Reading of God’s Holy Word

“Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, ‘Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.’ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.’ So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, ‘When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?’ The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.’ The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?’” (John 7:25–36, ESV)

Introduction

One thing that is abundantly clear in John’s gospel is that it is of utmost importance that we trust in the right Jesus, and for the right reasons. We must know the right Jesus if he is to be of any help to us. In other words, we are not free to use his name as if it were a magical incantation while gutting it of its significance. The name of Jesus is powerful only so long as the real Jesus is behind it. He was a real and particular person who came to accomplish a real and particular work and who is really alive even today. How important it is that we know him really and truly as he is revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you begin to talk about someone else that you think you have in common? Perhaps his name is Steven, or something like that. And so you go on for some time talking about Steven – Steven this, and Steven that – when you begin to sense that perhaps you’re not talking about the same Steven. And so you stop and you say, “wait a minute. Are you talking about Steven – he’s tall and slender and works at whatever place?” And the other person responds saying, “no! The Steven I’m talking about is short and stocky and works at such-and-such a place.” And then there’s that awkward moment when you realize that the conversation you’ve just had was completely lacking in substance. It was the same name, but not the same person.

There are many who claim to be followers of Jesus in this world, just as there were many who claimed to follow Jesus in the days of Jesus. What has become clear as we have studied the gospel of John together is that many who followed Jesus did not follow him truly. And why was that? Because they did not know him truly. They called him Jesus, but their conception of him – their expectation for him – their belief concerning him, was far from true. Though they all beheld the same Jesus with their eyes, and though the same sound proceeded from their lips as they uttered his name, some knew Jesus truly, while many did not.

Tell me church, does it do us any good to call upon the name of Jesus, if the Jesus in whom we trust is in essence the wrong Jesus?

John, in his wonderfully rich gospel, goes to great lengths to present us with the true Jesus. He, like a master painter, paints a detailed portrait of Jesus. His medium is, of course, not paint, but words. His inspiration is the Holy Spirit. The finished product is not an image that can be examined with the eye, but truth to be comprehend with the mind and believed upon from the heart. Little to nothing is said concerning the appearance of Jesus – we don’t know if was tall and slender, or short and stocky – but we are told all about him. John tells who he was; we are told of his essence, or nature; we know where he came from and where he would be going; we know all about his purpose for coming, his mission and his work. The portrait that we have of Jesus in John’s gospel is vivid and bright, full of clarity and detail. Jesus is brought to the fore in a most pronounced way as John masterfully sets him against the backdrop of Old Testament images and themes, prophesies, feasts, and festivals. In the end there is no excuse for walking away from John’s gospel with an inaccurate understanding of Jesus. He is set before us here with great clarity.

Remember the words that John wrote near the end of his gospel. John 20:30-31: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

I’m aware of the fact that I have made reference to this text a number of times throughout this series, but I think it is for good reason. It is here that John directly states his reason for writing this gospel. These two verse, therefore, serve as an anchor. When we are tempted to run off after this detail or that in the text, John 20:30-31 keeps us from going adrift. As it is in life, so it is with the study of the Bible – we ought to keep the main thing the main thing!

And what is John’s main objective? It is to persuade us to believe in Jesus. But is that all he says? No! He is concerned, more specifically, that you and I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we have life in his name.

You see, while it is true that John’s objective is for us to believe in Jesus, more is said. It does us no good to say that we believe in Jesus unless we believe that he is the Christ, and that he is the Son of God. It is only after believing in this Jesus – Jesus the Christ – Jesus the Son of God – that we have life in his name.

John 7:25-36

Notice the question that is on the forefront of everyones mind in this passage. Verse 25: “Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, ‘Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?’” Verse 31: “Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, ‘When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?’” What is everyone curious about? They want to know, is this Christ? Is this the Anointed One of God? Is this the Savior promised by the Father from long ago? Is this the Christ, the Messiah of Israel?

Two things are mentioned that persuaded some to believe. One, they were astonished that, though Jesus was despised by the religious establishment, no one laid a hand on him. He continued to teach publicly and with great authority. Two, some began to ask the question, when the Christ comes will he do more signs than these? It is interesting that John does not mention many of the miracles of Jesus. He selects only a few. But remember that John’s gospel was the last of the four to be written. It seems that John assumes that his readers knew about all that Jesus did. Perhaps they knew of his deeds through oral tradition – preaching and teaching in the early church. Or perhaps they had read Matthew, Mark, or Luke, which had circulated by this time, and were therefore aware of more of the works of Christ. Whatever the case, John is clear that Jesus had preformed many miracles by this time in his ministry, though he has only mentioned a few. And it is clear that the crowd in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths was aware of these signs that Jesus had preformed, and they began to reason, saying, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:31, ESV) Some grew convinced of Jesus’ claims. They began to think, perhaps this is the Messiah.

 

But what was their hangup? Their hangup is stated in two places, and from two different angles. Their hangup had to do with Jesus’ origin. The people wondered if Jesus came from the right place in order to be qualified as the Christ, the Messiah.

First, look at verse 27 (picking up in the middle of verse 26): “Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” (John 7:26–27, ESV)

It was a common view amongst the Jews that when the Christ did appear, he would appear suddenly. He would live in relative obscurity and then appear all of a sudden.

It would seem that the prophesy of Malachi 3:1 is what motivated this view. Malachi declared the word of the Lord some 500 years before the birth of Christ, saying, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1, ESV) So the Lord would come suddenly, Malachi says.

Some were puzzled concerning Jesus because they knew all about his earthly origin. They new his mother, and his brothers and sisters. They knew that he grew up in Nazareth. They knew where he came from.

But notice that John does present Jesus and coming suddenly to the temple. Do you remember the interpretive difficulty that we discussed last week? Jesus told his brother that would not go up to Jerusalem (7:8), but after his brothers left he did go up (7:10). I said that the key to understanding this is to observe that Jesus did not say he would never go up, but that he would not go up with is brothers in their way, nor according to their timing. He was on the Father’s schedule, not theirs. And notice, when Jesus did go up, he went in secret. Everyone was looking for him. They wanted to know where he was, but he remained hidden. But what did Jesus do in the middle of the feast? He “went up into the temple and began teaching.” (John 7:14, ESV)

The message is clear. Though it is true that these people knew of Jesus’ background, he did “suddenly come to his temple” in fulfillment of the prophesy of Malachi 3:1.

Secondly, we should peek down into the text that we will be considering in detail next week. Verse 40: “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ.’ But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’” Again, some are on the right track. They are beginning to wonder if Jesus was indeed the prophet, or the Christ, promised from long ago.

But again, notice their hang up: they wondered if Jesus came from the right place. They wanted to know if he had the correct origin. Jesus is known as Jesus of Nazareth, for that is where he was raised. But the Christ was to come from Bethlehem. He would be the offspring of David, and thus born where David was born.

We could point to a number of Old Testament passages as the source of these expectations. 2 Samuel 7:12–16, Psalm 89:3–4; Isaiah 9:7 and 55:3 would all be good places to turn. But perhaps the clearest passage of all is Micah 5:2 which says,“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2, ESV)

Many concluded that Jesus did not possess the proper Messianic credentials because he was Jesus of Nazareth. But there is more to the story, isn’t there? Tell me church, though is true that Jesus’ home town was Nazareth, where was he born? Bethlehem! Matthew 2 and Luke 2 tell us that Jesus was born there.

So Jesus was indeed qualified to be the Messiah. He fit the description. He fulfilled the prophesies. He did indeed appear suddenly in the temple claiming to the be the Christ. And he was indeed born in Bethlehem, the offspring of David.

But notice this – and I think this is most fascinating (I hope you share the same sentiments) –  isn’t it interesting that John does not say, no but wait, he did appear suddenly. Or, no but wait, he was born in Bethlehem. He leaves us to figure that out. Remember that the gospel of John was written last. His readers have at their disposal oral tradition, as well as the the gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke. And so John did not need to say these things; others already had. Instead he emphasized something else, namely Jesus’ heavenly origin. And that is the theme in John’s gospel.

Tell me church, does John’s gospel contain a birth narrative? What I mean by that is, does John’s gospel record for us the details surrounding Jesus’ birth? No! Where does John begin? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, ESV) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV) John is concerned to emphasize Jesus’ heavenly origin. Others have emphasized his earthly origin; he wants us to know that Jesus is from above, from the Father.  Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God with us.

The same is true in this passage. John does not explicitly deal with confusion of the Jews. They complain saying, I thought the Messiah would appear suddenly, and, I though the Christ would come from Bethlehem. John leaves it to us to sort all of that out. Instead he records these word’s of Jesus: (7:28) “So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I come from [it’s true you know something of my background]. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true [the Father], and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”” (John 7:28–29, ESV) So what does John emphasize? Once more he emphasized, not the earthly origin of Jesus, but his heavenly origin. John want’s us to know that Jesus was from the Father – from above. It’s true, Jesus was truly a man. He was born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. He was raised in Nazareth. But that is not all! He also had a heavenly origin. He was called Immanuel, which means God with us. He was the Christ, the Son of God.

Believing in Jesus will do us no good unless we come to him as the one who has come from heaven, being sent by the heavenly Father.

And that brings us to the first of two points; John makes it clear in this passage, and his gospel as a whole, that believing in Jesus will do us no good unless we come to him as the one who has come from heaven, being sent by the heavenly Father.

The Jew’s knew exactly what Jesus meant by this. Verse 30 simply says, “So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” Why were they seeking to arrest him? Because he claimed to have heavenly origins! He claimed to come from the Father. This claim could only fall into one of two categories: either it was true, or it was the hight of blasphemy. There could be no middle ground.

And indeed their is no middle ground when it comes to our opinion of Jesus. Either we agree that he is the Christ, the Son of God, or we must confess that he was a blasphemer, a lier, a hoax. It has been famously said that there are only three possible conclusion to reach concerning Jesus – he was either a lier, a lunatic, or he is Lord.

That Jesus claimed to be divine, the second person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son of God, is most clear in scripture. And perhaps no book of the Bible is more clear and insistent that John’s gospel. The opening verses begins with his assertion: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, ESV) We have discussed this before that in the greek the word order is actually this, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was Word. According to the most basic rules of greek grammar there can be know other interpretation than to see that the word “God”

is functioning as an adjective describing what the Word (who is Jesus Christ) is. The Word existed in the beginning (he was not created). The Word was with God (he was in union with God and yet somehow distinct). And the Word was God (what God was the Word was, in essence). And it was the Word – the second person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son of God – who became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the God man.

Many other passages in John could be sited in support of this.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58, ESV)

“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9, ESV)

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30, ESV)

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God”” (John 20:28, ESV)

“This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18, ESV)

And this not even to mention the nine times in John in which the phrase “Son of God” is attributed to Jesus.

The evidence is overwhelming. Jesus claimed to be more than a man. He was God come in the flesh. He was from above – from the heavenly Father.

It is interesting to me how many will claim to believe in Jesus – to know Jesus, and to serve Jesus – while maintaining an utterly unbiblical view concerning him. We say Jesus, and they say Jesus, but a brief conversation reveals that we are not talking about the same Jesus – we do not know the same Jesus. 

Some believe in Jesus, but that was noting more than a man with a brilliant religious mind. This is not my Jesus.

Some believe that in Jesus, but that he was nothing more than good man, a moral example for us to follow, the epitome of love. This is not my Jesus – he is more than that.

Some believe in Jesus, but they say that he was an ordinary man made, at some point, into the Son of God. This is not my Jesus. My Jesus is God with us – the eternal Son of God, without beginning or end.

Some believe in Jesus, but they say that he was only an angel. Others specify that he was the brother of Lucifer. This is not my Jesus.

Why? Because this is not who the Jesus of history claimed to be; this is not the Jesus preached by the Apostles; this is not the Jesus confessed by the Church; this is not the Jesus of the Holy Scriptures!

To believe in anyone other than Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, is vain, futile, empty, and void.

You see, this is about more than getting the facts right – it’s about knowing the right person. This about more than right doctrine – it’s about having the right relationship. This is about more than knowing the truth – it’s about trusting in the right person. And the bottom line is this, were Jesus a mere man, or a mere angel, then he would not be trustworthy, for no ordinary angel or mere man could ever effectively atone for the sins man and rise from he dead for our salvation.

Believing in Jesus will do us no good unless we come to him as the one who has come from heaven, being sent by the heavenly Father.

Believing in Jesus will do us no good unless we come to him as the one who has ascended to heaven, and is seated with the heavenly Father even now.

The second point is this, believing in Jesus will do us no good unless we come to him as the one who has ascended to heaven, and is seated with the heavenly Father even now. 

Notice that Jesus makes two claims concerning himself in this passage. First, he makes a claim concerning his origin – he has come, not ultimately from Nazareth, nor Bethlehem, but from the Father. Secondly, he makes a claim concerning is final destination. He has come from the Father to earth, and to the Father he would one day return.

Listen to Jesus words to the Pharisees in verse 33: “Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.’” (John 7:33–34, ESV) The Jews were puzzled about this. They said,“Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:35–36, ESV)

This is typical in John. Jesus reveals something spiritual – that he would one day ascend to the Father from where he came – and the worldly, fleshly, spiritually blind people do not understand. They ask. will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks (that is, away from Jerusalem, off into heathen territory)? In their minds that was the only place where he could go where they would not be able to follow. After all they were to holy to travel amongst the heathens!

No, Jesus came from the Father, and to the Father he would return. The unbelieving Jews (there were some who believed) could not go to the Father if they remained in their worldly, earthly, sensual, unbelief. But for those who believed, Jesus prayed this way: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24, ESV)

Just as their are many who would claim to believe in Jesus while denying the full deity of Christ, so too there are those who, while acknowledging that Jesus Christ was real historical person, deny his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father.

Conclusion

So who is the Jesus that you trust?

What was his origin? And where is now?

To believe that he is anything less than the Christ, the Eternal Son of God, is to trust in something other than the Christ of history, the Christ of the Apostles, the Christ of the early Church, and ultimately the Christ of the Holy Scriptures.  Though you may utter his name, you do know him truly.

A few months back we established the practice of reciting the Apostles Creed, or the Nicene Creed before we partake of the Lord’s Supper. Both of these ancient creeds are useful in that they, in a relatively brief space give an overview of basic Christian doctrine. The Nicene Creed is especially helpful in when it comes to the doctrine of Christ that we have been discussing today.

Follow along as I read the Nicene Creed to you. If you agree with what us stated I would invite you to say Amen at the end. In this way we will conclude the sermon for today.

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.”

(Nicene Creed)

Introduction

Remember that this is part two of a two part sermon on John 7:1-24. I had hoped to cover all 24 verses last week in a single sermon but simply ran out of time. That’s why I decided to break our consideration of this passage into two sermons. You might be thinking to yourself, why not simply preach two sermons? Why say that they are parts one and two? The answer is this: it seems to me that a single theme runs throughout these 24 verses, therefore I think it is best to keep them together.

The theme is this: We are told of men and women who reject Jesus. Many do not believe in him – they will not identify with him, or trust in his name. Notice that verses 1-24 not only reveal that this is true, the text also has something to say about why this is true.  The question why? was our focus last week, and it will remain our question this week. Why do people reject or deny Christ? That is the thing that this passage addresses, I think.

Here is what is revealed in this text:

Jesus’ own siblings did not believe. Why? Because they were in love, not with God, but with the things of the world!

The crowds, as we will see, also refused to openly identify with Jesus. Why? Because they were in love with the approval, not of God, but of others.

And the Jews also (that is to say, the leaders of the Jews) did not believe. Why? Because they loved bringing glory, not to God, but to themselves.

And why did John reveal these things? On one level we might say that he simply wanted to report the facts of what happened. The Jew’s, the crowds, and even Jesus’ own siblings did not believe – it’s a fact! But I’m sure there was deeper reason as to why John told us of these things. Remember, and do not forget, that John’s objective is to persuade us to believe! And so as he records for us these facts, they are not bare facts. No, John is seeking to persuade us to not make the same mistakes that the Jews, the crowds, and even Jesus’ own brothers made as they engaged with Jesus. Read the rest of Sermon: John 7:10-24: Why do people reject Jesus? (Part 2) »

Reading of God’s Holy Word

“After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.’ After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, ‘Where is he?’ And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.’ Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, ‘How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?’ So Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?’ The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?’ Jesus answered them, ‘I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.’” (John 7:1–24, ESV)

Introduction

Think back to the introduction of John’s gospel where we read these words: “The true light, which gives light to everyone [that is, the Word, the eternal Son of God], was coming into the world [Jesus Christ, God incarnate]. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:9–11, ESV)

John did warn us, didn’t he? He warned us that the story he was about to tell, when considered from a human perspective, was really most tragic. The world  – the very world that was created through the eternal Son of God – did not know or receive him when he came in human flesh. Read the rest of Sermon: John 7:1-9: Why do people reject Jesus? »

Reading of God’s Word

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.” (John 6:60–71, ESV)

Introduction

Most of John 6 (at least vs. 22 onward) is an account of Jesus teaching people about his true identity, his true origin, and his true mission. The response that he received from people was mainly grumbling.

When Jesus claimed to be the bread of life, come down from heaven, not to do his own will but the will of the Father who sent him – which was to lose no one or nothing of all that the Father had given to him, but raise it up on the last day (see John 6:35–40, ESV) – we are told that  “the Jews grumbled about him” (John 6:41, ESV).

The phrase “the Jews” is used in this passage, and throughout John’s gospel, to speak of the crowds of Jewish people in general. Of course not all of the Jews grumbled against Jesus. Jesus himself was a Jew. His closest disciples were Jews. But when John uses the phrase “the Jews” he is typically referring to the Jews who, in general, rejected his claims.

And that is important to understand if we are to grasp the significance of the passage that is before us today. Here we see that, not only did the Jews grumble; but even his own disciples began to grumble against him as they listened to his teaching.

Notice this: when we envision those following Jesus in John 6, we are to think of three groups of people.

The broadest group are the the Jews in general – the multitude or crowd. They are by far the most numerous. They are by far the most confused. And they are the first to abandon Jesus after they are confronted with his teaching – his claims concerning his identity, origin, and mission.

But there is another group. They are called “disciples” in verse 60, which simply means follower. This one is apparently smaller. Apparently they walked with Jesus more closely than the crowed. They must have walked with him for a longer period of time, and they must have known him more intimately – otherwise they would not be classified as disciples, or followers, of Jesus. But as we will see, many of them went the way of the crowd, abandoning Jesus after they were confronted with his teaching. They too grumbled (vs. 61).

There is third group presented in John 6. They are true disciples – true followers – who posses true faith. This is their creed:“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:68–69, ESV)

This third group is much, much, smaller. Certainly there were others who said, ‘Amen’ to Peters confession, But John 6 hones in upon the 12 – that most intimate core of Jesus’ followers. And we learn something surprising in John 6 – that there was “a devil” even amongst the 12. Jesus knew about it from the beginning. Though the 12 would go on following him, only 11followed truly. And though the 12 would go on believing in him, only 11 believed truly.

Perhaps it is best to say it this way: It is possible to be a disciple of Jesus, but not a disciple. It is possible to follow Jesus, but not follow him. It is possible to believe, but not truly believe.

To say it another way, John 6 makes it clear that there is a difference between the appearance of things, and the reality of things. Things look a certain way to the human eye, which is only able to perceive externals, but they look much different to the eye of God, who sees all things, even the hidden things of the human heart.

Some Who Appear to be Followers of Christ Prove Not to Be

This passage is teaching, that it is possible for some to appear to be followers of Christ and yet prove not to be in the end. 

We read in verse 60, “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” Verse 61:  “But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this?’” (John 6:61, ESV)

These people are called disciples, not because they were true disciples, but because they had followed Jesus rather closely. But they, like the crowd, grumbled about Jesus. They found it difficult to accept his claims. They said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” The phrase, “who can listen to it?”, means who can hear this teaching and accept it as true?

The question that comes to my mind is, what, in particular, were these disciples of Jesus troubled by? A lot was said by Jesus as recorded in John 6. The question is, what, of all that Jesus said, troubled these so-called-disciples?

I supposed we could say that the way Jesus spoke about eating his flesh and drinking his blood offended them. It’s true that this way of talking would have been offensive to the Jews, but there must be more to it than that. These were intelligent people. Certainly they could understand that Jesus was using metaphorical language here.

Perhaps they were offended by the doctrine of election that Jesus presented. He taught that some were given to the Son by the Father; that they were the ones who would come. Indeed, no one could come to faith in the Son unless the Father drew them to the Son. And it was those given and drawn who would be raised un on the last day.

Or maybe they were offended that Jesus claimed to have life in himself – “I am the bread of life.” That is quite a claim! Or perhaps they grumbled about Jesus’ claim to be from above. 

My view is that it was probably a combination of these things. When we read in verse 60, “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” I take this as a reference to the totality of Christ’s message. It was all hard to understand and accept.

That being said, the trouble seems to focus on Jesus’ claims concerning his origin.

Time and again in John we see that Jesus Christ claims to be from above, from heaven, and not of this earth, as we are. 

John 1:1, 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14, ESV)

John 3:13: “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”

That claim is intensified in John 6.

John 6:38: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38, ESV)

John 6:41: “So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’” (John 6:41, ESV)

John 6:50–51: “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.”” (John 6:50–51, ESV)

Jesus Christ is claiming to have a divine and heavenly origin.

This, I believe, is what the people were most offended by.

Think of it! This is really a most incredible thing to claim – to be from above, from heaven – to have existed with the Father before coming to earth. And yet that is what Jesus claims.

As great as the prophets of old were, none had claimed anything like this. They were men. They were godly men, but they were men. They were of the earth. They were born as you and I were born. But Christ claims to be from above. The virgin birth is not mentioned here, but the idea is behind it all. The doctrine of the incarnation is not expressly stated here, but the idea is present. Jesus was Divine. He was more than a man. He was the God-man, having both the nature of God and the nature of man united in the one person.

Here is why I believe that this was the main offense: Look at what Jesus says in response to their grumbling.

Verse 61: “But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?’” (John 6:61–62, ESV)

How does Jesus respond to their complaints concerning his claims to have a heavenly origin. He says, what if you were to see me ascend to the same place that I descended from – would you believe me then?

This, of course, is what Jesus would do.  He would live and die and raise again. He would walk upon the earth for 40 day in his resurrection body, proving himself risen from the dead. And then he would ascend to the Father.

Acts 1:9-11: “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” (Acts 1:9–11, ESV)

The point that Jesus is making here in John 6 is that he would ascend to Father because that is where he descended from first.

He, as the eternal Son of God, had existed with the Father from eternity past. He, as the eternal Son of God, came to earth and took on human flesh. Jesus Christ, in his human nature, was born and had a beginning. But when we speak of the divine nature of Jesus Christ, we must speak of him as eternal – having no beginning and no end. He was truly from above, from heaven.

This is why Jesus can say in John 8:58: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man, was born.  But the eternal Son of God, was never born. He is eternally begotten of the Father.

If this is confusing to you I would encourage you to memorize questions 7-9 and 24-25 of our Catechism:

Q. 7. What is God?

A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. (John 4:24; Ps. 147:5; Ps. 90:2; James 1:17; Rev. 4:8; Ps. 89:14; Exod. 34:6,7; 1 Tim. 1:17)

Q. 8. Are there more gods than one?

A. There is but one only, the living and true God. (Deut. 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10)

Q. 9. How many persons are there in the Godhead?

A. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory. (1 Cor. 8:6; John 10:30; John 14:9; Acts 5:3,4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

Q. 24. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continueth to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. (Gal. 3:13;1 Tim. 2:5; John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 9:5; Col. 2:9)

Q. 25. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

A. Christ, the Son of God became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul; being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin. (Heb. 2:14; Matt. 26:38; Luke 2:52; John 12:27; Luke 1:31,35; Heb. 4:15; 7:26)

It’s true that these so-called-disciples of Christ could have been offended at whole host of things mentioned in John 6, but the main thing seems to be Jesus’ claims concerning his origin. He claimed to be from above. And claiming to be from above meant that he was something other than a mere man. The rest of John makes it clear that Jesus claimed to be divine – God incarnate, God in the flesh. I believe this was the offense.

Verse 66 simply says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

They apostatized. They walked with Jesus for a time and then renounced him.

Some who appear to be followers of Christ prove not to be in the end. 

Some Who Appear to be Followers of Christ Do Indeed Believe Truly and From the Heart 

But notice also that some who appear to be followers of Christ do indeed believe truly and from the heart.

Jesus, seeing that multitude had left, and that many of those who appeared to be his followers left, turns to the 12 – the inner core of his band of disciples, and said, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67, ESV)

This is a big moment.

From a worldly perspective Jesus’ once successful movement has just been decimated. Thousands had turned their backs on him in a relatively short period of time.

And now he turns to his most trusted friends, saying, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67, ESV)

Verse 68: “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:68–69, ESV)

Notice that Peter speaks on behalf of the group. Notice that he calls Jesus Lord. And notice what he, and most of the others, think about Jesus. They believe, and know, that he is the Holy One of God. They believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life. Therefore Peter asks a most appropriate question: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Where else would we go, Lord? No one else has life. No one else has come from God as you have. This is our belief. This is what we know to be true.

This is a most impressive confession of faith.

Notice the role this confession of Peter plays in John’s gospel.

What was John’s goal in writing?

He tells us in 20:30: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30–31, ESV)

In John 6 we see virtually everyone abandon Jesus, but his small band of disciples remain. They confess, through Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68–69, ESV)

The effect upon the reader is this: we are urged to go all in with Peter and the others. Though the whole word reject Christ, we are to remain. We are urged to know and believe that Jesus is the Holy One God, and that he alone has the words of eternal life.

If we believe that really and truly, then how could we possibly walk away?

The Decisive Factor is Divine Initiative 

And so we have this situation – many have turned their backs on Jesus, very few have remained.

A question that we must ask is why? What is the difference between those who walk away and those who remain? What is it that distinguishes the two groups?

Our most natural inclination would be to assume that those who remained simply made a better choice than those who walked away.  And while that is certainly true – these people did make real choices, some decided to stay, others decided to walk away (and those who remained made a better choice than those who did not) – more is revealed in this passage. More is said concerning the difference between those who remained and those who walked away. Jesus reveals more concerning what distinguished those who remained from those who apostatized.

Notice that, according to the scriptures, the decisive factor is Divine initiative.

Another way to say this is to say that it is God who ultimately determines who comes to Christ and who does not.

Trust me, I know that this is an unpopular thing to say. But I’m not sure how I could possibly claim to be faithful to the scriptures as a Pastor if I refuse to say this. It is just so plain in the text. It is a central feature in this passage, and in the whole of John 6. One cannot honestly teach this text and ignore this fact.

It has already been clearly stated in John 6. See verse 35-37.

Here Jesus says it again.

Verse 64:“‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:64–66, ESV)

“No one can” – δύναμαι – “to be able to do or to experience something—‘can, to be able to.’” (Louw Nida 74.5

“Come” – In John 6, to come to Jesus is to believe in him unto salvation.

“Granted” – δίδωμι to give an object, usually implying value—‘to give, giving.’ Ex. “he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples” Mt 14:19. (Louw Nida 57.71)

Jesus knows who are his! He knows who are his from amongst the crowd, the disciples, and the 12. Though Judas would go on walking with Jesus for a time, and though the other disciples did not know of his treacherous heart, Jesus knew.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’” (John 6:70, ESV)

The Proof is in the Perseverance 

Another question comes to mind. How do we know? How do we lay ahold of a sense of assurance? How do we know that we know Christ truly? Jesus knows! God knows! But how do we know who it is that belongs to Christ?

The answer: The proof is in the perseverance.

Notice that John – the same John who wrote this gospel – deals with this question in another letter.

1 John 2:3-6: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:3–6, ESV)

1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19, ESV)

So can you have assurance? Can you know that you know Christ? John says yes! We gain a sense of assurance by walking in Christ’s ways, by keeping his commandments, by abiding in him.

See chapters 17 (Perseverance) and 18 (Assurance) of our Confession!

Application and Conclusion

Think of how this effects the way we do ministry!

Do you agree with Peter’s confession?

If election is true, why do the scriptures warn against falling away? The threat of apostasy is real! Persevere!

Sermon Audio

Reading of God’s Word

“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on 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 whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 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.’ Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.” (John 6:49–59, ESV)

Introduction

When we use the words life and death we typically have physical life and physical death in mind. When we say that someone is alive we typically mean that they are breathing. When we say that someone is dead we typically mean that their body has stopped functioning as it should – the heart is no longer beating, the lungs are no longer processing air, the brain is no longer firing.  This is what we typically have in view when we talk about life and death.

And these are the things that many people are most concerned with – life and death in the physical sense.To the natural man nothing is more important than possessing physical life. Physical death is the worst possibility of all. Nothing is more serious to the natural man.

But the scriptures present us with much more complex view of life and death, one that we would do well to adopt.

According to the scriptures our greatest enemy of all is not physical death, but spiritual and eternal death. And the greatest blessing of all is not physical life as we know it, but spiritual life.

To state it another way the scriptures teach that it is possible to be alive physically (the heart beating, the lungs processing air, the brain firing as it out to fire) and yet to be living in a state of death. Conversely it is possible to be physically dead, and yet alive in the spirit. I suppose I should also say that it is possible to be alive and alive, and dead and dead.

Though this way of speaking may sound strange at first it becomes clear when we remember a few things:

First of all, we should remember that we are complex beings consisting of body and soul. The body may be alive and the soul in a state of death, the body may be dead and the soul in a state of life, and so on.

Secondly, we should recognize that death is not merely an event, but also a state of being. God did not lie when he warned Adam that he would surely die in the day that ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Though it is true Adam went on living for hundreds of years more after that day, he did in fact die on that day. He was given over to death. The death that once threatened him was now a sure thing. Furthermore he was given over to the state of death, as his fellowship with God was severed. He was cast out of the garden of God and the way to the tree of life was blocked, and this certainly symbolized this reality. Death is not only an event, but a state of being.

Thirdly, we should remember that this is how the scriptures consistently speak concerning life and death. Take for example Paul’s words Christians in Ephesus: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—” (Ephesians 2:1–2, ESV). Paul, writing to people who were alive physically and alive spiritually in Christ reminded them of the how they used to be “dead in the trespasses and sins” before they came to faith in Christ. They, at one time were alive according to the flesh, and yet in a state of death according to the spirit.

He wrote to the Colossians in a similar way: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” (Colossians 2:13, ESV)

This is a most basic doctrine of the holy scriptures. When thinking of life and death our greatest concern should be spiritual life and death, eternal life and death. Though we are most naturally concerned for the well being of the body, we ought to be more concerned for the soul.

That is precisely what Jesus is concerned with here in this most beautiful passage. He is concerned with providing for the soul of man. He is, relatively speaking, uninterested in ministering to the body apart from the soul.

Transition 

I struggled a bit to know how to organize this passage into sermon form. Some passages lend themselves to a verse-by-verse exposition. This one resisted that approach. I think the reason is that it is repetitive. The same basic thing is said over and again but in different ways and with greater intensity as the passage progresses.

So instead of considering vs. 49, 50, and so on, we will ask three questions and find the answers in the text as a whole.

The important thing to notice here is that this passages (vs. 49-59) is essentially and elaboration upon what has already been said in vs. 35 and 47- 48.

Vs. 35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV)

Vs. 47-48: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” (John 6:47–48, ESV)

This passage elaborates upon the claim that Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus elaborates, though, using highly metaphorical or symbolic language.

In the preceding passage Jesus presented this teaching in straightforward, mater-of-fact sort of way. I am the bread of life. Come to me. Believe in me. Those who come will never be cast out. I will raise them up on the last day. 

Here Jesus uses strong imagery. In fact, he uses the kind of imagery that, instead of appealing to his audience, would prove appalling to them. He talks about people needing to eat his flesh and drink his blood. This would have been most offensive to his Jewish audience, given that the law strictly forbid the drinking of blood, or the eating of flesh with the blood in it.

So why did he move from speaking in a plain way, to the use of startling metaphor? Two things may be said:

One, his use of startling metaphor was a kind of judgment upon his unbelieving audience. They would not receive his clear and straightforward teaching, and so he speaks now in metaphor – in symbols. Jesus used parables in the same way, as you know. Luke 8:10: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” (Luke 8:10, ESV)

Two, although the metaphorical language in this passage has a negative effect upon the unbelieving, it has an illuminating effect upon the those who believe – those given to the Son by the Father – those drawn to the Son by the Father.  The metaphorical, symbolic, speech of Jesus here brings a depth and detail, contour and sharpness to Jesus’ most direct word’s, “whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV)

I would like to ask three questions of this text that I think will help us to wrap our minds around all that Jesus is saying here.

What is Jesus Offering?

Q: The first question is, what is it that Jesus is offering here?

A: The answer is that he offers life eternal. 

Jesus’ audience has made it unmistakably clear that what they wanted was for Jesus to do what Moses did. They want another Moses – Moses 2.0. The want to see a repeat of the Exodus event. Moses delivered from Egypt, they wanted to be delivered from Rome. Moses fed them in the wilderness with manna from above and water from the rock, they wanted to be feed by Christ with bread, not once, but again and again. They were willing to follow Jesus so long as he would do what they wanted him to do, and be what they wanted him to be.

Jesus here insists that their exceptions of him were much to small. Their thoughts were misdirected. Their vision for the coming prophet, priest and king, to little, to temporal, to worldly.

In verse 49 Jesus says, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” (John 6:49, ESV) Talk about being blunt! But Jesus’ point is an important one. He is saying, as good and incredible as the manna from above was, it was limited in what it could accomplish. It could sustain life for a time, but it could not deliver from death. It could not deliver from physical death, and certainly it could not deliver from spiritual death. The manna that was given by God ad through Moses, though good, was certainly limited.

Jesus offers more.

Verse 50: “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.”” (John 6:50–51, ESV)

Jesus offers life eternal.

But what does that mean exactly? What are the characteristics or qualities of this eternal life offered by Jesus? What does it mean to have the eternal life that is found in him?

First of all, notice that Christ is not claiming to save from physical death. Death is the door through which all must pass from this life to the next. I can think of only to exceptions: Enoch, who “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24, ESV), and those who are alive when the Lord returns. Except for those exceptions, all pass through the door of death. Christ does not claim to deliver from that!

Notice verse 54: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54, ESV) The phrase, “and I will raise him up on the last day” is what I want to draw your attention to here. This is a reference to the resurrection of the body when Christ comes again. Notice that the resurrection of the dead takes place on the last day. The last day is the day when Christ comes to judge the world and to usher in the final state – the new heavens and the new earth.

We do not have the time here to discuss the end times in detail – it’s not the point of the text. Two things should be noticed though. One, when Christ offers eternal life we should think, in part, of life lived eternally in resurrected, raised up, physical bodies – bodies, much like the body of our Lord in his resurrection. Two, if it is true that Christ will raise us up on the last day, it must also be true that physical death is inevitable. In other words, Christ is not promising here to save from physical death, but from spiritual death.

“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:50–57, ESV)

The second thing that we should notice about the eternal life offered by Christ is that it is something we experience in the here and now, and not only in the future.

Notice verse 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.’” (John 6:53, ESV)

This is an interesting thing for Jesus to say to group of people standing before him, living and breathing. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have [present tense] no life in you.” 

It is not, you will have no life in you (in the future), but you have no life in you now. They were alive, and yet they were dead. Eternal life and eternal death, you see, are not merely future realities. They are states of being that we experience in the here and now.

Verse 54 says positively what verse 53 said negatively: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54, ESV) Again, notice that “has” is present tense. It is true that the eternal life offered by Christ effects the future – those in Christ will be raised up bodily and reunited with their souls, which have always been alive in Christ, united with and seated with in him the heavenly places – but this eternal life offered by Christ is experience by those who believe in the here and now. To believe in Christ truly is pass from death to life.

This has already been stated in John’s gospel in 5:25: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24, ESV)

John repeats this principle in his epistle. 1 John 3:14: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” (1 John 3:14, ESV)

Death, you see, is not merely a future event, it is a state of being. So also with eternal life. It is not merely a future benefit for the believer, but a current state. To have eternal life in Christ Jesus is to have it now.

Of course we look forward to Christ’s return. We long for the day when all things will be made new – sin and death and misery will be no more – we long for that day when Christ will bring all things to a grand and glorious conclusion. But for the believer, eternal life is something we taste now.

We have been given a foretaste of it though the outpouring of the Spirit, by the forgiveness of sins, though knowing the the love of God, and by experiencing fellowship with God through union with Christ.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4–7, ESV)

What we had and then lost in the garden has been restored in Christ – fellowship with the God who made us. This is, in part, what it means to have life eternal in the here and now while we wait for the consummation of all things.

The third thing to noticed about the life offered by Christ is that it is in fact eternal life. It is life unending – life without end – life without the threat or possibility of death.

And so while it is true that those in Christ are alive now by the Spirit and have tasted of life eternal, it must also be emphasized that eternal life will not be experienced in it’s fullest sense until we experience it in the resurrection, after the return of Christ, when all things are made new. It is then that eternal life will be experienced in the fullest sense. It is then that we will live forever and ever, body and soul.

Tell me, does that sound good to you? Does it sound good to you to go on living forever and ever?

Some would say no. Some would say that that sounds like the most miserable thing of all, to go on living forever.

Those who view everlasting life as a negative and miserable thing misunderstand the quality of life promised in Christ Jesus. The life that Christ offers is life in it’s highest form. It is life without sin, sickness and death. It is life without conflict and strife. It is, perhaps most importantly, life without any separation whatsoever from the God who made us.

Listen to how eternal life is described to us in the Book of Revelation:

Verse 21:1-4: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:1–4, ESV)

So Christ offers life eternal – life everlasting. Those in Christ have a foretaste of it in the here and now having passed from a state of death to a state of life. Physical death still threatens, but for those in Christ Jesus it has lost its sting. This is what Jesus offers..

How Can He Possibly Provide It?

Q: The next question that must be asked is how can he possibly provide such a magnificent thing?

A: The answer is that he can provide it because he is the bread of life.

“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48, ESV)

“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.”” (John 6:50–51, ESV)

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:54–55, ESV)

This is obviously metaphorical, or symbolic, language. Jesus is not really bread, of course.

Here is the meaning of it. Just as physical bread possesses the qualities and characteristics necessary to impart physical life, so too the person of Jesus Christ possesses the qualities and characteristics necessary to impart spiritual life.

There is a reason why we eat bread and not tree bark. The obvious reason, besides the taste of the it, is that bread, given it’s nature and makeup, is able to nourish the body, whereas tree bark is not. The physical makeup of bread corresponds to the physical needs of the body.

And similarly there is a reason why Jesus can offer eternal life as no other person or thing can. Only he, the God-man, was and is capable in imparting it to us. Only he, having come from above, can provide life from above. Only he corresponds to the need of the human soul.

He is bread come down from heaven (vs. 50)

He is living bread (vs. 51)

His flesh is true food. His blood true drink. (vs. 55)

And it is in this last phrase that we are told how it is that he will provide eternal life. He will provide it through the giving of his flesh and the shedding of his own blood.

The event of the cross is what is in view here. Jesus Christ would give himself up for the sins of those who believe. His body would be broken, his blood spilt. It would be through this act of selfless sacrifice that he would provide eternal life for all who would believe.

He, being fully man, lived as man should live. He obeyed God completely. He kept God’s law. And he, being fully God, had the ability – the power – to take upon himself the sins of those who trust in him from all the world, and to atone for those sins by dying and raising again the third day.

Jesus Christ is the bread of life, the living bread, true food and true drink, because he is from above. He was no ordinary man.

Were he an ordinary man, it would do no good to believe in him. To trust in an ordinary man for eternal life would be like eating bark or rocks or dirt for the nourishment of the body. I suppose you could do it, but it would not benefit you in the end, because these things are not suited to for the task.

How can Jesus Christ provide eternal life? He can provide it because he was and is God come in in the flesh. He made atonement for sins through his broken body and blood spilt.

How Do We Receive It?

Q:  The last question is this, how do we receive this offer of his?

A: The answer is that we receive eternal life by eating with the mouth of faith.

Verse 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.”” (John 6:51, ESV)

This is a metaphorical, or symbolic, way of saying what has already been said in a most straightforward way in the preceding passage.

Verse 35: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV)

Verse 40: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40, ESV)

Verse 47: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47, ESV)

So, to eat of Christ is to believe in him, to trust in him, to have faith in him.

Just as the mouth is the instrument by which we receives food to the nourishment of the body, so too faith is the instrument by which a person receives the benefits of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

We are compelled here to eat of Christ.

It’s important to notice in verse 51 that the word “eats” is in the aorist tense in the greek, meaning that the eating is described as a snapshot, one time event. We are to eat of Christ. That is, we are to believe in him. And notice that, according to verse 51, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. “ (John 6:51, ESV) The same can be said of verse 50, and 53.  The eating is described as a particular event.

The meaning is this: we receive eternal life the moment we believe, the moment that we eat with the mouth of faith.

But notice this, as we continue to read we come to verse 54 where the word used to describe the eating of Christ changes, as does the tense in the greek.

Verse 54: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54, ESV)

Verse 56: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56, ESV)

Verse 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.” (John 6:57, ESV)

Verse 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.” (John 6:58, ESV)

Instead of the word “eats” we see the word “feeds”.  And here is the significant thing – instead of the aorist tense, which describes an event as a snapshot, one time event, we have the present tense used which communicates ongoing activity.

The meaning is this: We do indeed have eternal life the moment that we believe (aorist tense; eat). But to believe in Christ truly, is to feed upon him perpetually (present tense; feed).

In other words, the faith of true Christian has more in common with the steady and consistent grazing of cattle than the feeding frenzy of a pride of lions.

It is true, we have eternal life the moment we believe, but true faith is an abiding faith – an ongoing and consistent trust in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Application and Conclusion

May I make some brief suggestions for application before we close?

The first is most obvious. I would urge you to think deeply and seriously about life and death.

Having thought about life and death I would then urge you to believe (trust) in Christ from the heart.

Having believed in Christ from the heart I would then urge you to go on trusting in Christ in from the heart.

Consider the relation of the Lord’s Supper to al that is said in John 6. The Lord’s Supper signifies the spiritual reality that John 6 describes. Do not neglect the the Lord’s Supper. Do not approach the table in an unworthy manner. Christ is feeds his people through the Supper and is spiritually present in it.

Lastly, may I exhort you to savor God through Christ Jesus. Perhaps you have lost your taste for him. It is time to repent and to feed upon him once more.