Week 17: John 6:22-51; "Jesus is Greater than Moses, Part 2."

Week 17: John 6:22-51 Chapter 6 is really one long story, and we are supposed to read it all at once (5:1, 6:1, 7:1 all begin with "After these things," marking new sections). But it's 71 verses, and I can't hold that much together at once. I tried, and I started to lose my mind a little. Today, I'm going to fly a little higher over the text, and try to see the forest more than the trees. Some of the details, I'll just leave in footnotes for you to reflect on. We will try to work through about 30 verses, from John 6:22-51a. Last week, in John 6:1-21, Jesus did two main things: (1) He miraculously fed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish. (2) He walked on water, showing his mastery over the Sea, and revealing himself to be God. Now, when AJ was telling us about these two things, he did so in a way that forces us to compare Jesus and Moses. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18). But what does it mean, to say that Jesus is "like" Moses? When you hold up Jesus and Moses, side by side, and compare them, you have to make a decision about which one of them is more important. "Judeans" (in the gospel of John) are convinced that Moses is more important, and their religion revolves around Moses, and the Mosaic covenant. Christians are convinced that Jesus offers a greater grace, and that he is superior to Moses. Maybe, you'd be tempted to say, why not just say both are important? Why do you have to make a choice? Part of the reason you have to compare them, is because of what Jesus claims. Jesus claims to be greater than Moses. And Jesus claims to offer a greater grace than Moses. And you have to decide whether or not you believe that Jesus is, who he says. The other part of why you have to make the choice, is that Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father. In the past, God gave grace to his people through Moses. But now, if you want to be part of God's family, the only road runs through Jesus-- through giving your allegiance to Him. Christians, not Judeans, are God's people. Or so Jesus claims. And so AJ claims. The question is, do you believe him? And are you willing to stake your life on this? In today's passage, Jesus will give us reason to trust him, and to choose him, over Moses. Verses 22-27: (22) On the next day, the crowd-- the one standing on the other side of the Sea1-- saw that other boats weren't there, except only one, and that he hadn't entered with his disciples-- Jesus-- into the boat, but his disciples alone had departed, but boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread/loaf, after the Lord gave thanks.2 (24) Then,3 when the crowd saw that Jesus isn't there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and they came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus, (25) and finding him on the other side of the Sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when here4 did you get?"5 Let's notice first, in verse 25, how the crowd addresses Jesus. Jesus is "Rabbi." Let's pause, and talk about this: As far as I can remember, everyone who has called Jesus "Rabbi" in the gospel of John, does so after failing to really come to grips with who Jesus is. In chapter 1, John the Baptist calls Jesus the "Lamb of God-- the one taking away the sins of the world," but when John's disciples come to Jesus, they simply address him as "Rabbi." When Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, understanding that he is from God, and doing great signs, he begins by calling Jesus "Rabbi." In John 6, just the day before, the crowds had decided that Jesus was "the" prophet, and they tried to seize him and make him king. But now, today, they simply call him "Rabbi"-- teacher. It's like they are stepping back from their understanding; it's too much for them. This doesn't mean it's hopeless for the crowd, but we should understand that they are starting from a very "low" place here. They are "seeking" Jesus, but there is an enormous gap between who they think Jesus is (on this day), and who he actually is. And the only question is, will the crowd bridge that gap, like Jesus' disciples, and the Samaritans? Or will it fail to reach for the higher level of truth, and end up like Nicodemus? Verse 26: (26) He replied to them-- Jesus-- and he said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the breads/loaves, and you were filled/satisfied. (27) Don't work for the food-- the one perishing/being lost, but the food-- the one abiding for eternal life, which the son of man to you will give.6 For this one, The Father-- the God-- has set his seal on. The crowds have gone to a lot of trouble to hunt down Jesus. They found some boats, sailed across the Sea, and searched around on the other side until they found him. And when they do this, they sound a lot like Jesus' disciples (H/T Rodney Whitacre). Let's flip back to John 1:35-38 (ESV): 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" The crowds, in John 6, are acting like the disciples. They follow him across the lake; they are seeking him. But why are they are so determined to find Jesus? When Jesus fed them, he revealed something about himself-- it was a sign. Jesus is able to give abundant life, and provide for his people. But the crowd didn't really "see" the significance of Jesus' act. They simply ate, until their stomachs were full. They enjoyed a good meal. So in seeking Jesus, the crowds are doing the right thing. But they are doing it for the wrong reason, and doing so without any understanding. If Jesus were to ask them the same question he asked his first disciples-- "What are you seeking?"-- the answer would be, "I'm seeking a full stomach." Jesus sees the crowd seeking him out, and he can see right through them. He knows that their faith is not trustworthy (John 2:21-23). He knows that everything about them is "off." And so Jesus starts by challenging them here-- work for the food abiding for eternal life. The son of man-- Jesus-- is happy to give you this bread. But you should be focused on that, and not on the ordinary human bread. The true life is not found in stuff. Life is found in Jesus. Let's reread the last line of verse 27: "For this one, The Father-- the God-- has set his seal on." In the first century, if you wanted to prove that a decree, or letter, or anything, was from you, you'd set your personal seal on it (what follows is mostly Francis Moloney, except the Holy Spirit part). If a king wrote a letter with commands in it to one his cities, he's set his seal on it. That proves its authenticity, and its authority. When God sent Jesus, He put his seal on him. And I'm guessing, that this seal is the Holy Spirit (John 3:34). So how is Jesus strengthening his argument here, exactly (, with a "for" statement)? Let's reread verses 26-27, and try to figure it out: (27) Don't work for the food-- the one perishing/being lost, but the food-- the one abiding for eternal life, which the Son of Man to you will give.7 For this one, The Father-- the God-- has set his seal on. If you want the bread abiding for eternal life, you have to come to Jesus. Because it's Jesus, alone, that the Father has set his seal on. Verse 28: (28) Then, they said to him, "What shall we do, in order that we may work the works for(/of)8 God?"9 The crowd's question here shows that they only half-listened to Jesus' words. They have a partial understanding. Jesus told them they should work for the food that abides for eternal life. And so they ask, how exactly do we work for this type of food? But what does the crowd's question leave out? It leaves out Jesus (-- it leaves out the strengthened part of what Jesus said, and the focused part of the strengthening-- "THIS ONE"). What the crowd should have asked here, is something like this: "What must we do, to receive this bread from you?" The crowd is trying to keep Jesus in a box-- to understand Jesus, and his words, in a way that fits comfortably with Moses, and the Mosaic covenant. And so in verse 29, Jesus makes this very simple for them: (29) Jesus answered, and he said to them, "This is the work for/of God: that you give allegiance to the one whom That10 One sent." Jesus says, the answer is right in front of you. "What God wants from you, is to give allegiance to me-- to the one God sent." There's nothing complicated about this, right? Here before you stands Jesus. You've seen what he can do. You've eaten from his bread. Make your decision. It's not complicated, but for a Judean, it's hard. Judeans understand keeping the covenant. They understand obedience and commitment to the Father. But Jesus says, what God wants-- the "work" he requires of you-- is that you give obedience to the one the Father sent. [In the words of John 14:1: "Give allegiance to the Father; also give allegiance to me." Here, Jesus says that's how you give allegiance to the Father.] In verse 30, it starts to all fall apart: (30) Then, they said to him, "Then what sign do you do,11 in order that we may see it, and we may give allegiance to you? What will you work? Our fathers, the manna, they ate in the wilderness, just as it is written, "Bread from heaven he gave them to eat." Before the crowd will give allegiance to Jesus, it demands a sign. The people want to see proof that Jesus is who claims to be, and can give what he claims to give. And then, they are specific in their demand. They want manna. [And in bringing this "request" to Jesus, they continue working for the food that perishes.] "Bread from heaven" would persuade them to give their allegiance to Jesus. And I think we are supposed to read this, and be appalled. If the crowd gets fed, just like they were yesterday, they'll be persuaded to give their allegiance to Jesus? Yesterday didn't teach them anything? How hard-hearted do you have to be to do this? How clueless to spiritual things? Then, the crowd brings up the wilderness wanderings to justify their "request." "He" gave their ancestors manna to eat. Who is "he"? The crowd is talking here about Moses, who has been lurking in the background this whole time. The crowd wants Jesus to prove, again (!), that he is like Moses. Verse 32: (32) Then, he said to them-- Jesus-- "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses hasn't give you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the bread from heaven-- the true one. For the bread of God is the one coming down from heaven, and life, giving to the world." Jesus says, first of all, Moses gave you nothing. His Father gave the bread. They need to stop making such a big deal about Moses (H/T Moloney). And, second, my Father, right now (present tense verb), is offering you true bread. You want bread? You want life? It's here. Take it. Stop focusing on what your ancestors used to eat. Look at the bread that's available to you now. Let's reread the last sentence: "For the bread of God is the one coming down from heaven, and life, giving to the world." Who, what, is God's bread? It almost sounds like Jesus is the bread of God, right? Verse 34: (34) Then, they said to him, "Lord/sir, always give to us this bread." The crowd here sounds like the Samaritan woman (John 4:15). The words are perfect. But there is no real understanding here. They are stuck working on a lower, earthly, human level, and can't reach up, and grasp the higher truth. And so Jesus will now talk about all of this, as clearly as he can, to try to help them. Jesus isn't giving up on them. He doesn't want to lose them. He's treating them like the Samaritan woman, and like Nicodemus. Verse 35: (35) He said to them-- Jesus-- "I am the bread of life. The one coming toward me12 will absolutely never hunger, and the one giving allegiance to me will absolutely never thirst again,13 but I said to you, that indeed you have seen me, and you don't believe/give allegiance. (37) Each one whom the Father gives, toward me he will come, and the one coming toward me I will absolutely never throw out, because I have come down from heaven, not in order that I would do my will,14 but the will of The One Sending me. (39) Now, this is the will of The One Sending me: that each one whom He has given me, I would not lose any of them, but I will raise them up on the last day. (46) For this is the will of my Father, that each one looking at the son and giving allegiance to him would have eternal life, and I will raise him-- I-- on the last day.15 What is God's will? What God wants, is for you to look at his son, Jesus Christ. See the signs that Jesus does, and understand what they mean. Come to Jesus. Believe that he is who he says he is, and give your allegiance to him. Do this, and your physical death will not be the end of your story. It's God's will, that Jesus will bring you back to life. On the last day, Jesus will raise you to eternal life. In verse 41, our story takes an ugly turn. Up until now, the crowds have sounded sort of like Nicodemus, and sort of like the Samaritan woman. And we've found ourselves wondering, will they figure this out, and come to Jesus? Will they stop focusing on what God gave his people in the past, and instead look at what God is offering them now? Will our story end on a happy note? But now, instead of talking about "the crowd," we read about "the Judeans." "Crowds" are (apparently) made up of people who are drawn to Jesus, and attracted to him, but haven't made a final decision either for or against him. [They may give partial, initial allegiance, but not in a way that's trustworthy; John 2:21-23).] "Judeans," on the other hand, are those who can't handle Jesus' claims about himself, and set themselves against him. "Judeans" are people who have made their decision, the wrong way: (41) Then, the Judeans16 were grumbling17 about him because he said, "I am the bread-- the one coming down from heaven," (42) and they were18 saying, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose, we know19 the20 father and the mother? How now does he say that "from heaven I have come down"? The Judeans "know" where Jesus is from. They know his earthly parents. They "know" he is making false claims. And this "knowledge" makes them reject Jesus-- they decide there is no way Jesus can be who he says he is, based on what they "know." [And when they reject Jesus here, they reveal themselves to not be "the true Israelites, in whom there is no deceit" (John 1:46-49). Nathaniel also had reservations about Jesus based on what he "knew" about Jesus, but he was open-minded, and willing to overcome those reservations and come to Jesus after seeing evidence of who Jesus really was]. How will Jesus respond to their rejection (and to these imperfect verbs)? Verse 43: (43) Jesus answered, and he said to them, "Don't grumble with one another. No one is able to come toward me, unless only the Father-- the One Sending me-- draws him, and I will raise him on the last day. (45) It is written in the prophets, "And they will all be taught by God."21 Each one hearing from the Father and learning comes toward me. (46) It is not that, the Father, anyone has seen, except only the one being from God. This one has seen the Father. God is actively teaching everyone in the world. The prophecy (Isaiah 54:13) is fulfilled-- "all," right now, are being taught by God. But not everyone is a good student. Only those who hear God's voice, and learn from him, come to Jesus. So it's really easy to tell who hears God's voice, and who is capable of learning, and who is obedient. It's not Judeans. It's the church. Judeans refuse to hear God's voice-- they refuse to hear the truth. And how do we know that? Because they refuse to come to Jesus. The work of God, is to give allegiance to his Son. And so Jesus addresses their rejection, by saying that they are a people who are unable to learn. They are willfully stupid. Now, Jesus' words comes out nicer than that here. It's not going to get really barbed until later. But Jesus can look right through these Judeans, and he knows, this is hopeless for them. You can't fix stupid. This isn't what Jesus wants. It's not what God wants. But it's the reality. And then Jesus closes this little section by saying that he is the only one whose ever seen God. Moses saw a tiny part of God's glory-- but he didn't actually see God. Jesus, on the other hand, has seen God, face to face. Jesus is superior. Jesus is truly, the Bread come down from heaven. ------------------------------------------------------------------- On the tension between divine sovereignty and human free will in John 6: Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled-- God teaches everyone. Everyone hears God's voice. But not everyone hears with understanding. Not everyone learns. A Calvinist would say, probably, that God only "draws" some. Everyone "hears," but only some are chosen. And if you are part of that group, God's drawing is irresistable. You will hear; you will learn; you will come to Jesus (John 6:36). You will abide with Jesus. And some of the key verses Calvinists use, are in this chapter (John 6:37, 64-65, in particular). An Armenian would say that God's "drawing" is resistable. God calls you; God teaches you. But many people refuse to learn. The truth is in front of them; it's obvious. But they (most Judeans, specifically) say "no." People are held responsible for how they respond (John 6:45). We are maybe tempted to say that the truth is somewhere in the middle, maybe. Both ideas are present in John 6:36, in particular: "All the Father gives me, will come to me." "Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out." But if we step back from systematic theology, and just let this gospel speak to us without trying to frame the issue in a particular way, how does it come out? (our theological grids mess us up, I think): When we come to Jesus, we do so knowing that we are drawn by God. We didn't come through our own brilliance and intellect. We didn't come because we are superior to anyone else. We came, because we heard God's voice speaking truth to us about Jesus. We learned the truth about who we are, and who Jesus is, and what Jesus does for his people, and we came to Jesus. When we look at Judeans, and their widespread rejection of Jesus, how can we understand that, and explain it? We know, first of all, that the Father taught them. They, like us, have heard God's voice, and should be able to recognize the truth. But they are a people who are unable to learn-- they see Jesus feeding them miraculously one day, and then the next day, ask for a miraculous feeding to prove Jesus is who he says. We've already read verses along these lines before, with Nicodemus. Some people love the darkness rather than the light, and they hate the light, and refuse to come toward the light (John 3:19-21). The fault doesn't lie with God; it lies entirely with them. They are hard-hearted, and wicked, and refuse to receive Jesus (John 1:11). This isn't what God wanted; He didn't send Jesus in order to condemn the world (John 3:17). But it's what did happen, because of their hard hearts. Everyone who hears, and learns, and comes to Jesus, Jesus will give life to forever (John 6:39). Jesus wanted to do this for the Judeans. He "came to his own." But they refused to receive him (John 1:12). Wayne Meeks (who I think is very close here, but comes to a more tentative conclusion): "Jesus' reply begins his church's struggle to answer the question why so few of "his own people" (1:11) accept the radical new story proclaimed here as "good news." Jesus quotes Scripture again, "They shall all be taught by God" (Isa. 54:13), with the explanation, "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me" (v. 45). The implication is that those who do not come are unteachable. Verse 46 then reminds us of what we were told at the beginning of this Gospel: only Jesus has seen God; only Jesus can reveal God (1:18). This is an answer that raises more questions than it solves, and the search for an answer continued long after this Gospel was written. The Gospel of John does not explain, but only challenges its hearers to be those who do learn and do come. 22 Sparks: " Jesus responded to their question and complaints and said that no one comes to him-the bread of life-unless that person has been drawn to him by the Father. You just don't come to faith by yourself, through your own deduction, reasoning, and insight alone. You are wooed, invited, even cajoled. A well-known hymn puts forward that same claim as a gracious insight of faith: I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Saviour true; No, I was found of Thee.23 My main problem with a Calvinist approach to this passage, is that it turns the passage on its head. Jesus is saying that Judeans don't come to him, because they can't learn. Not because God isn't calling them, or because He doesn't love them, or because He wants to condemn them (John 3:17). Everyone who hears, and learns, the Father then gives to his Son for safe-keeping. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Verses 47-51: (47) Truly, truly, I say to you, the one believing/giving allegiance has eternal life. (48) I am the bread of life. (49) Your fathers ate in the wilderness, the manna, and they died. (50) This is the bread-- the one from heaven coming down, that each one from it may/shall eat, and he may/shall not die. (51) I am the living bread-- the one from heaven coming down. If anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever.24 When the Israelites ate the manna in the wilderness-- the manna that God, not Moses, fed the people, they all died. That manna didn't satisfy them forever; it didn't give them eternal life. Jesus here says, "I am the bread of life." Eat from this bread, and you will live forever. And so Jesus proves, for a second time, that he is greater than Moses. Jesus can protect his people, forever. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- For an application today, I want to talk about death. As a society, we work really hard to extend life (except for the unborn, and anyone outside our borders that isn't our vassal). And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. We try to stay as young and healthy as we can, for as long as we can. We use lotions to get rid of wrinkles. If that doesn't work, we use botox. We take supplements for joint pain, for hair loss. We can put people on ventilators, and bypass machines, and all kinds of stuff, to extend life almost indefinitely. We try to slow the inevitable slide toward old age and death. I'm not saying that you can't use these products, if you want. But understand that if you have come to Jesus, and given your allegiance to him, that you don't need to fear death. I met a widow the other day, who was full of (eternal) life. If you spend five minutes with her, you'll know that she's the kind of widow the church is supposed to help, if she needs it-- she's lived a godly life, in dedication to God. She knows God; God knows her (John 17:3). She had spots on her lungs-- lung cancer. She had COPD. As a Baptist (and I say this without trying to be difficult), she had just kind of assumed that this was it for her. And she's okay with that. She's ready to go to her eternal home-- she's stuck living in a town without close friends, husband has passed away, no children. She's ready to see Jesus. She knows that death is not the end. She knows that Jesus is the bread of life, and that on the last day, Jesus will raise her up. In all of this, there is a quality of peace, and joy, to her life that the world simply doesn't have-- it can't have. You look at her, and listen to her, and you can see the shine of Jesus coming off her. Everyone who talks to her, should want the type of life that she has. And they should want her confident hope. You can have vague hopes that there is life after death. You can hope in Moses, or in reincarnation, or in some other god. You can hope that you're a good enough person, that you can sneak in to God's kingdom. But the only one who can actually make this hope, a reality, is Jesus. God chose to offer life to the world through Jesus-- and only through Jesus. Jesus is the one God set his seal on. So how you respond to Jesus is a matter of life and death. You can choose Jesus, and choose life. Or you can reject Jesus, and choose death. If you haven't made this decision, at this point in the book still, hear what the Father is teaching you. You've maybe had some pretty messed up ideas about who Christians are, and who Jesus is, and what God wants from you. Now is the time to push past this flawed thinking. Accept that Jesus is who he says he is. Come to the Bread of Life; give your allegiance to him. This is "the" work that God wants from you-- to submit to Jesus as Savior, and Lord, and King, and God. Do this, and Jesus will give you all the life you want. And if you have already made this decision, and you live out of your allegiance to Jesus, don't fear death. It's God's will, that Jesus raise you up on the last day. You have eternal life now, and you will have it later. Jesus won't lose you. (And so Judaism, and Moses, can only offer you a lesser grace. Don't abandon Jesus, to become Judeans. Don't abandon the bread of life, for a manna that can't offer you eternal life. Jesus offers you a grace in place of grace-- a superior grace.) -------------------------------------- Translation: (22) On the next day, the crowd-- the one standing on the other side of the Sea25-- saw that other boats weren't there, except only one, and that he hadn't entered with his disciples-- Jesus-- into the boat, but his disciples alone had departed, but boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread/loaf, after the Lord gave thanks.26 (24) Then,27 when the crowd saw that Jesus isn't there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and they came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus, (25) and finding him on the other side of the Sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when here28 did you get?"29 (26) He replied to them-- Jesus-- and he said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the breads/loaves, and you were filled/satisfied. (27) Don't work for the food-- the one perishing/being lost, but the food-- the one abiding for eternal life, which the son of man to you will give.30 For this one, The Father-- the God-- has set his seal on. (28) Then, they said to him, "What shall we do, in order that we may work the works of God?"31 (29) Jesus answered, and he said to them, "This is the work of God: that you give allegiance to the one whom That One sent." (30) Then, they said to him, "Then what sign do you do,32 in order that we may see it, and give allegiance to you? What will you work? Our fathers, the manna, they ate in the wilderness, just as it is written, "Bread from heaven he gave them to eat." (32) Then, he said to them-- Jesus-- "Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses hasn't give you the bread from heaven, but my father is giving you the bread from heaven-- the true one. For the bread of God is the one coming down from heaven, and life giving to the world." (34) Then, they said to him, "Lord/sir, always give to us this bread." (35) He said to them-- Jesus-- "I am the bread of life. The one coming toward me33 will absolutely never hunger, and the one giving allegiance to me will absolutely never thirst again, but I said to you, that indeed you have seen me, and you don't believe/give allegiance. (37) Each one whom the Father gives, toward me he will come,34 and the one coming toward me I will absolutely never throw out, because I have come down from heaven, not in order that I would do my will,35 but the will of The One Sending me. (39) Now, this is the will of The One Sending me: that each one whom He has given me, I would not lose any of them, but I will raise them up on the last day. (46) For this is the will of my Father, that each one looking at the son and giving allegiance to him would have eternal life, and I will raise him-- I-- on the last day.36 (41) Then, the Judeans37 were grumbling38 about him because he said, "I am the bread-- the one coming down from heaven," (42) and they were39 saying, "Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose, we know40 the father and the mother? How now does he say that "from heaven I have come down"? (43) Jesus answered, and he said to them, "Don't grumble with one another. No one is able to come toward me, unless only the Father-- the One Sending me-- draws him, and I will raise him on the last day. (45) It is written in the prophets, "And they will all be taught by God."41 Each one hearing from the Father and learning comes toward me. (46) It is not that, the Father, anyone has seen, except only the one being from God. This one has seen the Father. (47) Truly, truly, I say to you, the one believing/giving allegiance has eternal life. (48) I am the bread of life. (49) Your fathers ate in the wilderness, the manna, and they died. (50) This is the bread-- the one from heaven coming down, that each one from it may/shall eat, and he may/shall not die. (51) I am the living bread-- the one from heaven coming down. If anyone eats from this bread, he will live for the age. Now42, also, the bread that I will give, my flesh it is, for life of the world. 1 It's important to know that in the interaction between Jesus and the crowd that we are about to read, the crowd has just seen the sign of the bread. 2 so the scene is set. AJ confirms something miraculous/unexpected happened, and we learn there are now extra boats sitting around, available. My big question, is why AJ goes out of his way to remind us that the Lord gave thanks. Jesus had total confidence that God was about to answer his request/faith? It'd be like thanking God for the healing, at the time we lay hands on people and pray for them. Total confidence. Understanding that what you are asking for, is God's will, and that God says "yes." Or maybe, a reminder that Jesus isn't acting independently of God? 3 signaling the actual beginning of the story. 4 I'd have to check to see if this is irregular, putting the "here" before the verb. It feels focused. 5 They sense a miracle, and want an explanation? Or, AJ making sure we understand that what we just read is a miracle-- there was no second boat. It doesn't make sense that he's here. 6 Runge has "the son of man" being the focus here, but this seems like Position 1, marking a shift in the topic/subject from "bread" to "son of man." "To you" is normally after the verb. 7 Runge has "the son of man" being the focus here, but this seems like Position 1, marking a shift in the topic/subject from "bread" to "son of man." "To you" is normally after the verb. 8 Better to read this genitive as objective: works "for"/toward God. Not possessively, doing the things God does, "how can do the cool things God can do, like rain manna from heaven." 9 An honest question? They know how to chase food and eat. But how do you work for the eternal bread? 10 The far demonstrative-- "that one," not "this one," shows that God is more remote (less central) to the topic at hand. 11 Present tense verb, where we'd expect a future. Same thing happens when Jesus clears the temple. The Judeans demand that Jesus do a sign, to prove his right to do this. Against Whitacre here ( ). Next line is a future, which clarifies it at any rate. Maybe it's a present, because they want one now, immediately? 12 discipleship language. First thing you do is come to Jesus. 13 tying in John 4. 14 the will the one of me. 15 Jesus isn't talking here about making sure no one falls away. He's talking about what happens, when some of his sheep fall off a cliff and die, or die from old age, or whatever. Our death here is not the end; Jesus will make sure that's not the end of our story. 16 the "crowd" here now becomes "the Judeans." They've made a conscious choice to reject Jesus-- they have indeed seen Jesus, and not given allegiance. 17 English Bibles are going to translate this ingressively, "began to grumble," but this is again raising our expectations that something else is about to happen. People imperfect verb about Jesus, and then Jesus speaks against that backdrop. 18 A second imperfect. 19 The Judeans are like Nicodemus, "knowing" certain things. 20 sometimes, Greek uses the definite article "the" as a possessive pronoun. The thing I'm wrestling with, at the end of the book, is that Jesus gives up "the" spirit. His spirit, or The Spirit. 21 God is teaching every single one of them. But you can choose whether or not you will hear Him, and whether or not you'll learn. You can tell who is hearing the Father, and learning, by whether or not they come to Jesus. 22 Meeks, W. A. (2009). Exegetical Perspective on John 6:35, 41‒51. In D. L. Bartlett & B. B. Taylor (Eds.), Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B (Vol. 3, p. 337). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 23 Sparks, O. B. (2009). Pastoral Perspective on John 6:35, 41‒51. In D. L. Bartlett & B. B. Taylor (Eds.), Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B (Vol. 3, p. 334). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 24 literally, "for the age." ?? 25 It's important to know that in the interaction between Jesus and the crowd that we are about to read, the crowd has just seen the sign of the bread. 26 so the scene is set. AJ confirms something miraculous/unexpected happened, and we learn there are now extra boats sitting around, available. 27 signaling the actual beginning of the story. 28 I'd have to check to see if this is irregular, putting the "here" before the verb. It feels focused. 29 They sense a miracle, and want an explanation? Or, AJ making sure we understand that what we just read is a miracle-- there was no second boat. It doesn't make sense that he's here. 30 Runge has "the son of man" being the focus here, but this seems like Position 1, marking a shift in the topic/subject from "bread" to "son of man." "To you" is normally after the verb. 31 An honest question? They know how to chase food and eat. But how do you work for the eternal bread? 32 Present tense verb, where we'd expect a future. 33 discipleship language. First thing you do is come to Jesus. 34 different verb here. Not sure how to handle it differently. What this looks like, concretely, is being part of Jesus' disciples, and not just the crowd. 35 the will the one of me. 36 Jesus isn't talking here about making sure no one falls away. He's talking about what happens, when some of his sheep fall off a cliff and die, or die from old age, or whatever. Our death here is not the end; Jesus will make sure that's not the end of our story. 37 the "crowd" here now becomes "the Judeans." They've made a conscious choice to reject Jesus-- they have indeed seen Jesus, and not given allegiance. 38 English Bibles are going to translate this ingressively, "began to grumble," but this is again raising our expectations that something else is about to happen. People imperfect verb about Jesus, and then Jesus speaks against that backdrop. 39 A second imperfect. 40 The Judeans are like Nicodemus, "knowing" certain things. 41 God is teaching every single one of them. But you can choose whether or not you will hear Him, and whether or not you'll learn. You can tell who is hearing the Father, and learning, by whether or not they come to Jesus. 42 I think this "de" marks a transition to talking in terms of "flesh." The Judeans are now going to grumble about this new addition. Maybe I'll save that for next week? --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------