I Have Never Asked, “What’s in It for Me?” So Now I Want to Know, “What’s in It for Me?!” – John 6:52-7:52
Intro: Field of Dreams Summary...
At This Point the Crowds Stop Following Jesus Because of This Difficult Teaching!
Point #1: Lord, to Whom Will We Go? You Have the Words of Eternal Life!
His rejecting their desire to make Him their political king; His demand for personal faith; His teaching on atonement; His stress on total human inability and on salvation as a work of God—all these proved to be unpalatable for many people. They gave up being His disciples (“disciples” here refers to followers in general, not to the 12 Apostles; this is evident in v. 67).
Peter, as a spokesman, gave his confession of faith. The path may be difficult, but he was convinced that Jesus’ words lead to life. No one else has the gift of eternal life. “We have believed and have known” is a better translation of the Greek perfect tenses (NIV: We believe and know). Peter was confident of the apostles’ commitment to Jesus as the Holy One of God. This title is unusual (a demon addressed Jesus that way; Mark 1:24). It suggests Jesus’ transcendence (“the Holy One”) and His representation of the Father (“of God”); thus it is another way of confessing Him as Messiah. Peter knew this by a special work of the Father (cf. Matt. 16:17).
Jesus Has Just Been Rejected by the Crowds…Surely His Family Will Treat Him Better - John 7:1-9
Jesus’ brothers, sons of Mary and Joseph after Jesus’ birth, were at this time unbelievers (cf. Mark 3:21, 31–35; 6:3; John 7:5). They logically argued that the messianic question could not be settled in Galilee, as Jerusalem was the religious capital. The popular Feast of Tabernacles would be the right time for Jesus to present Himself as the Messiah. If He would display His powers in Judea, He might be able to recapture the lost crowds.
Point #2: The Debate About Who Jesus Really is Continues!
The charge, He deceives the people, had ominous tones for the penalty for this, according to Talmudic law, was death by stoning. Since the whole crowd was Jewish, fear of the Jews meant fear of the religious leaders.
Point #3: Jesus Address the Reason The Jewish Leaders Wanted to Kill Him, Because He Healed on the Sabbath!
The religious authorities figured that either a person studied in a traditional school or else he was self-taught. But Jesus’ reply pointed to a third alternative. His teaching was from God who had commissioned Him (cf. 12:49–50; 14:11, 24). Jesus was God-taught, and to know Jesus properly one must be God-taught (6:45). In order to evaluate Jesus’ claim, one must desire to do God’s will. Since Jesus is God’s will for man, people must believe in Him (6:29). Faith is the prerequisite for understanding. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
The Debate About the Messiah Continues, They Are Trying to Figure Out If Jesus Fits the Profile!!!
Point #4: Jesus Uses Language That Would Leave No Doubt About Whether He is the Messiah!
The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated with certain festival rituals. One was a solemn procession each day from the temple to the Gihon Spring. A priest filled a gold pitcher with water while the choir sang Isaiah 12:3. Then they returned to the altar and poured out the water. This ritual reminded them of the water from the rock during the wilderness wanderings (Num. 20:8–11; Ps. 78:15–16). It also spoke prophetically of the coming days of Messiah (cf. Zech. 14:8, 16–19). The Feast’s seventh and last day was its greatest (cf. Lev. 23:36). Jesus stood, in contrast with the Rabbis’ usual position of being seated while teaching. Said in a loud voice (cf. John 1:15; 7:28; 12:44) was a way of introducing a solemn announcement. His offer, Come to Me and drink, was an offer of salvation (cf. 4:14; 6:53–56).
John says, “He (Jesus) said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
John explained that the “living water” (v. 38) was the coming gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit within a believer satisfies his need of God, and provides him with regeneration, guidance, and empowerment. In the earliest Greek manuscripts, the words, Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, are simply, “for there was not yet Spirit.” This cannot be taken in an absolute sense since the Spirit had actively worked among people in the Old Testament era. Jesus referred to the special baptizing, sealing, and indwelling work of the Spirit in the Church Age, which would start on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 8). Jesus said He would “send the Spirit” to His followers (John 15:26; 16:7). “The Spirit had not [yet] been given” to indwell believers permanently (cf. Ps. 51:11). That happened after Jesus was glorified, that is after His death, resurrection, and Ascension.