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.