John 6, Part 4

Continuing on from the “Bread of Life” commentary from Jesus last week, now He will speak of HOW a person takes the Bread of Life.

Lack of Understanding Brings Grumbling

John 6:41–43 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.

One of the hardest things, I think, there is to do is separate the person PRE salvation from the person POST salvation. Now some may argue that (for some) you can’t tell the difference. However, what I have concerns over are people who will not grant mercy to people who have been truly saved and their lives show it! Now, we see a picture of the Jews doing the same with Jesus with the exception being how they’re viewing Him - they know Him as the son of Joseph, NOT the Son of God. They rejected Him for who He really is. Part of this was due to their ignorance - they did not see Him for who He really was. They were focused too much of where He had come from that they lost sign of hearing and listening to the truth. Jesus appealed to the crowd, “stop murmuring.” He loved and cared for them and longed for them to listen to the truth. As long as they murmured, they would never be willing to listen to the truth.

Truth Revealed

John 6:44–46 ESV

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.

A person must be drawn by God. These three verses have to do with predestination (see v.37). The truth of predestination in the Bible is not so much a statement of theology or philosophy as it is a message that speaks to the spiritual experience of the believer. If the pure logic of philosophy and theology is applied, then predestination says that God chooses some for heaven and others for a terrible hell. But this is simply not what God means in the passages dealing with predestination, and this fact needs to be given close attention by all who so interpret the Scriptures. What God wants believers to do is to take heart, for He has assured their salvation. This is what He means by predestination.

The person who comes to Christ is a person who has been drawn by God, a person who has experienced the divine initiative. A man does not act alone, coming to Christ by his own effort and energy, not by his own works, whether mental or physical labor. A man is a dead spirit; therefore, he can do nothing spiritually just as a dead body can do nothing physically. The natural man prefers self and sin; therefore, if a man with a dead spirit is to come to Christ, he has to be acted upon and drawn by God. Both God and man have a part in salvation.

God’s part in salvation is to draw man. God has to draw because man resists the gospel. Man’s resistance is seen in the word draw. The word “draw” has the idea of both initiative and rebellion, of constraint and resistance. For example, the pulling in of a net loaded with fish involves both actions of pulling and resistance; a person being dragged to court encounters both actions of pulling and resistance.

How God draws a man is clearly stated. He draws by teaching. The teaching may come from the voice of a preacher, the observation of nature, the reading of Scripture or a myriad of other sources. But one thing is always common: the movement of God’s Spirit upon the human heart, teaching the need for God and drawing the heart toward God for salvation. The Spirit of God teaches a man and moves upon the heart of a man.

The Holy Spirit quickens the gospel to a man’s mind so that he sees it as never before. He sees, understands, grasps as never before that “the Father … hath sent” Christ to feed and nourish man (to save and to give him life).

The Holy Spirit convicts a man of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, that is, of his need to be fed and nourished (saved and given life).

The Holy Spirit attracts men to the cross of Christ through its glorious provisions.

The Holy Spirit stirs a man to respond by coming to Christ.

Man’s part in salvation is threefold.

Man must hear the voice of God when God draws. When the pull, tug, or movement of God’s Spirit is felt, man must listen to the conviction of the Spirit.

Man must learn of God. However, he can learn of God only through Christ. If a man wishes to learn of God, He has to come to Christ. The reasons are clearly stated by Christ:

⇒ No man has seen God.

⇒ Christ alone is of God.

⇒ Christ alone has seen God.

Man must come to Christ: he must yield to the drawing power of God. God reveals, pulls, and tugs at the heart of a man to come to Christ. Why? Because the only way a man can learn of God is to come to Christ, and God wants every man to learn of Him, to know Him personally.

Being self-centered and rebellious, man likes to feel independent; consequently, man resists the quickening pull and drawing power of God. However, those who give in to the godly constraint and who partake of Christ learn of God and are accepted into His household to partake and feast at His table.

Those Who Believe

John 6:47–51 ESV

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.”

A person must believe on Christ. The person who believes has eternal life. Christ calls for man to pay close attention, “Verily, verily,” that is, “listen, listen”. What He now says is critical: a person must believe four things.

A person must believe that Christ is that Bread of Life: the Bread that feeds and nourishes man spiritually, that saves and gives man life. Note the Lord’s claim: “I am that Bread of Life.”

⇒ Note how straightforward the claim is.

⇒ Note how brief, clear-cut, straight to the point, and unmistakable the claim is.

⇒ Note His claim to deity: “I Am.” There is no hesitation—no reservation—no holding back. He pulls no punches: “I Am”.

⇒ Note how Christ refers to the manna again. Eating physical food will only sustain man temporarily; man still dies. The point is clear: man’s concern should not be physical food. If it is, man has only death to anticipate.

A man must believe that Christ is “out of” heaven, that He has come to deliver man from death. Christ claims two things.

1) He has come “out of heaven,” from God Himself.

2) If a man eats and partakes of Him, that man will not die. Note: the word eat (phagei) is in the Greek aorist tense. This means that a man eats and partakes (receives) of Christ once-for-all. It is a one-time experience.

A man must believe that Christ is the living Bread, the One who gives life to man forever.

1) The Bread is living; it is a life. The words are literally, “the Bread, the Living” (ho artos ho zon).

2) The Bread “came down from heaven.” The phrase came down (katabas) is again in the aorist tense which means Christ came once. The incarnation had never taken place before, nor will it ever take place again. The miraculous entrance of the living Bread into the world is a one-time-only event.

3) The Bread, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to provide spiritual food for man: spiritual and eternal life.

4) The offer of eternal life is conditional, “If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever.”

A man must believe that Christ is the living Bread, the One who gives life to man forever.

1) Jesus Christ came in the flesh.

2) Jesus Christ gave His flesh (life) for the life of the world.

Nourishment From the Bread of Life

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.

The religionists were perplexed and argued among themselves. The word strove (emachonto) means to argue, fuss, debate. They were debating what Jesus meant.

The Jews (religionists) began to argue over the meaning of the words. “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

⇒ Some interpreted His words as a parable, in a figurative and symbolic way. They knew He often spoke in parables.

⇒ Others had no idea what He meant, but they did see that He was claiming to be the most important person in the world, the very Savior of men. This, of course, bothered them beyond reason. How could any man claim to be so important to the world? As materialists and humanists they asked, “How can this be? He is but a man. How can He give His flesh for the world and the world receive eternal life?”

⇒ A few disciples, genuine followers of the Lord, perhaps understood.

The point is that the religionists were disturbed. The message had been going on for a long time, and Jesus had made claim after claim—all most unusual. Moreover, what He was saying was not clear, and some of it was offensive. Therefore, they were angry and perplexed and began to argue among themselves about what He meant and how they should respond to Him.

b. Jesus responded by proclaiming a much more shocking thing: unless a man partake, that is, receive Him, that man has no life dwelling within him.

The words “eat” and “drink” are in the Greek aorist tense which means a once-for-all act. Jesus was not speaking of partaking time and again. He was not speaking of feasting upon Him day by day through prayer and Bible study. He was speaking of a one-time event. A person is to eat and drink of Christ, that is, receive Him once for all.

Unless a man receives (eats and drinks) Christ, he has no life within him. He is a dead man spiritually and eternally. He is walking around as a dead man.

⇒ Physically he is in the process of aging and dying, of living in the realm of death and being doomed to die.

⇒ Spiritually he is already dead, having no life with God. He has no life, no real and true relationship with the true and living God. He is doomed to eternal death and separation from God.

Partaking, eating and drinking, of Christ is absolutely essential in order to truly live—in order to possess real life that lasts now and forever.

The first result of receiving Christ, the Bread of Life, is eternal life. Note three things.

a. The word for eat (trogon) is different. It means to eat eagerly, to grasp at chunks, to eat with pleasure. It is the picture of hungering after Christ and eagerly wanting to feed and feast on Him.

b. The tense is also different. It is present tense, which means continuous action. A person must continue to eat and to develop and grow into the habit of feasting upon Christ. Christian growth day by day is the picture.

Now note the point. A genuine believer, a man who really receives Christ, is a man who partakes of Him continually. Day by day the man will feast upon Christ.

The second result of receiving Christ is true satisfaction, not false, satisfaction.

a. The word indeed (alethes) means true as opposed to false (see DEEPER STUDY # 1—Jn. 1:9). The things of the world do not feed and fill men, not with a true satisfaction. Worldly pleasures and satisfactions are false; and false satisfaction does not last, not permanently, not with full assurance and confidence and security. Worldly pleasures and satisfactions always leave men somewhat empty, dissatisfied, craving, void, unassured and wondering if this world is all there is—wondering if there is not more to life than what this world and its possessions have to offer.

b. True satisfaction comes from receiving Christ into one’s life, and it comes only through Christ. This is the Lord’s point in this verse. Just as real life on the earth comes from eating and drinking food, so real and abundant life comes from eating and drinking Christ.

The third result is supernatural companionship and fellowship, care and being looked after. This is seen in the word “dwell” (menei). It means to abide, continue, inhabit, rest in or upon. It is being fixed and set and remaining there, continuing on and on. Such is the state and condition and being of the person who receives Christ. The person receives Christ into his being, and Christ enters the person’s life, abiding within him. The person is also placed into Christ, that is, placed with all other believers into the spiritual body of Christ. The person abides in Christ even as Christ abides in him. This, of course, means fellowship and companionship with Christ and the presence of His care and watchful eye in looking after us.

The fourth result of receiving Christ is a life that is full of purpose, meaning, and significance. Jesus said, “I live by the Father.” His life was due to the Father. He lived to do the Father’s will. The Father “sent” Him to live on earth for a specific purpose: to fulfill the Father’s will and task.

The man who receives Christ (“eateth me”) lives by Christ. He begins to live in all the purpose, meaning, and significance of life, for apart from Christ there is no life. Note: the tense is present, continuous action. A person must continue to partake, eat, and feast upon Christ to keep his sense of purpose and meaning, to really live and live abundantly.

The fifth result of receiving Christ is incorruptible food within our hearts—energizing our lives forever. Christ made a strong, descriptive contrast.

⇒ The manna eaten by Israel in the Old Testament did come from the clouds above, but it did not give life to the people. They were all dead.

⇒ “This [the Lord Himself] is that Bread which came down from heaven … he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.”

The idea is striking: it is the Living Bread, Christ Himself, who energizes and quickens a man to live forever. Christ has the quality, the power, the substance to energize a man and give him eternal life. However, He and He alone has such energizing power.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2004. The Gospel according to John. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.