Grow in our Commitment to Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
At the beginning of this chapter is one of the most well known miracles of Jesus; the feeding of the Five Thousand. It was an amazing miracle; the people were hungry and faced with sending the people away in that condition Jesus decided to do something about it. With no money to buy bread for all the people and a presentation of a boy’s lunch Jesus blessed the food and gave it to his disciples to distribute. The food kept going and going until all the people were full. Then they gathered the leftovers to the tune of 12 barrels. You would think that if there was someone that could take five loaves and two fishes and turn it into a meal for 5,000 would be accepted as the Messiah for sure.
After the miracle Jesus put his disciples in a boat and by the morning was with them on the other side. The people found out and went to find Jesus. When they found him they asked Jesus a question, “Rabbi when camest thou?”
He responded with what I believe to be one of the saddest characterization of intentions of a group of people.
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
He told them that they were looking for him, not because of the miracles they saw, but because of the food they received. In other words, you want to be with me for what you can get from me; not for who I am.
This began an exchange between a group of religious people and Jesus. Let’s break down that conversation.
They Sought Power
They Sought Power
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
They wanted to be able to perform like Jesus, but they did not want to believe in him as the Christ. They wanted his power, but they did not want him.
They Sought a Sign
They Sought a Sign
They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
They wanted Jesus to give them a sign. When people tell me that they want proof of the existence of God or proof that Jesus is God I know that they do not understand the heart of God. He wants us to choose him. He wants us to choose him by faith. He wants us to choose him based upon what he has shown to us. The truth is that those people that demand proof or a sign will never accept the truth no matter how much proof you show them. Here is an example; the people here demanding a sign from Jesus to prove his claims of who he was had just seen Jesus feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes and still asked for a sign.
They Sought Bread
They Sought Bread
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Jesus mentioned the manna that the Jews ate each day in the wilderness. Then he told them about the bread from heaven that God would send. They were very excited about this bread. They asked Jesus to give them this bread. They sought out Jesus because of the bread he could provide and here they are again asking for this bread from heaven.
They Didn’t Believe Jesus
They Didn’t Believe Jesus
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Jesus then preaches a mini sermon to them about who he is. He outright tells them that the bread they seek is himself. He tells them frankly that he himself is the bread from heaven. He called them out about their unbelief and in verse 41 the people confirm their lack of belief in Jesus when they murmured at him because he said he was the bread of life.
They sought him for power and for bread, but they did not accept him for who he really was and is.
Jesus Reaffirms His Identity
Jesus Reaffirms His Identity
And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
I am the bread of life. If you eat of the bread from heaven which is Jesus you will not die. In other words, If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the bread of life, then you will be saved, have eternal life, and will be raised up at the last day.
Jesus reaffirms that he is the Son of God; the bread of life that was sent down from heaven and whoever believes in him will be saved.
They Misunderstood His Teaching
They Misunderstood His Teaching
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
They began to fight between themselves about Jesus talking about eating him. There was a prohibition against a Jew eating human flesh. But they took Jesus words literally. Instead of focusing on the spiritual teaching they fought over the idea of literally eating Jesus’ flesh.
What Jesus was teaching was that just as they sought physical bread for their life they needed him in order to have spiritual life in Him.
They Left Him
They Left Him
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
They heard his sermon and they left him. They liked the idea of Jesus. They liked his miracles. They liked the temporal provision that he could provide. But when he tells them what he is really there to give them; eternal life through him they walk away.
They wanted what he could give them, but they did not want to commit to him; they refused to commit themselves to who he really was, the Messiah.
Conclusion
Conclusion
These people did not believe in Jesus and because they did not believe they did not commit to him. So the main reason that people lack commitment to Christ is that they are not believers in him.
Let’s look very quickly at those that didn’t leave.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
He looks at the 12 and ask them, “Will ye also go away? Peter rises to the top once again with his response, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou has the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter said we believe in you Jesus. In verse 70-71 Jesus tells them that one of them is not a believer. Of course, we know that he spoke of Judas. They didn’t at the time. Notwithstanding Judas the other disciples followed him. They were full of their own faults. They had failures, but in the end the Apostles gave their lives for the furtherance of the gospel. All but John became martyrs for Christ. Even John was boiled in hot oil though and when that didn’t kill him they exiled him to the Isle of Patmos.
What we see in this passage are two groups of people; those that were not committed to Christ and they were unbelievers. Then there were the ones that did believe in him and died for the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Let me ask you a question. Are you that committed? If your answer is no, then you are either an unbeliever who needs Christ or you are a Christian that needs to grow in their commitment to Christ.
We cannot just stay the people we are, but we must choose to grow in our commitment to Christ and become the people that he wants us to be.
