I started this passage last week from John 6:22-59 but couldn’t get through it all. Today I thought I’d focus on the last few verses 41-59.
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 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. 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.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
So Jesus is working his way through the responses people had to him, answering their questions and what not. Their response before this question had been the following:
Their response: “Sir, give us this bread always.”
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. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 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.”
The response of the people, instead of being one of gladness and understanding was to grumble. They focused on Jesus saying “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” In stead of seeking to understand that, they stood around grumbling over it. I can almost see them doing it eh? Bread of heaven? Seriously??? We know his momma and papa, and he says God sent him from heaven? Nah ah, I don’t think so. grumble, grumble.
Jesus calls them on it though :“Do not grumble among yourselves.” Stop moping and saying it can’t be so. Just stop grumbling, knowing this. You can’t come to me unless God the Father wills it to be so. God draws people into him.
But Jesus has been sent by God so he can raise up those who are drawn to God.. he will raise them up on the last day. The prophets foretold it. It is taught by God. To be taught by God means you need to know the Son. The son is Jesus. You need to be taught by Him. He is eternal life, the living bread sent down from heaven. So remember him. Eat of the bread he offers (eternal life) and live forever.
This led to an argument among the Jews so Jesus spoke to them. He made it clear to them, they must eat of his flesh and drink his blood to have life within them, and the ability to be raised up on the last day. Jesus’ flesh is true food, and his blood is true drink. Jesus continued saying “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 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. 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.”
All of this leads me to one question “do you want eternal life? Have you choose to believe in his words? Are you willing to parktake of the bread and blood of Christ in your search for true food and drink? It’s not an easy road but the end is worthwhile you know? Eternal life, being a child of God, being one of his chosen. It’s a great thing indeed.
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