John 6:41-71

Who is Jesus?

Jesus’ supernatural origin: ‘How can He say “I came down from heaven”?’ (John 6:41-51)

John 6:41–51 (ESV)

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered 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 will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever 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 that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Jews Grumbled about Jesus

one of the most notable characteristics of the Jews during the Exodus period was their constant refusal to trust God for their rescue. Instead of trusting they grumbled, against Moses and against God Exodus 16:2

Exodus 16:2 ESV

2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

Exodus 16:7 ESV

7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?”

Exodus 16:12 ESV

12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

What do they grumble about?

Jesus said he came down from heaven. He is the living bread and you must eat his bread to have eternal life. But how do they eat His bread?

The Father’s draws them to the Son.

Verses 43–46 provide an explanation as to why the Jews do not believe: coming to the Son for life is entirely dependent upon the Father’s ‘drawing work’. But notice how divine sovereignty and human responsibility are interwoven: the quote from Isaiah 54:13 demonstrates that the true people of God have always been those who willingly listen to, and learn from, His word. The Father does His ‘drawing work’ through His revelation. So, it is by paying attention to the Father’s word that people are drawn to His Son. (See also v. 65.) It is as true to say that the Jews are culpably refusing to listen to the Word of God as to say that the Father is not drawing them. They are responsible because they have chosen to reject Jesus’ words. But at the same time, the only one who can enable someone to listen to the words of Jesus is His Father.

The Jews’ presume they are God’s people.

The Jews refuse to listen and learn, and so they do not come and receive the life that the Son offers. The negatives in this passage (the two ‘no-one’s) provide the explanation of this and also expose the problem: the religious Jews are presumptuous because they assume that they already have all they need. Jesus emphasizes that no-one can come unless ... and that no-one has seen except ... (vv. 44, 46). The Jews need to learn the lesson of verses 29–31, that their works, and the bread Moses gave them, have failed to bring life, for ‘the flesh counts for nothing’ and only the Spirit can give true life (v. 63).

In verses 47–51 Jesus exposes their presumption even more by pointing out that the manna eaten by the Jews’ forefathers was insufficient to provide life; something else must be required.

The scandal of the cross: ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’ (John 6:52–59)

John 6:52–59 ESV

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, 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 you. 54 Whoever feeds on 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 Whoever feeds on 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 whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

At Passover time, mention of eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking His blood in connection with ‘this bread’ would tie Jesus’ death to the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb (see OT notes). While the Jews cannot work out what Jesus is saying in verse 51, He replies by stressing the essential nature of His death for the obtaining of eternal life. His death is vital to the work of rescue.

Negatively, Jesus insists that unless a person depends on His death they have no life (v. 53). Again He stresses that the manna provided in the desert was insufficient to give life (v. 58). The Jews must realize that their presumption – that they are acceptable to God because they were born Jews – is fatal.

Positively, Jesus teaches that His death achieves the eternal life that is lacking. First, anyone at all (i.e. ‘the world’, verse 51) who does ‘feed’ on Jesus’ death will be rescued and given eternal life, for this bread is truly life-giving (vv. 54, 55).

Secondly, anyone at all who ‘feeds’ on Jesus’ death will have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, who takes up residence and lives within a person (v. 56). By the end of this passage (vv. 57–59) the development of the ‘bread types’ is complete. The chapter began with the feeding of the five thousand and physical bread. Jesus has shown that physical, material food is entirely insufficient to meet the Jews’ real need, which is for eternal life. This need can only be met by God coming to earth and giving His life on behalf of the world.

The Jews need to stop being so presumptuous, and to start depending on Him and on His solution to their real problem. Or as Jesus put it in v. 27, they need to stop working for food that spoils and to start working for the food that endures to eternal?life.

The big question throughout the passage is,

What does Jesus mean by ‘eating’, or ‘feeding on’, His flesh?

That question is answered by verses 35, 40, 47 and 63. Throughout the chapter ‘feeding’ has been a metaphor for ‘believing’ His message.

His message has been shown to include the prediction of His death on behalf of the world. The very choice of ‘bread’ to describe Himself is revealing: not only does it recall the manna of Exodus, but it was the staple food of the day. Someone without bread cannot live - Jesus is equally essential for true, eternal life. (On the question of whether this passage can be taken as referring to Holy Communion, Carson, p. 297, is excellent.)

The response: ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’

Division among those who will not accept that ‘the Spirit gives life but the flesh counts for nothing’. John (6:60–71)

John 6:60–71 ESV

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Up to now it has been the Jews who grumble. Now the disciples are unable to take Jesus’ teaching. The ‘hard thing’ to accept is His supernatural origin and His death as the Passover Lamb. They can’t handle the idea of God coming to earth in human form, or of following a dying Messiah. These ideas ‘scandalise’ them, or cause them to trip up. Jesus criticises them for being unable to see His divine nature and divine mission. He has come from heaven to die and He will return to heaven (v. 62 - cf. 16:28). If the first idea horrifies them, they’ll never grasp the second!

In verse 63 Jesus explains the whole chapter by showing that the Spirit is the one who will bring spiritual life.

The Spirit brings this life through the words of Jesus. It is a great error either to drive a wedge between the Spirit and the words of Jesus, or to expect God’s Spirit to work apart from Jesus’ words. The eternal life that Jesus offers can come no other way than by His Spirit through His word, for all our human efforts are useless – ‘the flesh counts for nothing.’ (The word ‘flesh’ is used here in a different sense from that in previous verses; here it means earthly understanding and earthly life.) The disciples have still not grasped the lessons of 3:1–8.

By verse 66 it becomes clear that some who have been following Jesus as ‘disciples’ are, like the Jews, only interested in following Jesus on their own terms; they have failed to see Him as He really is, God’s true Rescuer. It is now even clearer than before why Jesus does not entrust Himself to people who believe only on the basis of miracles (cf. 2:23–25).

When Jesus asks the Twelve if they too want to leave, Peter answers. His reply is the model response to Jesus at this stage in John: we are to understand that Jesus is indeed the Holy one of God, and to cling to His words in order that by them we may have life (e.g. 5:24).

Within the mounting narrative of John, verses 70-71 tell us both the means by which Jesus will eventually die and that He will not be surprised when it happens – Jesus will be in control of His ‘hour’ when it comes.