Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, Part 1 (John 6:30–46)

Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name”Text: John 6:30–46

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: May 21, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

Our children often complain that they are “starving” when they go more than a few hours without a snack, but adults often know better. In many countries, food can be so scarce or expensive that the poor people can go for days without anything to eat. So, the children of those countries will sometimes have to resort to making cookies or bread out of dirt. For instance, in Haiti, the impoverished take a special dirt thought to be high in calcium and mix it with shortening, vegetable oil, salt, and even sugar (as I’ve been told), and let it bake on sheets in the sun. China had a similar practice, especially during the great famine. So common is the practice of dirt-eating that there’s a term for it, geophagy, and it, unfortunately, doesn’t provide enough nutrients to keep people alive long-term. Thankfully, relief efforts help to alleviate world hunger, but such realities remind us to be thankful for the resources we have.

The children of Israel, when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, also needed food. In that case, He gave them a supernatural supply of bread from heaven. The manna in the wilderness provided nourishment that kept the people going for forty years. Ultimately, it was a means of keeping the seed of salvation alive for all of us, for Jesus Christ would come from that people roughly 1,400 years later.

Yet, even that supernaturally-provided bread could not keep people alive forever. The same was true of the five loaves and two fish that Jesus supernaturally multiplied for the crowd of the 5,000 the previous day on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Yet, Jesus offers the crowd something unique here.

He was, of course, talking about the salvation of the soul as well as promising a coming resurrection of the physical body. And we see that the people were initially interested. However, their interest seems to wane. The question for the larger passage is why that might be — why were they not converted by Jesus’s gospel offer to them? Over the next couple of sermons, we’ll answer that as we consider the sovereignty of God and evangelism.

For this morning, we’ll just look at Christ’s presentation to them. We have another opportunity to see the Master Evangelist preach, just as He did with the woman at the well. This time, instead of water, He’s using the image of bread. Let’s consider all this bread provides together.

First, note the kind of interest they have in Jesus (vv. 30–31).

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? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ”

In these verses, the Jews are demanding a sign from Jesus, and our Lord responds to that demand. One of the aspects of evangelizing the lost is in dealing with the incessant demand for more evidences. The evangelist must be able to discern whether these demands come from a heart that is seeking to believe or from a hardened heart seeking to avoid the truth.

Let’s consider this step by step. First, in v. 30, they ask two questions: “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You?” and “What work do You perform?” They say this in response to v. 29, where He calls on them to believe in Him whom God has sent. They understand that He is speaking of Himself, so they’re asking for a miracle. On the one hand, it isn’t an unreasonable request, especially if someone is making extraordinary claims like Jesus here.

However, the people make the same mistake as skeptics today — they ignore the signs that Jesus already performed. Many of them had seen signs already, but they weren’t there because of those signs, as Jesus said (v. 26). It’s likely that there are more Jews in the synagogue that day than that crowd which followed Him from the other side of the sea, but they had seen their own signs. Either way, the gathering now demands another sign. They’re un-swayed as of yet, desiring to see more before deciding (which is to say they are presently refusing to believe in Him).

Note that such objections can appear to have a good, biblical motivation. In v. 31, they say, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ” They are directly referencing the miracle of the manna falling in the wilderness. They might have been loosely quoting Psalm 78:24, which says, “He [referencing God] rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven.” Or, they may have had the first part of Nehemiah 9:15 in mind: “You [referencing God] provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger.” Or, they may have been paraphrasing Exodus 16:4, where Yahweh tells Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.” Jesus gave them one meal so far, whereas Moses gave forty years of rations.

In fact, there was a tradition backing this perspective. As one study notes, “Jewish tradition looked for the Messiah to provide manna as Moses had (as depicted by the Jewish work Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1.9).” Moreover, biblical teaching affirms that the Messiah would bring provision; Psalm 72:16 says, “May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; and may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth.” So, from a certain point of view, theirs is a convincing argument — Jesus should do more for them.

Understand, though, that this is a misinterpretation driven by what Jesus said back in v. 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.” They want food, and they cite a passage that would support their demand for more food. They may have resisted this charge if we were to bring it up, saying that they are only asking that Jesus demonstrate that He’s a better Moses. Yet, the material proof they seek is, in fact, material food.

Again, they are misinterpreting Scripture. In fact, if you look at what they say and perform a quick Bible search, or look in your concordance, you’ll note that they are not providing a direct quote of any Old Testament text. The closest we can find are the passages I already noted. That means that they are misquoting Scripture. Just because religiously-minded people reference Scripture, that doesn’t mean that they are in the right.

This is what Jesus points out in the next verse. Yet, He does so not with cutting condemnation but with further explanation of His gracious offer. That brings us to the next point:

Second, note the kind of offer Jesus extends (vv. 32–33)

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. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

He says, “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.” In Exodus 16:15, we read that, when the sons of Israel saw the manna, “they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was.” Moses then replies, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” Moses did not take credit for giving them the manna; he identified God as the source. And Jesus corrects them by seeing that the God of heaven was the blessing source for their fathers, not Moses.

Why is that such an important distinction? They were comparing quantities of food, Moses versus Jesus. However, what they needed to consider was the fact that Moses worked a miracle by the power of God, and now, so has Jesus. Moreover, if God intends for the people to see a connection between Moses and Jesus, He will give them a miracle of feeding, which is exactly what happened.

In fact, there’s a bold assertion in our Lord’s correction. He calls God “My Father” and then distinguishes between them and Himself. He talks about them receiving the manna, though He is also a Jew. In v. 49, He says, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” Of course, the manna didn’t give people eternal life, but Jesus notes that there were unbelievers in Moses’s day, just as there are those who don’t believe Jesus now. He doesn’t claim affinity with disbelieving Israel but with God, His Father.

Jesus isn’t beating them over the head with this, but He is demonstrating their lostness and spiritual need. Still, He doesn’t merely condemn; He offers them a word of good news. He says that “it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven,” present-tense. Again, if God is the giver of the bread of heaven in Moses’s time, then He can be the giver of a bread of life in the first century. This bread, unlike the manna, grants eternal life to the one who eats, and it continues to be available to us today.

This is exactly what Jesus explains in v. 33 — “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” He calls it the bread of God, meaning that it’s God’s bread or bread from God. This is following the thought from the previous verse; this isn’t Moses’s bread but God’s.

Incidentally, there’s something D. A. Carson notes here that you might want to file away for your Bible reading. We see in these verses that the “bread of God is synonymous with the ‘bread of heaven.’ ” When you’re reading through the other Gospels, you’ll read Matthew reference the “kingdom of heaven” while Mark and Luke reference the “kingdom of God.” Sometimes, the Jews would avoid referencing God directly and use the term “heaven” instead, but Jesus uses both terms here.

Yet, this “bread of God” coming from heaven isn’t manna. There’s a pronoun here that we can translate a couple of ways. It can be taken as impersonal (“the bread… is that which”) or personal (“the bread… is he who”), since it is masculine. It seems like the crowd takes it as impersonal, because in the next verse, they ask for bread, not a person. However, Jesus is referencing Himself (cf. v. 35), and the crowd will grumble about this statement in v. 41 (once they realize what He’s saying).

It was apparent, though, that He was talking about something greater than manna. First, He says that this bread gives life, not just daily nourishment. (Again, contrast that to v. 49, where Jesus says, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.”) Second, He says that this bread would give life to the world, meaning that the Gentiles would enjoy it, not just the Jews in Israel. This is a startling claim that leads them to ask in the next verse, “Lord [or “Sir”], always give us this bread.”

Before we’re too hard on them, consider the moment. It’s important to note that they hear of food from God, some that bestows blessing, and they ask for it. If some Baptist asked them to bow their heads and close their eyes, they would all raise their hands for a decision! It would seem to be a win.

However, things are not always as they appear. That brings us to the final point:

Third, note the kind of response Jesus sees (vv. 34–36)

Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 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. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.

The issue is always deeper, and we’ll talk about that in a minute. Because they want this bread, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” This is a true gospel word of good news. Those who hunger can find in Him satisfaction; those who thirst can find true, refreshing drink.

But this places the onus on them. They can’t sit on the fence concerning Jesus. His “I am” statement alone is the first of seven major statements in this Gospel in which He identifies Himself as the only means of salvation. In John 8:12, He says, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” In John 10:7 and 9, He says, “I am the door of the sheep … I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” In John 10:14, He says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” In John 11:25–26, He says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” In John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” In John 15:1 and 5, He says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. … I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” All of these are exclusive claims, meaning that they exclude the possibility that someone can come to God through any other person than Jesus Christ.

Jesus also says that the person must come to Him. Don’t misunderstand; He’s not talking about the simple act of coming to His location. If that were the case, these Jews would have already fulfilled this requirement. Sometimes, folks think that just coming to church is enough. Or, a preacher trying to get people to walk the aisle during an altar call might guilt people to come forward, even warning them not to deny Jesus before men. However, it’s not personal physical effort that gains us salvation.

Jesus parallels the thought of coming to Him in this verse with believing in Him. Just as hunger and thirst are parallel ideas of spiritual need, coming and believing are parallel ideas of trusting in Jesus as the source of eternal life. Back in v. 29, when the people asked what work they needed to work God’s works, Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” Jesus is calling us to trust in Him exclusively and wholly for our salvation. Those who come another way will hunger and thirst again.

Only Jesus fulfills Messianic prophecy. Isaiah 49:10 says, “They will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion on them will lead them and will guide them to springs of water.” Isaiah 55:1 says, “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Unbeknownst to the crowd, Jesus didn’t just feed the 5,000, He just walked on the water, and His mastery over it proves that He alone can give both food and drink.

Jesus is identifying Himself as the only means of salvation. Later, He’ll even say that it is only through the consumption of His flesh and blood that a person gains eternal life (vv. 53–58). They were troubled by this, but we understand He was referring to His sacrificial death on the cross, where His flesh was pierced and His blood spilled for the salvation of all who believe in Him.

Unfortunately, all this is a step too far for the crowd. Jesus sees it in their hearts. In v. 36, He says, “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” They’ve seen His signs, and they are now physically in front of Him. One of the problems with both evangelism and preaching today is the obscuring of the person and work of Jesus Christ, but even the best presentations of Jesus Christ are no guarantee that conversions will occur. For some people, seeing is simply not believing.

Conclusion

That these individuals are currently outside of saving faith may seem strange to some of us in the modern Evangelical church. After all, they were seekers of Jesus, displayed an interest in spiritual matters, and even asked for the bread Jesus was describing. However, anyone would pray for some blessing from God that requires nothing of themselves. That’s the issue with calling upon people to simply “make a decision.” We tell people to pray the sinner’s prayer, repeating after us, and that uttering those simple words with sincerity will grant them salvation. That’s not just a shallow gospel presentation, it’s a false one.

Jesus presents Himself as the only means of salvation. This means that we cannot even put faith in our own decisions to come to Him, to repent and believe. Some of the preachers used to falsely say, “If you’re not sincere, if you’re not sure, if you don’t really mean this, then you’re lost!” They were calling on people to put their faith in their own decision rather than in Christ to save them. However, it’s not the sinner’s prayer, nor the walking of an aisle, or any other man-made work that saves; it is the bread of life alone, Jesus Christ. Make Him your focus.

Do we repent from false ways and believe in Jesus? Of course! That is the proper response to the gospel call, and I hope you will do that if you haven’t done so. This is human responsibility in salvation, and in addition to other sins, people will be judged for not coming to Christ.

Still, don’t place your faith in your own ability to repent and believe, because five days, five months, or five years from now, you’ll realize that you could have repented and believed better than you did — so just trust God with the work of your salvation in Jesus Christ.

In fact, there’s much more to say about this. How could they be in front of Jesus, hear His gracious offer of Himself as the source of eternal life, and still not believe? Well, this is only the first part of this message. Next week, Lord willing, we’ll consider what it means that God is sovereign over your salvation. For today, however, I hope you will not echo their mistake and fail to come to Christ; trust in Him alone for salvation.