worthless at providing the right solution to a problem.

So Jesus offered, as He did so often, to solve the problem. He told His disciples to invite the people to sit down in kind of a mega-church picnic style. We are told that there were five thousand men, not counting the women and children. That could mean that there might have been another five thousand women, and perhaps five to ten thousand more children. So there may have been up to twenty thousand people sitting on this vast mountainside waiting to be served. Now to give you an idea of just how many people that would be to feed, imagine that you stood all the people in a single line, each person occupying a space of approximately 3 feet. That line would stretch for over eleven miles.

Jesus’ answer to this situation was that it was easily taken care of. Now try and picture this. He very likely went over to the young boy and asked if He could use his five loaves and two fish to feed all the hungry people including Himself. The boy handed the fish to Jesus who in turn gave thanks to His Father for providing the food they needed.

It is significant that twice John mentioned the fact that Jesus gave thanks (John 6:11, 23). Matthew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus looked up to Heaven when He gave thanks. By that act, He reminded the hungry people that God is the source of all our provision. This is a good lesson for us: instead of complaining about what we do not have, we should give thanks to God for what we do have, and He will make it go farther. [fn]

Jesus distributed the five loaves and two fish in some manner to His disciples who in turn gave food to all the people. There was enough food to allow them all to eat their fill and still have twelve baskets of food leftover.

That was much more than they started out with. It appears very likely that Jesus’ message to His disciples here was to show them that He was more than adequate for their needs. Just as He is more than adequate for any need you may have.

What was the reaction of the people? What would your reaction have been if you were there to see this? They were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Savior who had been promised. There was a popularly held belief about the promised prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 as being the Messiah (John 1:21; 11:27). The idea is suggested again in Acts (3:22; 7:37).

Do you need this kind of miracle to believe? Some people claim they do, and even though God has provided all the proof anyone could need in the Bible, some people still demand a miracle from Jesus that will prove to them that He is a supernatural being. And do you know what? People with that attitude just are not going to get what they want, and we will let Jesus Himself tell you why.

Luke 16:19-31 NLT:
19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.
20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.
21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home.
28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’

If there are those reading this who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior, who have not invited Him into their lives as the only, and we repeat only source of forgiveness for your sins, the one sure thing you can learn from this passage is that you are not going to be shown a miracle in the here and now to prove to you that Jesus Christ is God. God has given everyone all the miracles they need in the Bible, and He has also given them, through the Bible, all they need to know about salvation, eternal life, and how people can live in peace and harmony with one another in this world. If you do not want to read it, and continue to make demands of God for your own personal satisfaction, you are going to be sharing eternity with the rich man described in this story.

This is not to say that God no longer does miracles today. For indeed He does. Many Christians can attest to miracles done by God in their lives. The point here is that if your desire for a miracle is to test God in some way, or just to get Him to show off for you, forget it. God uses miracles to accomplish His purposes, not to entertain us as a magician would.

Now let us stop here for a moment and gather together what we have covered. Although Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes before this gathering of thousands, His primary reason for coming to this hillside was to teach His disciples. When Jesus saw the crowd approaching He saw an opportunity to teach all of His disciples something they would never forget. By asking Philip specifically, but certainly within the hearing of the others, Jesus wanted to see how much they had learned about Him after two years of concentrated tutoring. Had they learned that Jesus can do anything?

You see it may have been a good thing for the crowd to see this miracle and for them to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but there is more to salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ than just seeing a miracle. The disciples were going to form the foundation of the Church. They were the ones that were going to carry the Gospel message to people and bring them into a house church where they could be nurtured and fed with the Word and love of God and be prepared for the Holy Spirit to lead them to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The disciples were the ones, therefore, that had to understand the message as well as the One who brought it because the One who brought it was God in the form of the man, Jesus. They had to be absolutely certain of what His coming meant so that they could be the source of teaching throughout the centuries for people to come to know Christ. It is because of the Bible that people come to know God, and it is through the church that they learn what the Bible teaches.

When the people saw the miracle on the hillside, what was their reaction? They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and the first thing they wanted to do was to make Him king so that He could overthrow the Romans and restore Israel to a position of world leadership.

But that was not Jesus’ purpose in coming. He came to bring the message of the new covenant and to die for the sins of mankind. Conquering and ruling the world will be what He does at His second coming. When the people saw the miracle, that in itself did not bring the people to salvation. That would require further teaching and understanding of the message as it was further explained to them.

Jesus said people would not believe someone even if they returned from the dead, and He was right. How do we know this? Because there is clear cut evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and yet most people today do not pay any attention to what Jesus has to say through the Bible. The people in the story of the loaves and fish in John 6:1-14 saw one miracle and believed, believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The Bible tells us about countless miracles performed by Jesus and yet many people still do not believe. So it appears that a person can be impressed by a miracle or, in the case of the Bible, a great number of miracles, but not necessarily impressed enough to even want to hear the message that the Miracle Worker brings.

If a human being is willing to temporarily set aside their preconceived idea about religion and look at the evidence in the Bible with an open mind, they would have to come to the conclusion that the Bible was written by the inspiration of God because of the evidence presented by miracles and prophecy alone. The ability to perform one miracle after another as well as predicting the future with 100% accuracy is unique to the one and only God of the Bible. And if that is not enough for them, Christ is the only deity that ever physically rose from the dead. If one can reject the God of the Bible after processing that information, I would very much like to hear their explanation for such a conclusion.

What is it going to take to get people to see and accept the truth? Will they, like Chicken Little, finally believe if they see the sky falling? Well guess what? The Bible answers that question as well and it reminds us how hard Satan works at deceiving people so they will not accept the truth in spite of overwhelming evidence.

Let us see just how well this process works. In chapter six of Revelation, John writes:

12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.
13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth[fn] like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”   (NLT)

This is a description of what happens when Jesus opens the sixth seal judgment. What unbelievable devastation! Surely people will now listen to the preachers, repent, and call on Jesus to save them. Well, not so fast. Look at what happens as this devastation continues during the final bowl judgments in Revelation 16:1-21 NLT:

1 Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”
2 So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

Surely this will bring the people to believe what the preachers have been telling them and cause the people to repent and call on Jesus for salvation. No, not yet.

3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.

Surely this will bring the people to believe what the preachers have been telling them and cause the people to repent and call on Jesus for salvation. Well, no, not quite yet.

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, “You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments.
6 Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.”
7 And I heard a voice from the altar, saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”

Now for sure people will come to believe what the preachers have been telling them and cause the people to repent and call on Jesus for salvation. Well, things have not really become quite that bad yet to convince the people that this is the wrath of God on a sinful world. Maybe they need just a little more proof.

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. 9 Everyone was burned by this blast of heat,

Okay, enough is enough. First the cancerous sores, then the water in all the oceans turned to blood killing all the fish and other forms of life living in them, then all the rivers and streams turned to blood, and now people are being fried by sun and heat. Perhaps temperatures have risen to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and all air conditioning systems are breaking down because of overload. Surely now people will begin to fall on their knees all over the world begging God for forgiveness and accepting His offer of salvation through faith in Him and His work on the cross. Well, the rest of verse 8 tells us what they did.

and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.

Wow, what does it take to convince people of the reality of the existence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? I guess God just needs to continue turning up the heat. Surely, one more catastrophe will convince them beyond a doubt.

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish,

Can you imagine what it would be like if God turned off the Sun and stars and there was no light? People would freak out totally. By this time most of the generators may have shut down because of the contamination of the water supply all over the earth, and the supplies of coal available to power generators at electric power plants would soon run out because there would be no way to mine it and transport it. Remember that people are already sick with cancerous sores and the temperature has made work impossible, and that is not even taking into account the panic of the people that would throw every normal workday into chaos. Where else could the people turn but to God, believing finally what the preachers had been telling them, and asking forgiveness and salvation?

Revelation 16:11-15 NLT:
11 and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.
13 And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
14 They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

If you want clarification of verse 15, look up the passage in Matthew 25:1-10 and read the parable of the virgins. From the very start of the bowl judgments billions of people are going to die and they will continue to die in greater numbers with each continuous bowl judgment. If people have not come to faith in Christ and asked Him to be their Savior, they are going to be on their own when they die, and anyone who dies without the salvation provided by the blood of Jesus will go straight to Hell.

Continuing in Revelation 16:16 NLT:

16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!”
18 Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth.
19 The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath.
20 And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.
21 There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below.

Whatever number of people are still alive finally see that they are at the end of their rope. By now they have seen every possible catastrophe strike their world. I can foresee people down on their knees everywhere pleading with God to save them. There can be no other hope for them. Even at this late hour, if they call on the name of God, ask forgiveness, and accept Christ, they can still have an eternity in Heaven rather than Hell. Here are the final words of the final verse in chapter 16 of Revelation describing the end of the world.

They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.

It is all over and there are no second chances, and all who have rejected Christ will be dead. A few believers that came to faith after the Rapture and before the end will be left alive to begin repopulating the earth for the reign of Christ during the Millennium. But all who have died cursing God will be in Hell where they will remain for a thousand years during Jesus’ millennial reign upon the earth. At the end of that time they will be cast into “The Lake of Fire” for eternity.

One thing we did not mention here is the fact that somewhere in the midst of all this the Church is going to be raptured. That event will remove all believers from the world instantly. They will be taken up into the heavens to Christ. One moment people will be riding on a bus, train, or airplane and all of a sudden the driver, engineer, or pilot will disappear. How do you imagine the people left behind are going to explain that phenomenon? But even after that the greatest majority will not believe.

You may think this story belongs in a Steven Spielberg science fiction movie, but it goes far beyond the ability of man and all his abilities to produce special effects. The devastation here can only be brought about by God, and it will be so horrible that no one is even capable of imagining it. God has been good enough to give us a peak at the future. Please do not be so foolish as to ignore it. I encourage you to read your Bible and get to know the God that inspired the writing of each and every word. Get into a Bible study with a qualified leader or leaders who can answer your questions and help you through those difficult passages. Bathe yourself as much as possible in God’s Word and surround yourself as much as possible with God’s people to keep you accountable. When you do that, you will be prepared to help others who do not know Christ to come into a relationship with Him that will provide them salvation and an eternity in Heaven as well.

Then you will be like the people in John 6:14 proclaiming, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” That is a far better place to be than with those in Revelation 16 who cursed God and who were then in turn cursed by God. Choose the path to blessing and life. Choose Jesus as your Savior from sin and for eternal life. Amen.

 

JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER

Many years ago now, when John G. Paton first went out as a pioneer missionary to the New Hebrides Islands, he found that the natives among whom he began to work had no way of writing their language. He began to learn it and in time began to work on a translation of the Bible for them. Soon he discovered that they had no word for "faith." This was serious, of course, for a person can hardly translate the Bible without it.

One day he went on a hunt with one of the natives. They shot a large deer in the course of the hunt, and tying its legs together and supporting it on a pole, laboriously trekked back down the mountain path to Paton's home near the seashore. As they reached the veranda both men threw the deer down, and the native immediately flopped into one of the deck chairs that stood on the porch exclaiming, "My, it is good to stretch yourself out here and rest." Paton immediately jumped to his feet and recorded the phrase. In his final translation of the New Testament this was the word used to convey the idea of trust, faith, and belief. "Stretch yourself out on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." This is of course taken fromActs 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." [fn]

This simple process is not so simple for many. Far too many people see it as something equivalent to scaling Mount Everest, as we will see in the passage beginning in John 6:15 and ending with John 6:40.

John 6:15-25 NAS:
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.
20 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone.
23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.
25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"

When it became apparent to Jesus that the people were going to try and make Him king, He may well have told His disciples to proceed to Capernaum where He would join them later, while He then went back up the mountain to escape the crowd. In fact this same story is told in Mark. The last thing Jesus wanted was an attempt to make Him an earthly king. He knew that He was in fact their King but the time for Him to rule over the earth was for His second coming. This time He had come to provide a way for mankind to be reconciled to God through the sacrifice He (Jesus) would soon make. Any attempt to have Him replace the Roman governing body in Palestine would interfere and draw attention away from His true mission. So He distanced Himself from the crowd. Besides, it was up to His Father to anoint Him king at the proper time. The crowd did not have the authority to do this.

We find some additional clarity on this story in Mark 8:45-52, and we get the clearest picture of what happened concerning this miracle performed by Jesus in Matthew 14:22-36 NAS:

22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.
23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch[fn] of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.
26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
28 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
34 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick;
36 and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

As evening approached and Jesus had not returned, His disciples set out by boat first for Bethsaida and then on to Capernaum. After a while a powerful wind began to blow and the waves began to rise. The Sea of Galilee is notable for its sudden and severe storms. They became afraid thinking that the boat might capsize in the storm. They were already several miles from shore and in grave danger. But then suddenly a figure appeared, walking on the water toward the boat. At first they were frightened but when they saw it was Jesus their fear disappeared. What a sight for sore eyes He must have been. No sooner had they helped Him into the boat, in the John 6 account, than the storm stopped and the boat reached the shore. Jesus had come and told them not to be afraid and He removed them from danger. We too need not be afraid when we have placed our trust in Him. Hebrews 13:5 assures us of this protection:

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (ESV)

 

When Miracles Are Not Enough
John 6:26-40

The next morning a good part of the crowd that had experienced the miracle of the five loaves and two fish was still lingering near the place the miracle had been performed. As they looked toward Capernaum they noticed that there was only one boat docked there. They knew that Jesus had not left with His disciples and began to wonder where He was. They then boarded some boats that had come from Tiberias and went over to Capernaum in search of Jesus and His disciples. When they found Him they were curious as to when and how He got there. Jesus chose not reveal that information to them because the miracle of walking on the water had been for His disciples’ eyes only, and so He moved on to the message He wanted them to understand.

Now we would like you to place what is happening here in clear perspective. These people have just witnessed and actually been directly involved in an incredible miracle.  Perhaps some 20,000 people were fed until they were full with only five loaves of bread and two fish.

It should be obvious to everyone that this man has the miracle-working power to be the Messiah that was promised to come into the world.

That must have excited them and stirred their spiritual curiosity. But not so fast; that is not what Jesus describes as happening here. They did not ask Him about His miracle-working sign, or about why He had come, or about spiritual things. They wanted to know how He got to the other side of the lake. Their thinking went no deeper than the human level on which they always existed. And Jesus knew their true motive for following Him, as we see when we continue reading in John 6.

John 6:26-27 NAS:
26 Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."

Jesus’ answer is a sharp rebuke of their lack of spiritual concern. Jesus quickly pointed out that all they were thinking about was food. They may have seen a source of food here comparable to the manna God provided to feed the Israelites in the desert for forty years during the time of Moses. Many of these people were probably poor and they saw Jesus as the source of a free lunch on a daily basis. And they wanted to confirm that He had the ability to provide this free food. Jesus knew what was motivating them and He tried to use the subject of food to help them understand who He was and what it was that He was truly offering them. He tells them that they should be more concerned about the kind of food that never perishes but continues to provide for them eternally. Jesus offers them food that will give them eternal life, not just fill their stomachs temporarily. He can offer them that kind of food because He brings it from His Father in Heaven.

John 6:28-29 NAS:
28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

So because they had this religion by works concept, they asked Jesus what they would have to do to receive this eternal life. Jesus immediately told them that there is nothing anyone can do to earn eternal life. The only thing that God requires is faith and trust in the One He has sent to pay for the sin of the world. The seal is God’s mark of authentication, and 

whoever holds the seal acts on God’s behalf.

Jesus is the One who had the seal of God stamped on Him and that is what He is trying to make these Jews understand.

John 6:30-33 NAS:
30 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?
31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.' "
32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."

Now there are times when the ignorance displayed by the Jews is hard to believe. And if it were not for the very same ignorance displayed by people in the world today, we might not be able to believe people could be so blind. But that is simply the nature of the unregenerate mind, a mind which has not yet been touched by saving faith. How could they ask for a sign or a miracle, so that they could believe what Jesus was telling them, when He had just the day before performed a most incredible miracle? We would have to describe these people as suffering from a “miracle deficiency disorder,” or perhaps a severe case of first century “attention deficit disorder.” The sign had already been given! No one else but God could have done what Jesus did. It is now time for them to believe and trust and listen.

But as usual they plod along, stuck in the same pattern of doubt and disobedience that they consistently seem to follow. They go on to bring up the subject of the manna that they claim was provided their ancestors by Moses during their forty years of wandering in the desert. The manna was “bread from Heaven” that provided for their physical needs, keeping them alive when they had no other source of food. But Jesus is quick to point out that the manna was not provided by Moses but by God, and that He (Jesus) was now the true “bread from Heaven” because the Father had sent Him from Heaven, and that it was He who could provide them with eternal life. It was God who fed the people from the five loaves and two fish using Jesus as His agent for working the miracle.

God is the source of all miracles and He works those miracles through those who have His seal. In the desert He worked through Moses and here He works through Jesus. 

But the bread provided in the desert was merely for the body and was required daily for temporary nourishment. Jesus is telling them that He is the “bread of life” from Heaven and if they come to Him they will be fed forever. Jesus as the “Bread of Life” continually gives life to the world. But then in verse 34: “Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, always give us this bread.’"

Apparently they still do not understand. They are still looking for physical bread that they can eat. So it is necessary for Jesus to say this clearly so there will be no misunderstanding.

John 6:35 NAS:
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Verse 35 records the first of the great “I am” sayings of Jesus, and the following verses (35–51) discuss in greater detail what the “bread of life” means. It was necessary for them to understand that Jesus was speaking of spiritual not physical food. The meaning of the phrase “bread of life” is bread which gives life, but such bread is available only to those who believe in Jesus, a condition which these people had not fulfilled.

John 6:36-40 NAS:
36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

The old saying, “Seeing is believing,” apparently did not apply to these Jews. Here they had been given a sign to prove that Jesus was the One that God had promised to send and they simply ignored it. There could be no greater sign or one that could make it more clear that Jesus was the One. These people suffered from an inability to believe, or more likely, a refusal to believe. They had looked for a Messiah that would free them from Roman rule and establish Israel once again as a political and military power in the world. Surely this Jesus gave no indication of being such a conqueror. Perhaps they did not want to believe that this man was the one God had sent to be their Savior. Unfortunately there is probably a great deal of truth to such a claim. Why else would they not be convinced by the miracle they had just seen? And some of them may have seen many of Jesus’ previous miracles.

Jesus then proceeds to state that although they did not believe Him, yet His work would not be in vain, for others would come to Him and be saved.[fn]

We have now arrived at yet another one of those passages in the Bible which is difficult to interpret, and where we take a different path than most scholars, interpreters, and so-called Bible experts. Some take Jesus’ words in verses 37 and 39,”all that the Father gives Me will come to Me . . . . of all that He has given Me I lose nothing,” to imply the doctrine of predestination. Those who hold to this doctrine believe that God sat down before the world began and made a list of all the people that He would create throughout history. On this list He had two columns: One headed “Saved” and the other “Damned.” I have never been able to accept this doctrine as interpreted by most and I have written a number of papers explaining my reasons.

Such a doctrine, in my analysis, does not fit the character of God as He reveals Himself in the entire Bible. The Bible reveals God as a perfect being of love as well as a perfect being of judgment.

He opens opportunities for love and forgiveness to all and He warns all that those who refuse His love will undergo His judgment.

Judging a person without giving them an opportunity to believe in Him, repent, and accept the forgiveness God offers through Christ is contrary to the image that God has revealed to me through His Holy Word. It is also contrary to other passages in the Bible, such as John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

I would suggest that John 6:37-40 does not present a God revealing a doctrine by which He selects the people who will be saved to send to Jesus, and then sends the rest off to Hell, but rather a God providing all people the opportunity for salvation. In verse 37, every one that comes with the feeling that they are a lost sinner has been sent by God. This invitation encompasses all people. It shows the abounding mercy of God; and it shows, also, that the reason, and the only reason, why people are not saved, is that they will not come to Christ. Of any sinner it may be said that if they had been willing to come to Christ they would have been saved. If a person chooses not to come, they have no one to blame but themselves for their own damnation.

Let me see if I can make this even clearer with an illustration. Let us first turn to Romans chapter one and read verses 18-32 (NAS). We will begin with verses 18-20:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

These verses make it quite clear that every person ever born was and is born with a knowledge of God within their inner being. They do not know exactly who God is by this feeling but in effect they know there is a God somewhere. Then God in His grace gives us even further evidence of His existence by making it evident within the creation itself that there is a God. All anyone has to do is look at a newborn baby, or a tree, or the stars, or a cloud to know that there is a Creator who made all of this, and a Creator that had supernatural power far beyond that of any human being. Now let us continue reading in Romans.

Romans 1:21-23:
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Even though God had revealed Himself to all mankind through this inner presence and the evidence of His creation, and then through Adam and Eve and the others who first inhabited the earth, they rejected Him and replaced Him with other things that they preferred to worship and look to as their god or gods. This is blasphemy plain and simple. Open rejection of the true God and rebellion against His authority in order to replace Him with a false god or gods that they could be more comfortable with. If God says, “These are the rules,” many people will not like to live by those rules, thinking that they will be more comfortable with a god that will wink at their sins. Well, that is their choice and once they make it, God will remain firm in His righteousness, which we see as we read on in Romans 1.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

By the way, if you have any doubt about whether or not homosexuality is considered sin, these verses should make it clear that it is.

So God allowed such people who preferred to sin to have just what they wanted and the results of wanting that kind of life are those things that have just been described to us. What then can we conclude from these verses in Romans 1?

God wants everyone to know Him and consequently
He wants everyone to be saved.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:9 NAS:

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

In Romans 1:14-15, Paul reinforces this perspective by writing:

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  (NAS)

Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind what God’s purpose is for all of mankind? 

Imagine God directing traffic on a one-way road that everyone is required to walk down. Ahead you see a fork in the road. Everyone has a clear view and can see the One who is directing traffic up ahead. They all can clearly see God pointing people to take the road that is marked “Kingdom of God.” Just below this sign is another that says, “This Road Leads To Salvation And Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ.” God is telling everyone to take this road for their own best interests. God is directing everyone to travel the road that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

But some also show interest in the other road where they see signs that contain promises of sexual freedom, alcohol, drugs, and sensual pleasures that far exceed what they have ever had the opportunity to enjoy. Satan is standing there calling to people to come and experience all that they have ever dreamed of. Many look at this road and see that it is broad and inviting, and they quickly decide that this way looks much more enjoyable than the narrow road with the small gate to which God is directing the people. So they quickly take what they think to be the easier, softer way.

That, my friends, is not what we would call a description of predestination. It is rather an outright rejection of God’s provision for all those He loves. God points everyone to Christ and those who follow that direction will be received by Christ and given salvation that leads to eternal life. Instead of this passage teaching predestination, it rather provides assurance that those who trust in Christ are on the road to Heaven and can be assured of arriving safely at that destination. Read John 6:37 again: “the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.” When a person accepts Christ, his or her salvation will never be lost because it is assured by the presence of the Holy Spirit that comes to indwell everyone who is saved through faith in Christ.

How do we know that? Because of what Paul writes in Romans 8.

Romans 8:31-39 (NLT):
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

And John summed it all up in verse 40 of John chapter 6:

"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

The will of God is for everyone to invite Jesus into their life as their personal Savior. Those who do will receive salvation and eternal life by the grace of God that they can never lose. Those that do not will go to Hell.

And when Christ comes again those believers will be given new and perfect bodies as a gift from Jesus that will last throughout all eternity. Such love should take your breath away! If you have not already accepted the work of Christ for you, if you are not sure you have a personal relationship with Him, do not let another day pass without choosing to take the road to eternal life. Speak with us following the service and we will be happy to help you be sure you are on the right road. If you would like help in walking through such a decision, you may contact us by phone, 630-221-0919, or e-mail at RonTeed@aol.com

 

Jesus Speaks to the Jews
John 6:41-58

In the June 99 issue of “Smithsonian Magazine,” there appeared an article entitled "PASCAL'S WAGER." In the article, John Ross discussed a theory a mathematician had about God. I quote from the article:

"He [Pascal] asked: "God is, or he is not. Which way should we incline?" Reason, Pascal thought, could never establish definitively whether God exists. For Pascal, believing in God could have two outcomes, depending on whether God exists. If God doesn't exist, nothing will happen to the believer. If God does exist, the believer will be blessed with eternal salvation. The nonbeliever also faces two possible outcomes. If God doesn't exist, he will suffer no consequences. If God does exist, the nonbeliever will face eternal damnation. The nonbeliever faces either no consequences or hell; the believer looks at no consequences or heaven. Faced with heaven or hell, Pascal reasoned, it makes sense to open oneself to faith. While later philosophers have criticized the wager for both its premises and its cynicism, Pascal's logic [according to Ross] remains solid."[fn]

Simply put, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by believing. Is that why we believe? NO! We believe because the scripture has, as JB Phillips put it, "a ring of truth." But Pascal's wager makes us ask, "Why would anyone not believe?"

Romans 10:9 KJV "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."[fn]

John 6:41-58 NAS:
41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." 42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?" 43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."

Jesus must have been wondering why the Jews here would not believe. Surely they had seen enough to satisfy the most reluctant skeptic. But as usual they did not want to believe in anything that would be in conflict with their preconceived ideas. Let us take a closer look at what is going on here.

John 6:41-42 NAS:
41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven."
42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?"

Bread was the primary food of people in Bible times. It was made from a variety of grains, often mixed with lentils or beans. The “loaves” were baked flat, about a half inch thick. In the Bible, bread is symbolic as the sustainer of physical life. Thus Jesus’ quote: “Man does not live on bread alone” (Matthew 4:4) insists human beings are not mere animals. And the prayer: “Give us today our daily bread,” is an expression of dependence on God to meet all our needs for life in this present world.[fn]

It is lucky for these folks that they were not talking to me instead of Jesus. Because by this time my patience would be shot. They seem to delight in drawing on any objection they can in order to deny Jesus deity. He not only proved that deity to them by the miracles He had performed, but had also given them all these promises of salvation, eternal life, and Heaven if they would simply believe what they had been shown to be true. What might have been controlling their thinking to keep them from accepting the truth?

Satan is a most capable adversary and he has the ability to deceive even the most intelligent people. Even in the light of overwhelming evidence he can convince people that the truth is a lie and that a lie is the truth by appealing to those things that are most important to the person he is working on. For example, if you have been taught all of your life that people of German descent are evil and responsible for all the world’s problems, you will very likely be prejudiced against and have a distrust of people who have a German heritage.

Under those circumstances suppose that one day a friend calls and invites you to come to his church to hear a man speak who is quite famous for his ability to reveal the truth of the scriptures. Even though you are not a Christian, you are somewhat curious about what the Bible has to say and you agree to go.

As you sit with your friend in his church someone up front rises to introduce the speaker. When you hear that his name is Heinrich Von Schnitzeldorf and he begins to speak with a German accent, you are immediately turned off. It will not matter from that point on what he has to say because your anger and resentment toward this man will take over your every emotion. There is nothing he could say that you would not find a good reason to disagree with and you will be ready to distort his words in whatever manner you must to make him look bad. You will leave hating his message as much as you now hate him. We suggest here that this was the same basic frame of mind of the Jews in John 6.

As a matter of fact based on what Jesus says in verses 44 and 45 of John 6, these Jews probably did not have a faith relationship with God either. Their god was their own power and position and thus they were not drawn to Christ by God. We believe that is exactly what is meant here. Anyone wanting a relationship with Christ must come to the Bible with an open mind putting aside any pre-conceived ideas they might have about the Christian faith.

Was it that they could not get themselves to accept the fact that anyone could be greater than Moses? Not even the promised Messiah? Were they simply not able to accept the fact that this son of a carpenter could be greater than their highly esteemed Moses? Their problem was so clearly identified by Jesus back in John chapter five. Remember that these Jewish leaders were the power behind the Jewish religion. If they accepted this Jesus as the Messiah, they would have to admit to being fools and hypocrites. What do you suppose that would have done to the prestige, wealth, and power they derived from their high offices? They certainly did not want to give that up to someone who had come along and told them that they were making a mess out of the Jewish religion as well as teaching false doctrine. They were like many  church leaders today who consider themselves capable of changing the original foundation on which God established His sovereignty over the Jews and then the doctrine of the Church through Jesus Christ. No one is justified in doing that. And anyone who messes around with the original meaning of God’s Word is going to experience a much hotter Hell than those who just refuse to believe Him.

Revelation 22:18-19 NAS:
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
19 and if anyone atakes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

Their refusal to accept the truth was grounded in their pre-conceived opinions, pride, obstinacy, self-conceit, and a deep-felt contempt for Jesus. Sometimes our own self-will can cloud our judgment and force us to make disastrous decisions. These Jews were in the process of doing just that. After all the prophets throughout the Old Testament had predicted many things about Jesus arrival on this earth and about His ministry. That as well should have been additional proof for them. How blind can people be?

How tragic for the human race that so many are willing to take the broad road. Some people will stop at nothing to preserve whatever material possessions they have. Here, they tried fabricating a position that made it sound impossible that Jesus could be the Son of God. How could He be the Son of God when everyone knew Him to be the son of a poor carpenter and his wife, Joseph and Mary. But Jesus wants them to have yet another opportunity to accept the truth.

John 6:43-47 NAS:
43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.
47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

When He pointed out the necessity for the Father to take the initiative, He was virtually telling them that they were out of step with the Father (44). They needed a spiritual revelation to understand Jesus’ words. This was further underlined by an appeal to the prophets (45). The passage quoted is Isaiah 54:13, which describes the triumph of the Servant in his kingdom. It endorses the view that the initiative is with God. Yet God’s revelation comes only through Jesus, since He alone has seen God (46). The need for faith is again stressed. Verse 47 echoes the language of John 3:15.[fn]

Their continual refusal to accept Jesus words simply confirms what Jesus is telling them. A person can give the truth over and over again to an unbeliever, but they will not be able to bring that person to a belief in Christ and the salvation that goes along with it. That can only be done by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only force that can bring a person to salvation. So, as verse 44 states, only God can draw them to a place of acceptance where His grace will allow for Christ to raise them up on the last day. We have to imagine that Jesus is simply telling them that if they do not believe what He is saying, they are refusing to accept the guidance that God has given them. How could they believe God and God’s Word and not believe in Jesus?

People are so caught up in sin and unbelief that unless God draws them (.verse 65), they are hopeless. Do you remember what we discussed earlier about how God designed us to be seekers after Him. Romans 1:19-20 NAS:

19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

He has given us all the ability to seek after Him, and if we do that He will point us to Christ. Jesus said, “I . . . will draw all men to Myself” (12:32). Those who will be saved will also be resurrected (6:39-40).[fn] Jesus then explained in detail how the sinner can come to God: it is through the truth of the Word (John 6:44–45).

If one follows God’s leading to seek Him, God will then draw them toward Jesus by His Word. It is through the teaching of the Word that God draws people to Jesus. We just studied in the last chapter, John 5:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” The unbeliever hears, learns, and comes as the Father draws him through the Word of the Holy Scriptures. It all depends on whether that person is willing to follow the instincts they know to be right. This was basically the same message He gave after He had healed the paralytic (see John 5:37–40). The crowd wanted to see something, but their real need was to learn something. It is by the Word that we see God and receive the faith to come to Christ and trust Him. Paul writes in Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  (NAS)

When Jesus called Himself “the Living Bread,” He was not claiming to be exactly like the manna. He was claiming to be even greater! The manna only sustained life for the Jews, but Jesus gives life to the whole world. The Jews ate the daily manna and eventually died; but when you receive Jesus Christ within, you live forever. When God gave the manna, He gave only a gift; but when Jesus came, He gave Himself. There was no cost to God in sending the manna each day, but He gave His Son at great cost. The Jews had to eat the manna every day, but the sinner who trusts Christ onceis given eternal life. [fn]

Most Jewish people believed in both human choice and God’s sovereignty. The argument here stresses that those in relationship with the Father will recognize Jesus; those who do not recognize him do not know the Father either.[fn] It would appear that Keener is saying that you cannot know One without knowing the Other.

John 6:47-51 (NAS):
47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
48 "I am the bread of life.
49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."

“Truly, Truly” or “I tell you the truth,” appears for the third time in this passage. The phrase occurred in verses 26 and 32, and will appear again in verse 53. In referring to a person who believes in this verse, Jesus is speaking of one who continually trusts in Him. That is how we can define a believer. One who continually and unceasingly trusts in Jesus. Such a person has eternal life. Do you trust in Jesus? If you do you are guaranteed eternal life? If you do not trust in Jesus, you do not yet have eternal life and will not have it until you do trust in Him. For He is your one and only hope.

Jesus then tells them, “I am the bread of life.” This is not the first time Jesus has tried to get them to understand this. Immediately after Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding 15,000 to 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish, He said to the crowds following Him in John 6:26-40 (NASB):

 26 "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
30 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?
31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.' "
32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread."
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.
37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

Do you see how important it is to Jesus that they understand this message? He keeps trying to make them understand again and again that He is the source of eternal life yet they are not capable of seeing beyond the material. He therefore goes back to the comparison of the manna that God provided to keep the Israelites alive when they were wandering in the desert for forty years under the leadership of Moses. This manna provided for their temporary daily physical sustenance. Each day God would provide a new supply of food to keep them alive for another day. But ultimately they all died. They died because the bread they were provided could only sustain physical life. Jesus is telling them that He is a different kind of bread, the Bread of Life. When a person believes and trusts in Him, they will live forever. Jesus is not suggesting that they literally eat His body. Eating this living Bread is a figure of speech which means to believe in Jesus. To eat (believe) this Bread provides eternal life.

But Jesus also wants them to know that not only is God providing the Bread (Jesus), but Jesus is also willing to give Himself: “the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."  (John 6:51 NRSV)

Salvation and eternal life comes because of the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God. Back in chapter one John wrote: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NAS). As the result of Jesus’ sacrificial death, eternal life was given to the world, and there are many additional verses in Scripture that confirm this truth. Let us look at just a few of them:

John 3:17 NAS:
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

After the Samaritans had spent two days with Jesus, they had this to say:

John 4:42 NAS:
42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Matthew 20:28 NAS:
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Galatians 3:13 NAS:
13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NAS:
14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Romans 5:8 NAS:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus has advised this multitude of people in Galilee of the essence of His atoning death for the sin of the people of the world and the need for them to believe Him and trust what He is saying so that they might have eternal life. Only those who accept His death on their behalf can be given this gift of eternal life by the grace of God. The substitution death of Jesus is a key doctrine in John’s Gospel. Jesus died for all.

John 10:11,15 NAS:
11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

1 John 2:1-2 NAS:
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20 NAS:
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Now before going further there is something we must discuss because it has been misleading people for centuries. It is also something that is going to make some people very uncomfortable. But it is not the purpose of God’s Word to always make people feel comfortable. Nor should it be the purpose of the church to always make people feel comfortable. In fact it is in one’s best interests to occasionally feel uncomfortable if one is living with a lie, especially if that lie is going to lead them directly to Hell.

Now we have a number of dear friends who are Catholic and we know that many of them have accepted the truth about Jesus that we have just studied and we have no doubt that we are going to see those people in Heaven. However, the Catholic Church teaches a false doctrine about the verses we have just studied. Like these Jews in these verses the Catholic Church has misinterpreted what was said here. The Jews continued to bicker over how this man could claim that they should literally eat His flesh. They could not see the deep meaning in these words. All they could do was pick apart anything Jesus said just as shallow people in today’s world do nothing but gossip, criticize, and indulge themselves whenever possible without ever really thinking seriously about anything.

Now remember that when Jesus spoke these words in John 6 the Lord’s Supper was still more than a year in the future, so there was no connection between what was said here in John 6 and the Lord’s Supper. However, the Roman Catholic Church has made such a connection and in the sacrament of Holy Communion they maintain that the bread actually becomes the flesh of Christ and the wine actually becomes the blood of Christ. They make this claim in connection with Jesus words in John 6:53-54 NAS:

52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

This doctrine is referred to in the Catholic Church as transubstantiation and is misused by the Church and misunderstood by those Catholics who for one reason or another do not know any better. The Catholic Church teaches that if this sacrament is performed for someone on their death bed they will go to Heaven because they have satisfied Jesus’ words in John 6:53-54. This is an evil misrepresentation of God’s Word and it could cause someone to continue in a life of sin thinking they could be assured of Heaven and eternal life if they took holy communion just before they died. Imagine the shock of finding yourself in Hell one second after you die having been administered this sacrament by an ordained priest of the Catholic Church. God will not treat kindly those who promote this false teaching. In fact I would not want to be standing anywhere near them when the trap door is activated.

What could one understand eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood to mean? Well, just as our body benefits physically from eating and drinking the right things, we can benefit spiritually and emotionally, and yes even physically by partaking of Jesus and the benefits faith in Him will provide us. He can provide us nourishment through comfort and support in our prayer life. Through the reading of His Word and daily prayer He can work miracles in and through us, and those are only a few of the many, many benefits that come through consuming all that God brings to our table.

The manna that God provided for the Israelites is a literal representation of Jesus as the “living Bread.” When God’s people were wandering through the desert wilderness, there was no food supply anywhere. It was necessary for God to provide for them supernaturally. So He miraculously made this manna appear on a daily basis. It was undoubtedly God’s intention also to teach the people something about this manna and their relationship with Him. No one was allowed to gather more food off the ground than they would need for a single day. So they had to be in continual dependence on God one day at a time. He was their only source of food and without His provision they would starve. Without faith they would die. Without faith they would have no hope.

The Jews in this story we are studying in John 6 continually murmured and complained about Jesus’ claims. They knew both Him and His family. How in the world could He ever claim that God sent Him from Heaven? What about the miracle, or perhaps miracles they had witnessed Jesus perform. What about the reality of His being the fulfillment of so many prophecies from the Old Testament prophets? Did they ever believe Jesus and call upon His name for salvation and eternal life? Well, we will see as we continue in this chapter that it does not look like many, if any at all, did. What a shame. Where do you suppose that they are today?

What about you? Have you believed Jesus regarding eternal life. I hope so. If you have not, why not do it today and insure your eternity in glory?

 

The Importance of Decisions
John 6:55-71

“Former President Ronald Reagan says he learned the need for decision-making early in life. An aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made for him. The shoemaker asked young Ronald Reagan, "Do you want a square toe or a round toe?’ Reagan hemmed and hawed. So the cobbler said, ‘Come back in a day or two and let me know what you want.’

“A few days later the shoemaker saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. ‘I still haven't made up my mind,’ the boy answered. ‘Very well,’ said the cobbler.

“When Reagan received the shoes, he was shocked to see that one shoe had a square toe and the other a round toe.

"‘Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson,’" said Reagan years later. ‘If you don't make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you!’

“The sovereign God has made us people, not puppets. We have His Word to guide us, His love to redeem us, and His assurance that we are capable of making choices.”[fn]

Now in this concluding section of John chapter 6, Jesus confronts people with the need for making decisions about Him. He also repeats His teaching about the disciples’ need to understand the meaning of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. That is the first important decision they encounter. Will they believe Christ’s words about being the Bread that comes down from Heaven? We have already explained that this does not mean they should literally eat His flesh and drink His blood but that His body and blood was the necessary sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and that anyone who desires salvation and eternal life must accept that teaching, repent of their sins, and ask Christ into their life as Savior.

That is the process required for salvation and eternal life. It is a free gift of God’s grace beginning with the faith of a person in Jesus’ sacrificial death. It cannot be earned as many of these disciples wanted to believe.

They believed they could be good enough to earn their salvation and because of that pride they condemned themselves to an eternal Hell. Because it is so important Jesus repeats this teaching in verses 55-58 of John 6 NAS:

55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
58 "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."

Verse 58 is of course referring again to the manna which God provided the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert a period of forty years. We have seen earlier that this was the kind of bread that provided food for the body. The bread that Jesus is offering is food for the soul. The manna only provided them nourishment for their physical lives and they eventually died. The bread that Jesus offers, faith in His death for sin, provides eternal life. As Jesus was teaching His disciples in the synagogue in Capernaum, trying to help them understand who He was and what it meant that He had come, they began grumbling about His repeatedly telling them that they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

Jesus is also saying in these verses that to truly have life with a capital L we need to internalize Christ as much as possible. Now how do we internalize Christ or “eat His flesh and drink His blood” as described here? First, we appropriate Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave as payment for the sins in our life (Romans 10:9, 10). By doing that you become a member of the family of God (John 1:12,13).

When a child is born into a human family, he/she begins to take on the characteristics of the parents. The child reacts the same, holds the same values, and even adopts the mannerisms of his/her parents. Psychologists tell us children do that because they have identified with their parents so much that they have internalized the parent. Tell me, when you start to do something, don’t you often hear mom’s or dad’s voice in your head saying, “Do it this way—or that way”? Sure you do. Maybe your dad taught you how to parallel park, and today whenever you begin to parallel park the car you hear his voice saying, “Pull up even, so that your steering wheel is even with the steering wheel on the car in front of the parking space.”

When you become part of God’s family you start listening to what God has to tell you. You take on His values and behaviors. And where do you get that? From the Bible. The more you read and study and memorize Scripture, the more you are internalizing Christ, who is the living Word of God (John 1:1-4, 14). The longer and more thoroughly you study God’s Word and obey what it says, the more you come to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Another way you internalize Christ is that when you receive Him as your Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9,11). So you have His Spirit within you, guiding you and helping you, teaching you what God wants you to know and to do. So through the Holy Spirit of Christ and through the Word of Christ you internalize the Lord Jesus just as thoroughly, or even more so, than if you had literally consumed His flesh.

John 6:59-65 NAS:
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"
61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble?
62 "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?
63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

Many of the Jews who had been following Jesus began to complain that this kind of talk was hard to understand and accept. They were making a poor decision: they did not want to hear Christ’s words anymore.

Jesus asked them if such teaching in any way caused them to stumble. The Greek word used here is skandalizo and means “to ensnare, to trap, to cause to stumble”; it is often used to indicate a falling away into unbelief.[fn] Jesus knew that those who were not willing to accept Him fully would stumble over him into unbelief or be offended by Him.[fn] But in spite of knowing some would reject His message He stated it clearly and honestly. We must do the same. If we speak of Jesus lovingly and honestly, we should not be depressed nor feel inadequate if the message of the Gospel is rejected or if it offends someone. Even when Jesus delivered His own message, many listening to Him rejected it. That is simply the result of the power of sin in a person’s life, and it is a very dangerous decision for that person to make.

Because these Jews would not believe that Jesus came down from Heaven, Jesus asked them in verse 62 if they would believe Him if He were to ascend back up to Heaven where He said He came from. Would they believe Him? Would they be willing to accept the fact that He was who He said He was and that He had the power and authority to give them eternal life, which they could not attain through the works of the flesh? Verse 63 tells us: “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” In other words you cannot achieve salvation and eternal life by performing good works on your own. Jesus is telling them the only way they can receive eternal life.  Eternal life is the gift of God which comes only as a result of faith.

It is also entirely possible here that Jesus is saying that a fleshly or literal interpretation of His words will leave them clueless as to what He is actually saying, and they must be able to see the spiritual interpretation. If they cannot get past thinking that He is suggesting they actually eat His body and drink His blood they do not stand a chance of receiving salvation. Remember Jesus’ words may frequently carry multiple meanings, all of which can be accurate. When you are God, you are capable of doing such things.

Let us look at verse 65: "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father" (NAS). The Father uses several different means to call everyone to be reconciled to Him, as we have already discussed. For those that believe and trust in God, God will then point them to Jesus for salvation and eternal life. If you insist that you can earn your own salvation and do not trust in the Words of the Father, you will not believe Jesus. This is another poor decision, which will have serious consequences for you.

Now remember, and this is so important, Jesus is speaking here to first century Jews who have grown up with the Law. Over the centuries of the Old Testament, the Scribes and the teachers of the Law had come to change the truth of the Word of God in the Old Testament to a meaning that satisfied their personal ambitions. They had changed it in a way that made it possible for a person to think they could attain salvation on their own by keeping all of God’s Law and doing good works. They had simply ignored the teaching of their own Old Testament for the version they preferred in order to satisfy their own desires. It would be very much like a Bible translator today taking a number of liberties in translating the entire Bible by changing God’s words and replacing them with words he/she believed God actually meant. Or pastors today who only teach the pleasant parts of the Bible, the parts about God’s love, leaving out the complete truth about God’s justice and righteousness. Paul warned Timothy that this would happen:

2 Timothy 4:3 NAS
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

It was necessary for Jesus to tell them that they believed a lie and that they must come to understand the doctrine of His atoning death for their sins. In order to do this He had to create the most understandable imagery possible. Here was the Son of a mere carpenter, they thought, trying to explain to these Jews that He was sent from the God of Heaven to tell them that their religion was nothing but a big lie. Many of them simply could not bring themselves to believe it for one reason or another. So we read in verse 66:  As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Now the reason I emphasized the importance of knowing that these disciples were first century Jews is that I believe Jesus’ teaching to them was unique. I do not believe He would have necessarily used the same approach if He were speaking to an audience of Greeks or Romans, or even twenty-first century seekers. Again it is this uniqueness that verse 65 speaks to. "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." God, through the writers of the Old Testament, had repeatedly made it clear that a relationship with Him was based on faith and not works and that one day He would send a Savior. He set up the Law and the sacrifices as interim measures to help guide the people until that Savior came.

Any faithful Jew who read their Old Testament and believed God would have known this clearly and would have been expecting a Messiah one day to come.

Throughout the Old Testament God had emphasized the importance of choice. Let us look at a few such references.

Exodus 32:26 NAS
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.
Deuteronomy 30:19 NAS
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.”

Joshua 24:14-15 NAS
14 "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

1 Kings 18:21 NAS
Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.

So we see that God had made it clear to all Jews that they had to choose between serving false gods or serving the true God. God had given many prophecies to let them know Jesus would one day arrive on the scene. He included enough in those Old Testament prophecies to indicate how they could be sure the One claiming to be the Messiah was for real. In other words they could look at forty or fifty or more prophecies that predicted events directly involving the Messiah, and if all those things had come true in regard to Him, they could be certain He was who He claimed to be. Jesus satisfied all of these requirements and they should have recognized Him beyond the shadow of a doubt to be the promised Son of God.

 I believe this to be the meaning of verse 65. God has pointed all Jews to the coming of Jesus Christ to the world as the promised Savior, and they can be 100% certain of this if they are believers in the Word of God in their own Old Testament.

However, if they have accepted all of this foolishness that the religious leaders had authorized over the centuries in turning God’s Word into a works oriented salvation, it simply means they have not believed the God that gave them His Word in the Old Testament and will therefore not choose to believe the One whom God has now sent. This is not unlike what is happening in today’s culture. People want to make up their own versions of God, creating a God they can be comfortable with rather than accepting a God who they think will spoil all their fun. They reject a God who tells them the way things are and that there is only one way to eternal life. So the bottom line here is that many of the disciples stop following Jesus because they simply cannot accept His teaching.

Then Jesus says to His inner circle of twelve apostles in verse 67: "You do not want to go away also, do you?" And Simon Peter answers expressing his faith and, I would have to assume, the faith of all but one of the others based on the wording here. Peter is making a significant choice and basing it on a clear statement of who Christ is in verses 67 and 68: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." In the same manner we have been discussing, Jesus Himself selected the twelve apostles and gave them the opportunity of salvation by teaching them the truth of the gospel message. And how does anyone including the twelve apostles come to know the truth of the message?

Romans 10:17 NAS:
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

They had all listened to the teaching of Christ; eleven of them chose to accept Christ and
one chose to betray Him. Verses 70 and 71 (NAS): “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?’ Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.” So out of twelve of the apostles that Jesus Himself chose, there was one who would choose not to accept His teaching. Judas chose to follow Satan even though he had been exposed to the teaching of Jesus. Such is the power of evil in this world. Even though all have enough knowledge of God to be directed toward the only means of salvation, Satan will be able to play on the sinful desires of many to the point where they will not believe Jesus and will choose to follow Satan.

Today we have the complete Bible. The New Testament brings us the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies provided in the Old Testament. We may, by studying our Bibles, understand the Gospel message as presented by Jesus Himself as well as by a number of others who were chosen to write the Holy Scripture. When I look at the complete teachings of the Bible, I do not see evidence indicating that God has selected some people for salvation and some people for destruction. That runs contrary to the nature of God and Christ presented in this complete work. God pointed the Jews toward Jesus in the Old Testament and the New Testament clearly identifies God’s new covenant with the world through Jesus Christ. All people throughout human history have been given the opportunity for salvation. Some have made the right choices to receive it, others have not.

I believe the message here in this last section of John 6 is that the truth of the Gospel will be rejected by some and accepted by some, and the important thing to remember is to present it to others in a loving and straightforward manner. Do not dilute it in any way to make people feel more comfortable with it. Present it honestly as Jesus did and then simply allow the person to make their choice, their own decision. From this point on salvation is a matter of a person’s own free will and the operation of the Holy Spirit within their life. No one has the ability to understand that kind of supernatural occurrence. But unless a person genuinely desires a relationship with Christ, God is not going to force that relationship on anyone. We need only concern ourselves with presenting Jesus’ message to others and allow the Holy Spirit to be responsible for the conversion.

 

Isaiah

John

Romans

1 Peter


© Ron Teed - Used by permission. All rights Reserved.