John 6:34-40
34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Observations for Living Today:
The people say give us this bread, but it is clear in Jesus’ answer He knows not everyone asking really wants to feed on it!
Many in this crowd knew Jesus was the Messiah; they wanted Him as their King and followed Him across the lake to hear more about God’s message--“the kingdom of heaven is near.” Some in the crowd also knew Moses told the Israelites God would send them another prophet like him [Moses] from among their brothers (Dt 18:15-19). So when Jesus fed them on the mountain, many believed and were now saying they wanted the “Bread from God” from now on! So be careful what you ask for; especially when you really do not understand just what it is you think you want. Jesus warns them about their unbelief, telling them though they can see Him they still do not believe. Consider the exodus of followers in the teaching that follows, when He says: “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). Saying yes to God always involves more than you think or know—so why are we always surprised when things turn out different than we expected? Oh, the life of a child!
Give us this bread! So Jesus begins His great teaching on the “Bread of God” by proclaiming the result of eating this bread. I am the bread of life, which when consumed you will never be in want again: never hungry or thirsty. As always, Jesus quickly directs His listeners to the Father, telling them God’s will in Heaven is now being done here on earth. But this satisfaction of hunger and thirst is not of the physical food like they ate on the mountain. The key to understanding His message requires listening to the theme Jesus has been proclaiming from the beginning: to understand God you need to think differently, not in human terms of this world, but in spiritual terms of God’s world. To understand God we need to think differently and recognize while there are similarities between those worlds, without God actively working within us we cannot understand Him. This constraint is not unique to us, it applied also to Jesus—He could do nothing on His own, everything required partnering with God. Themes found in John’s gospel support this:
> Jn 3 Spirit gives birth to spirit—you must be born again/of God to enter the Kingdom of God; to escape the power of death you must believe what God said and just like Moses was told to put up a snake of bronze on a pole for the people to look at and believe God would heal them (Num 21:4-9), so now God was going to raise Jesus on a cross for the people to look at and by believing God they would escape death (Jn 3:10-21).
> Jn 4 God is Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth; the water Jesus gives, to the woman at the well and everyone else, becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life, which when one believes God, they will never be thirsty again (Jn 4:7-24).
> Jn 5 The Father and Son are working together; the Son only doing what He sees the Father doing and the Father showing the Son everything He does; the Son speaks the words the Father told Him to say and how to judge -- those who hear Him and believe hear the voice of God and will receive eternal life (Jn 4:19-30).
Jesus was always about doing the Father’s will. And the Father’s will is “everyone who looks to the Son and believes”—none of those who believe the one God sent will be turned away or lost, but will receive life (starting now) and will be raised up at the last day (judgment day). When they come to Him they will be fed and never be hungry again; when they believe Him they will drink water from God and never be thirsty again. If it was true then, how much more true is it now while Jesus lives every moment in the presence of God, face to face with the Father?
Jesus was then and is now the Son of the Living God; the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word (Heb 1:3). Specifically, He is the power of God at work in this world, sent to accomplish God’s eternal purpose in a way every child of God can understand. He made it clear to everyone listening He knew some did not believe Him, but He also let those who did believe know they should not worry; they will be successful, they will not be lost nor suffer hunger or thirst, because they are empowered and protected by God’ will—they will know/experience eternal life.
Reality in Christ:
Reality is--sin kills by blinding man to the truth. We live in a darkness created by and sustained by sin in us and sin around us. If only the pure in heart shall see God, what chance do we have? Read Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome (Ro 1:18-32) and think of Adam and Eve immediately after the impact of their disobedience was realized! I’m naked, ashamed and now I hear God calling my name? We know why this change happened, but how it happened we can only speculate; the knowledge of evil injected into our awareness did something, but who knows—welcome to the new normal? Fact is Adam knew something now, which moments ago he did not. He had done what he was told not to do and in that new awareness saw himself differently and in fear He hid from God. God had not changed, not even a little bit. Fact is God saw this coming; were it not for God’s love empowering him, Adam would have remained frozen in fear behind a tree.
Reality is--believe and you will see—God loves you. You are different than the angels who rebelled. You were tempted (tricked like a child) by one who hates God and everything God loves. These created celestial beings living in the presence of God left their places of authority because they wanted too, no temptation, only a decision to do it their way. This power to choose existed in worlds, heaven and earth; this “free will” established by God never was, is nor ever will be a threat to God’s sovereignty.
Reality is--God is a perfect Father who loves you and wants you to know and understand Him. You can always choose to believe—nothing can stop you from believing God. What you see and what you understand does not cause you to believe or not believe—rather what you believe drives what you can see and what you will understand! Consider Thomas, one of the twelve, and what Jesus said to him when he struggled with doubt: “Blessed are those who have not seen but yet have believed” (Jn 20:29).
What had Thomas seen/experienced? Summary of significant events showing how much Thomas believed God:
> Called up on a mountainside alone with Jesus after He spent a night alone praying to God, Thomas was named as one of Twelve Apostles, one of those Jesus wanted most to be with Him and to represent Him by proclaiming God’s love marked with the authority to drive out demons (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15).
> Stood up and when no one else wanted to go to Jerusalem for fear of the Jewish leaders desire to kill Jesus said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16).
> Not afraid to ask a question, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (Jn 14:5) and was actively involved in learning the lessons Jesus taught his disciples the night of His betrayal (Jn 14–16).
And yet Thomas was not with the Apostles/disciples when the Lord first appeared among them (Jn 20:19-29); was it because Thomas needed to learn something about himself and the doubt still within him? Did he need yet another proof of who Jesus was or did he just need convincing evidence of who he really was? What kind of evidence (proof) would it take for Thomas to believe the extent of God’s power, considering he had lived as an Apostle next to Jesus the last two and a half years; what more would he have to see to believe God can do whatever He says He can do? “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it (Jn 20:25).” And so the Lord gives him what he needed a week later; same house, same locked room, same Lord saying, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (Jn 20:27). And the doubt was gone; until next time or forever (Jn 20:28-29)?
Reality is—believe God’s words and you will see His love for you! Although you have not seen Him, yet you can choose to believe the message He brought from God. And by believing you are given a “new birth” and an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven,” both of which are “shielded by God’s power” until the rest of God’s purpose is revealed. Love Him and believe His words, although you have never seen or heard Him, you will be filled with confidence in God’s love (1 Pe 1:3-9).
Reality is--through God’s “divine power” at work in Jesus you have everything you need to “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pe 1:3-11). Believe and let the words of God be your reality: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Observations for Living Today:
The people say give us this bread, but it is clear in Jesus’ answer He knows not everyone asking really wants to feed on it!
Many in this crowd knew Jesus was the Messiah; they wanted Him as their King and followed Him across the lake to hear more about God’s message--“the kingdom of heaven is near.” Some in the crowd also knew Moses told the Israelites God would send them another prophet like him [Moses] from among their brothers (Dt 18:15-19). So when Jesus fed them on the mountain, many believed and were now saying they wanted the “Bread from God” from now on! So be careful what you ask for; especially when you really do not understand just what it is you think you want. Jesus warns them about their unbelief, telling them though they can see Him they still do not believe. Consider the exodus of followers in the teaching that follows, when He says: “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). Saying yes to God always involves more than you think or know—so why are we always surprised when things turn out different than we expected? Oh, the life of a child!
Give us this bread! So Jesus begins His great teaching on the “Bread of God” by proclaiming the result of eating this bread. I am the bread of life, which when consumed you will never be in want again: never hungry or thirsty. As always, Jesus quickly directs His listeners to the Father, telling them God’s will in Heaven is now being done here on earth. But this satisfaction of hunger and thirst is not of the physical food like they ate on the mountain. The key to understanding His message requires listening to the theme Jesus has been proclaiming from the beginning: to understand God you need to think differently, not in human terms of this world, but in spiritual terms of God’s world. To understand God we need to think differently and recognize while there are similarities between those worlds, without God actively working within us we cannot understand Him. This constraint is not unique to us, it applied also to Jesus—He could do nothing on His own, everything required partnering with God. Themes found in John’s gospel support this:
> Jn 3 Spirit gives birth to spirit—you must be born again/of God to enter the Kingdom of God; to escape the power of death you must believe what God said and just like Moses was told to put up a snake of bronze on a pole for the people to look at and believe God would heal them (Num 21:4-9), so now God was going to raise Jesus on a cross for the people to look at and by believing God they would escape death (Jn 3:10-21).
> Jn 4 God is Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth; the water Jesus gives, to the woman at the well and everyone else, becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life, which when one believes God, they will never be thirsty again (Jn 4:7-24).
> Jn 5 The Father and Son are working together; the Son only doing what He sees the Father doing and the Father showing the Son everything He does; the Son speaks the words the Father told Him to say and how to judge -- those who hear Him and believe hear the voice of God and will receive eternal life (Jn 4:19-30).
Jesus was always about doing the Father’s will. And the Father’s will is “everyone who looks to the Son and believes”—none of those who believe the one God sent will be turned away or lost, but will receive life (starting now) and will be raised up at the last day (judgment day). When they come to Him they will be fed and never be hungry again; when they believe Him they will drink water from God and never be thirsty again. If it was true then, how much more true is it now while Jesus lives every moment in the presence of God, face to face with the Father?
Jesus was then and is now the Son of the Living God; the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word (Heb 1:3). Specifically, He is the power of God at work in this world, sent to accomplish God’s eternal purpose in a way every child of God can understand. He made it clear to everyone listening He knew some did not believe Him, but He also let those who did believe know they should not worry; they will be successful, they will not be lost nor suffer hunger or thirst, because they are empowered and protected by God’ will—they will know/experience eternal life.
Reality in Christ:
Reality is--sin kills by blinding man to the truth. We live in a darkness created by and sustained by sin in us and sin around us. If only the pure in heart shall see God, what chance do we have? Read Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome (Ro 1:18-32) and think of Adam and Eve immediately after the impact of their disobedience was realized! I’m naked, ashamed and now I hear God calling my name? We know why this change happened, but how it happened we can only speculate; the knowledge of evil injected into our awareness did something, but who knows—welcome to the new normal? Fact is Adam knew something now, which moments ago he did not. He had done what he was told not to do and in that new awareness saw himself differently and in fear He hid from God. God had not changed, not even a little bit. Fact is God saw this coming; were it not for God’s love empowering him, Adam would have remained frozen in fear behind a tree.
Reality is--believe and you will see—God loves you. You are different than the angels who rebelled. You were tempted (tricked like a child) by one who hates God and everything God loves. These created celestial beings living in the presence of God left their places of authority because they wanted too, no temptation, only a decision to do it their way. This power to choose existed in worlds, heaven and earth; this “free will” established by God never was, is nor ever will be a threat to God’s sovereignty.
Reality is--God is a perfect Father who loves you and wants you to know and understand Him. You can always choose to believe—nothing can stop you from believing God. What you see and what you understand does not cause you to believe or not believe—rather what you believe drives what you can see and what you will understand! Consider Thomas, one of the twelve, and what Jesus said to him when he struggled with doubt: “Blessed are those who have not seen but yet have believed” (Jn 20:29).
What had Thomas seen/experienced? Summary of significant events showing how much Thomas believed God:
> Called up on a mountainside alone with Jesus after He spent a night alone praying to God, Thomas was named as one of Twelve Apostles, one of those Jesus wanted most to be with Him and to represent Him by proclaiming God’s love marked with the authority to drive out demons (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15).
> Stood up and when no one else wanted to go to Jerusalem for fear of the Jewish leaders desire to kill Jesus said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16).
> Not afraid to ask a question, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (Jn 14:5) and was actively involved in learning the lessons Jesus taught his disciples the night of His betrayal (Jn 14–16).
And yet Thomas was not with the Apostles/disciples when the Lord first appeared among them (Jn 20:19-29); was it because Thomas needed to learn something about himself and the doubt still within him? Did he need yet another proof of who Jesus was or did he just need convincing evidence of who he really was? What kind of evidence (proof) would it take for Thomas to believe the extent of God’s power, considering he had lived as an Apostle next to Jesus the last two and a half years; what more would he have to see to believe God can do whatever He says He can do? “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it (Jn 20:25).” And so the Lord gives him what he needed a week later; same house, same locked room, same Lord saying, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (Jn 20:27). And the doubt was gone; until next time or forever (Jn 20:28-29)?
Reality is—believe God’s words and you will see His love for you! Although you have not seen Him, yet you can choose to believe the message He brought from God. And by believing you are given a “new birth” and an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven,” both of which are “shielded by God’s power” until the rest of God’s purpose is revealed. Love Him and believe His words, although you have never seen or heard Him, you will be filled with confidence in God’s love (1 Pe 1:3-9).
Reality is--through God’s “divine power” at work in Jesus you have everything you need to “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pe 1:3-11). Believe and let the words of God be your reality: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
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