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“Where Will You Go?" • 8.18.19
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- When we were last together, we
left off on the shores of the sea of Galilee, in the middle of the Lord's
response to a hungry multitude.
- They had worked hard to find Him
that morning because He had fed them the day before. They wanted seconds on the
Lord's wonder bread! Jesus told them, "I AM the bread of life."
- In the passage before us, Jesus continues
along the same line of thought. Verse 41 provides a transition, both in
location and in audience.
- Previously, Jesus had been on the seashore,
addressing the masses. Verse 59 tells us that the things we are about to
hear, were spoken in a synagogue.
- The group that Jesus had been addressing were
members of the masses that had been fed by Him, who were primarily seeking to
be fed again. Their concern was physical.
- This group seems to have been religious
officials sent to check in on what was happening with Jesus. Their concern was
spiritual. With that as our backdrop, let's move into verse 41.
Text
• John 6:41,42 : "The Jews then complained about Him,
because He said, 'I am the
bread which came down from heaven.' And they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?'" : Immediately, you can see that the
Jews have a certain disposition regarding the Lord, in that they
"complained" about Him.
- The language indicates a repeated action of
grumbling complaint regarding Him.
- We've noted that there was a prevailing
attitude among the people that considered Jesus to be "the New
Moses." They wanted Him to provide bread as the "new manna."
- They wanted the same treatment and
ironically, they responded in the same way that the people did to Moses: They
complained! The more things change, the more they stay the same!
- The substance of their complaint begins with
His assertion that He had come down from heaven. That was an unveiled claim to
deity and God's people did not miss that.
- They stumbled in their thinking because they
actually thought that they knew who Jesus was! "We know who His Father and
Mother are! We know where He comes from!"
- They complained in unison about this. "How
can He say these things in light of what we know?" It seems that they had
not really done their homework!
- These men were supposedly experts in the
reading of God's word, yet, when God's Word revealed Himself, they were
completely unable to discover His true identity!
- They thought that they knew Him, but
immediately showed their ignorance. Joseph was not the Lord's Father. Jesus is
the Son of God, immaculately conceived through His mother Mary!
- There is no contradiction when you believe the
facts! Whether they said this publically or not, Jesus answered them directly
in verse 43.
• John 6:43,44 : "Jesus therefore answered and said
to them, 'Do not
murmur among yourselves. No one
can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." : Jesus shuts the religious leaders
down. "Quit murmuring among yourselves!" Their problem was not an
intellectual one, but a spiritual one.
- They could have asked Jesus directly, but
that would not have satisfied them, nor would it have made their transition to
belief possible!
- No amount of discussion or scholarly debate could
overcome the power of their preconceived bias against the Lord's claim to
divinity.
- They would not be able to be convinced,
regardless of the evidence in the Lord's favor.
- Look at this unwavering statement of truth:
No one can come to Me. There isn't a single person on earth that has the power
to come to Jesus save for divine assistance.
- The Father must draw Him. Some have come to
the conclusion that this word "draw" is a bit romantic. There are
scented candles, gentle nudges and subtle suggestions involved.
- For those of that persuasion, the original
language really ruins it! The word is best considered "to drag."
Whenever it's used in the New Testament, it's a physical, forceful movement!
- That one that the Father drags from the
darkness of their own slavery to sin will come to Him and be raised to glory on
that final day. God does the dragging and Jesus does the raising!
- The Godhead works in unison with one another
to accomplish our salvation. Verse 45.
• John 6:45-48 : "It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard
and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has
everlasting life." : Jesus
quotes from Isaiah 54:13, which is a beautiful promise of the Lord to
bring His people into a lasting possession of peace.
- At that time, God Himself would teach His
people without intermediary! God will be in their midst. That was a promise
that was yet future to them and even to us!
- Remember the context of the Lord's time. They
believed that their current renaissance was what God referred to in Isaiah,
but it wasn't.
- There were synagogues and teachers, rabbis,
that roamed the country. There was a level of reformation taking place in
Israel.
- Their conclusions about Jesus however, show that
while they knew scripture, they had not come to know the Lord of scripture!
- Those that were being drawn at that moment to
respond to Jesus, had already been learning of the Lord, without having seen
Him. Only Jesus had seen the Father.
- Don't lost the train of thought. Everyone who
has learned from the Father comes to Jesus and Jesus solemly swears to them
that the person who believes in Him has what the Father intends!
- They believe that they have learned from the
Father via the scriptures, but if that were the case, they would have received
Jesus. They are still unwilling and the Lord keeps teaching. Verse 48.
• John 6:48-51 : "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat
of it and not die. I am the
living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever; and the bread
that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'" : It's interesting to me that the Lord
looks at these Jewish leaders, after all that He has said, and He still calls
them to believe!
- "I am the bread of life!" Jesus
cannot make it any more plain that this. Yes, they cannot come unless the
Father draws them, but Jesus still makes sure that they have His Word!
- He still appeals to them, to recognize that
He is heaven's main course! If Jesus presented Himself this way to the
unbelieving Jews, how can we not to give the gospel, to the unsaved world?
- These people wanted manna, but that hadn't
done for the nation what Jesus was promising to do for the world!
- The people of Israel, their forefathers, ate
of the manna that the Lord provided in the wilderness. It did not
supernaturally sustain them! Most all of that first generation died!
- The crowd would have happily received Jesus
if He had promised that bread, but what He offers is far better! If someone
partakes of Jesus, they won't die! You couldn't say that about manna!
- When one eats of Him, takes Him into their
being, that person is fed by the life that cannot end! He will live forever
because the bread that He gives is His flesh.
- Jesus is speaking here of the cross which
would stand on behalf of the world! Verse 52.
• John 6:52-54 : "The Jews therefore quarreled among
themselves, saying, 'How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?' Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
have no life in you. Whoever
eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at
the last day." : The
language indicates that these Jewish leaders kept arguing amongst themselves.
They kept going round and round.
- They couldn't get past their own objections
to embrace the truth. They were thoroughly thrown by the thought of eating the
Lord's flesh!
- Like Nicodemus and the woman at the well, the
people are baffled by metaphor! Instead of clarifying, Jesus doubles down! They
were to eat His flesh and drink His blood!
- What does that signify? Consider what we have
already discovered. The bread is His flesh that He would give to the World!
Where was flesh and blood ceremonially consumed??
- When a Jewish person thought of flesh and
blood, it pointed to sacrifice! I believe that Jesus is saying to them that
they were to trust in His sacrifice, as they had trusted in animal sacrifice!
- Think about this: When they brought the
animal to the Temple, all of the weight of their belief stood upon the animal
to provide expiation. This was how their sins were covered.
- When they placed their hands upon the animal,
they were figuratively transferring their guilt onto the animal.
- In the same way, they would have to view
Christ as their substitution, to buy in with their entire being, to believe
upon Him with the same confidence!
- Their ingesting of Him would be the infusion
of life that would guarantee their resurrection, which Jesus says He has the
power to effect!
- Jesus promises to be a better sacrifice
because He will not just cover sin, but provide everlasting life and
resurrection! Verse 55.
• John 6:55-59 : "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who
eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in
Me, and I in him. As the
living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me
will live because of Me. This is
the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this
bread will live forever.' These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum." : Most of the other translations render
verse 55: "My flesh is the true food and my blood is the true
drink."
- Keep in mind the comparison that is being
made between natural food, the bread of Christ's miracle or even supernatural
food, the manna of the wilderness, and Christ Himself.
- Everything that these other breads
represented were only shadows compared with what Jesus was offering. Jesus is
calling them to look past the shadow and recognize the substance!
- He offers eternal, life endowing bread,
Himself, to all that will take Him in! Because He and the Father have life in
each other, the one who partakes of Christ, partakes of divine life!
- This isn't like the bread that fed the nation
of Israel. It was miraculous. It was wonderful, but it did not keep a person
from dying!
- Additionally, it had to be gathered daily.
It's effects were necessarily temporary. It could not impart eternal life! The
only bread that promises satisfaction and eternal fulfillment is Christ!
- One can only imagine what that crowd in
Capernaum thought after they left the synagogue that Saturday morning! For our
sakes, we don't have to wonder long! Verse 60.
• John 6:60-62 : "Therefore many of His disciples,
when they heard this, said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?' When Jesus knew in Himself that His
disciples complained about this, He said to them, 'Does this offend you? What then
if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?" : The Lord's words caused many of His
disciples to waver. This is quite a test for each of us.
- A disciple is one who learns, who receives,
from a teacher, a "Rabbi." A true disciple hears what is said and takes
it in, though it doesn't mean that he or she doesn't struggle with it.
- Many of these "disciples" here are
superficial followers, who were around Jesus enough to be considered or that
considered themselves, disciples.
- These are the ones that said in their hearts,
"This is a hard saying." The word doesn't refer to difficulty in understanding,
but difficulty in terms of receiving it.
- This was a "harsh" or as the BLB
definition has it, an "intolerable" word. "Who has the power to
receive this?" What is their concern?
- Their concern seems to be that the Lord's
words are not as palatable as these disciples once assumed. It almost seems as
though they are concerned with their ability to sell it!
- Jesus knew what was in their hearts and how
they were murmuring their discontent. Jesus looks at them and asks if this is
"tripping them up!" Literally, "Are these words 'scandalizing'
you?"
- The first definition is related to causing
one to sin, the second is related to defection. If they felt like this at this
point, how would they feel when Jesus was no longer among them?
- The words of Christ might be difficult to
receive, but they are absolutely true! That would be ratified and settled for
all to see when Jesus ascended back into heaven.
- Nobody would argue with Jesus when they
witnessed heaven receiving Him back in bodily form! That would be the ultimate
endorsement of the truth of the Lord's words.
- Because Jesus did die, resurrect and ascend,
we can trust every word that is recorded for us! Whether pleasant and agreeable
or potent and difficult, what He says is truth. Verse 63.
• John 6:63-65 : "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are
some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe,
and who would betray Him. And He said, 'Therefore I have
said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My
Father.'" : The
Spirit of God is the agent within the Godhead that gives life.
- "Gives life" is translated in the
KJV as "quickened." The word means to "make alive." Only
the Spirit of God is able to do that. The flesh has no spiritually redeeming
ability!
- What they wanted was for Jesus to give them
words that were palatable, that everyone could wrap their minds around, but
that is flesh! That won't bring life!
- Our arguments or ability to convince a person
cannot ever produce spiritual life in them! Our fleshly attempts on either side
of the spectrum, being severe or being lax, won't render an advantage!
- What Jesus was giving to them were things
that were spiritual and life giving, but the fact that these supposed disciples
wouldn't believe revealed what Jesus already knew about them!
- Jesus was never surprised by a person's
response to His claims. Their disbelief was further proof of man's inability to
come to the Lord apart from divine assistance! Verse 66.
• John 6:66-67 : " From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with
Him no more. Then
Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do
you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.'" : Look at the fallout. "Many of His disciples went back and
walked with Him no more." Consider that for a moment. This was not a small
group.
- This was a large contingent of people who
would not continue to follow after Jesus! They would no longer be near Him when
He taught or be there to witness His works!
- On account of the difficulty of the inability
to reconcile statements that Jesus made, they walked away from the possibility
of walking with the God of the Universe wrapped in flesh!
- Why not continue to walk with Him until the
Lord's Spirit brought clarity? Why not continue until more light revealed more
understanding? Sadly, these just walked away.
- What if they had stayed? What would have
happened to their questions a week from this point or a year after this? Many
of these would never find out!
- I believe that it's intriquing to note where
they went. They went back. That is the only direction left to a person who
abandons Christ! They are never moving forward despite their noble notions!
- When one makes that decision, it's a tragic
consideration. What was "back there" in your life that was worth
going back to? Didn't you leave "there" to get to Jesus?
- A life of spiritual regression is never God's
intention for anyone! He calls us ever forward and when our answer is to fall
back, be sure and know that it's the wrong answer!
- The most tragic thing here however is in this
final phrase: "They walked with Him no more!"
- These are historical people, who physically
went back to their lives and didn't come around to where Jesus was anymore. This
has been an occupational hazard since the Lord's time!
- I'm sad to report that I've seen it far to
often. "What ever happened to so and so?" "They are not walking
with the Lord anymore." Nobody ever says, "Oh, good for them!"
- There is always a sadness and a longing for
that person to regain their former zeal for the Lord and His Word. I'm still
holding out hope for some, but I'm not holding my breath!
- If it grieves my heart, what do you think it
did for the Lord Jesus? What makes matters worse is that Jesus knows the effect
of people leaving will spur others to do the same!
- He looks at His disciples, not from a
personal need, but from a great love for them and He asks them, "Do you
also want to go away?"
- These people that had left, left with the
door open! His chosen disciples might never have considered it, until these
made their choice. Listen to their wonderful response in verse 68.
• John 6:68,69 : " But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.'" : Peter and the disciples have struggled with the Lord's words, as
well as with their friend's defection.
- You could almost see them sitting there with
their eyes staring into nothingness, a little discouraged by how the day has
gone.
- After a few seconds of silence, Peter lifts
his eyes and says, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" There wasn't another "Jesus"
anywhere!
- They had seen the emptiness of their religion
and the impotence of it's ability to draw them close to God. They had seen the
corruption of the priests and their elders.
- Most scholars believe that we are nearing the
final months of the Lord's ministry. These disciples had been privy to the
authentic Kingdom of God! Where else would they go?
- Today, you have seen the emptiness of the
mainstream church circus. Before that, you saw the emptiness of the world's
religions, that asked you for everything and gave nothing in return!
- When you came to Christ, He gave you of
Himself and then, transformed your life by the power of His Spirit, through the
washing of His Word!
- Really, where will anyone go after having
Jesus! Where can you go to find true peace with God and true wisdom from His
Spirit? What life is there that is better than knowing Jesus?
- Peter, speaking for the twelve, proclaims in
his response that there was no other place to retreat to that was as satisfying
as being right there with Jesus!
- If we heard Peter say this, we'd hear him
say, "You and You only have the words of eternal life!" They belong
to Jesus. They emanate from Jesus! The message of eternal life is true in
Jesus!
- They had heard everything that He had said
and they weighed it out. Eternal life versus momentary confusion and
difficulty. It's a pretty easy equation, but Peter isn't finished.
- We have also come to believe. It has become
obvious to us. We have arrived at this conclusion and are confident because of
our experience of it, that You are the Christ, God's Son!
- What an admission to make! What great insight
and courage. This is truly a highlight moment for Peter. Verse 70.
• John 6:70,71 : "Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?' He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son
of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve." : Even here, among the twelve, at the
time of this momentous confession, Jesus marks the presence of His betrayer!
- It may even be that Judas would have left
with the crowds had he met his goal or had the timing of God been right!
- Jesus tells them that the right confession
wasn't going to keep others from turning away. Even one of those that Jesus
chose would give into their doubts about Him.
Conclusion
- The religious
leaders wouldn't believe in Him because they thought they knew Him. They walked
away with their complaints.
- The people
who followed on the fringe couldn't stomach it because His
sayings didn't meet with their desires.
- The disciples
couldn't leave because they had nowhere else to go and had come to believe that
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
- If He said
that He was the Bread that gave eternal life, and was the sacrifice that would
bring lasting pleasure to the Father, they had to believe it was true! Which
group are you a part of?
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