João 6
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 6
Morris - This is the third of seven great miracles of creation described by John (John 20:31) to demonstrate the deity of Christ. Jesus superseded the law of conservation of matter by creating a great amount of bread and meat for the multitude. This law, considered one of the most basic and universal laws of physics, states that matter (or "mass") can neither be created nor destroyed. The miraculous feeding of the multitude is one of the few events described in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17). (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Edwin Blum writes "Seeing this miraculous sign (semeion), the people recalled Moses prediction that a Prophet like him would arise (Deut. 18:15). Moses had fed the people. Moses had led them out of bondage. Jesus had fed the people. Jesus could lead the people out of the hated Roman bondage. The people saw His sign, but they did not perceive its meaning. They wanted to seize Him and make Him King. This marks the highpoint of Jesus' popularity and a great temptation for Him. Could He have the kingdom without the Cross? No. Jesus' kingdom would be given to Him by the Father (cf. Ps. 2:7-12; Dan. 7:13-14). It will not come from this world (John 18:36). The path of the Father's will lies in another direction. Before He can be the reigning Lion of Judah, He must be the Lamb who bears the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). (See Bible Knowledge Commentary - Page 294) POSB characterizes the people's faith as "a materialistic faith, a faith that makes a profession of Jesus. The people’s profession: Jesus is the Messiah (cf Christos; Messiah - Anointed One; Messiah - messias). The people’s concept: Jesus is an earthly, materialistic, worldly-minded king." (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible) What the Bible Teaches - The multitudes had experienced a threefold blessing: 1. their sick had been healed (Mt 14:14); 2. they had been taught (Mark 6:34); 3. they had been satisfied with food. As a result, they claimed that the Lord was "that prophet that should come into the world" (John 6:14). Above all, they attempted to make Him a king by force (v. 15), an impossibility, since His enthronement would be by His Father God (Ps 2:6). Truly (230)(alethos) is an adverb meaning adv. truly, really, actually With adjectival function = real Jn 1:47; 8:31. BDAG says "corresponding to what is really so." Alethos - Matt. 14:33; Matt. 26:73; Matt. 27:54; Mk. 14:70; Mk. 15:39; Lk. 9:27; Lk. 12:44; Lk. 21:3; Jn. 1:47; Jn. 4:42; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 7:26; Jn. 7:40; Jn. 8:31; Jn. 17:8; Acts 12:11; 1Th 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:5 Prophet (4396) prophetes from próphemi = literally to tell beforehand in turn from pró = before, in front of, forth, on behalf of + phemí = speak, tell) is primarily a forth-teller or one who speaks out God’s message, primarily to their own generation, usually always calling the people to God's truth for them at that moment, often using the phrase "Thus saith the Lord." The prophet is one who speaks before in the sense of proclaim, or the one who speaks for, i.e., in the Name of (God). "As distinct from the sacral figures of pagan antiquity the biblical prophet is not a magician. He does not force God. On the contrary, he is under divine constraint. It is God Who invites, summons, and impels him--e.g., Jer 20:7" (Lamorte and Hawthorne) Although we commonly think of the prophet as predicting future events (foretelling) generally this was secondary to his work of forth-telling. When they functioned as predictors or prognosticators, the Biblical prophets foretold the future with 100 percent accuracy. And so if they were correct on the first coming of Messiah, they will be correct on His second coming and on the coming of the antichrist. In sum, forth-telling dealt with current events and fore-telling with future events, but in both the goal is the same -- to call us to trust the Lord and submit to His will for our lives, living in conformity with His Word. Lexham Bible - Prophetes is someone who is specially endowed or enabled to receive and deliver direct revelation of God's will. See also Dictionary of Biblical Imagery discussion of imagery associated with PROPHET. Prophetes in John - Jn. 1:21; Jn. 1:23; Jn. 1:25; Jn. 1:45; Jn. 4:19; Jn. 4:44; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 6:45; Jn. 7:40; Jn. 7:52; Jn. 8:52; Jn. 8:53; Jn. 9:17; Jn. 12:38; QUESTION - Who is the Prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15–19? ANSWER - Deuteronomy is the account of Moses’ teaching of the law to the generation of Israel after their 40-year wilderness wandering. As part of his instruction to Israel, he speaks of a coming prophet: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die’” (Deuteronomy 18:15–16). In Deuteronomy 18 Moses warns the people against imitating other nations and falling into idolatry (Deuteronomy 18:9). Moses reminds the people of specific practices they should avoid and how God would judge the people who engage in them (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Israel was to be distinct—holy and blameless—gaining their approval from God and not from other nations (Deuteronomy 18:13). Those nations listened to falsehood and engaged in detestable practices (Deuteronomy 18:14). Israel was not to do that. In order to ensure that Israel would know God’s direction, He would raise up for Israel a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15a). The context provides some hints as to who this prophet is. This prophet would be one of their countrymen, and they should listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15b). Moses explains that this was a concession on God’s part. The people were terrified when God appeared at Mount Sinai (in Horeb) and asked that God speak to them through an intermediary (Exodus 20:18–19). God was gracious to the people and commended them for fearing Him (Deuteronomy 18:16–17). Moses recounts how God told him that God would raise up a prophet and put His words in that prophet’s mouth (Deuteronomy 18:18). Anyone who would not listen to the prophet would be accountable to God (Deuteronomy 18:19). As Israel waited for this prophet, God warned that there would be false prophets who would speak in the name of other gods. Those false prophets would be worthy of death (Deuteronomy 18:20). The people of Israel could recognize false prophets by whether or not their prophecies came to pass (Deuteronomy 18:21). The reference to “a prophet” in Deuteronomy 18:15–19 could be fulfilled by any of the prophets that God would send to the nation. However, the expectation of the people was clearly that God would send one particular prophet. They looked forward to that. When John the Baptist came, the people asked him if he was the prophet (John 1:21). John explained that he was not the prophet. The One that John was announcing was the Messiah, the prophet for whom the people were waiting (John 1:26–30). Peter connected the role of Messiah with that prophet and affirmed that Jesus was the Expected One (Acts 3:20–26). While God spoke to Israel through many prophets over the years (Acts 3:24), in the latter days God spoke through His Son (Hebrews 1:1). Jesus is the ultimate Prophet and best epitomizes the prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15–19. He spoke of things to come, announcing His coming kingdom. He revealed and explained His Father (John 1:18; 14:10–11). He provided an incredible panorama of the future and offered a blessing to all who hear and heed His word (Revelation 1:3). All who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 6:47), and no one who believes in Him will be disappointed or disturbed (Isaiah 28:16). This Prophet is trustworthy because He is much more than simply a prophet. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). The people understood that this meant He was God (John 5:18).GotQuestions.org Steven
João 6
Morris has an interesting comment - This fourth miracle of creation described in John's Gospel was also a fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 43:2: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." In this instance, Christ evidently created an anti-gravitational force of some kind enabling Him to set aside the most basic of all scientific laws. The law of conservation of energy stipulates that energy (the capacity to accomplish work, moving forces through distances) be neither created nor annihilated. Jesus, as the Creator, alone can supersede or extend this law. (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible?) The Believer's Study Bible - At this point the boat was a little more than halfway across the lake. In spite of their close relationship to the Son of God, the disciples still reveal spiritual immaturity and insensitivity to the presence of God in their midst. Christ would remind them and us that in the storms of life, such as this one and those that lie ahead, we should "not be afraid" (v. 20), but rather "believe" (v. 30) in Him who feeds the multitudes, walks on the water, and calms the sea. Brian Bell - Man's Extremity is God’s Opportunity. He comes in the teeth of the wind, & on the face of the wave. [Jesus walked approx. 4 miles on the lake] He would have walked by (Mk.6:48) So, What made Jesus stop? Well, when they cried out. Yes but actually when they cried out for fear. Not, that they cried out "Jesus!" But when they cried out, AHHHH!!! Not when they cried out in faith...It was when they cried out in fear. Jesus simply heard their voice. Does that encourage you? I love this Jesus! It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. Sometimes God shows up in a scary way not a comfortable way - Moses/burning bush. We need to recognize the presence of God in...our pain...our hurts...our sorrow...our uncertainty. Recognize His voice when you can’t see His face. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)
João 6
Morris - “God will teach His people Himself, i.e. He will teach then within their hearts. Only those who are taught in this fashion will come to Jesus.” (Borrow The Gospel according to John) (YES GOD WILL TEACH, BUT THEY MUST HEAR THE WORD - "How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" Ro 10:14+) AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT (didaktos) OF GOD - In Jn 6:44 the emphasis was on supernatural drawing by God and here we see the vital role of supernatural teaching. Teaching is not merely external revelation (the Jews prided themselves on this), but internal illumination, by the Spirit, and this supernatural teaching works in tandem with the supernatural drawing by God in John 6:44. (Piper sermon) Remember that all caps in the NAS signifies a direct OT quote, a feature not found in any other Bible translation. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 54:13. And since Isaiah was written to the nation of Israel the first application of they is to the Jews, but the principle is applicable to both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus quotes from the first clause of Isaiah 54:13 “All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great." Isaiah is speaking of the coming Millennial Kingdom when all the Jews who enter the kingdom are saved. As Jeremiah says "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me." (Jer 31:34+) The important point to remember is that the drawing of a sinner comes through teaching rather than through some mystical process. To be sure the role of the Spirit is mysterious, but He operates in the context of Gospel proclamation.
João 6
Morris - “Many commentators speak as though the word ‘flesh’ self-evidently marked a reference to Holy Communion. It, of course, does nothing of the sort. It is not found in the narratives of the institution, nor in 1 Corinthians 10, nor in 1 Corinthians 11 in connexion with the sacrament. Nor is it common in the Fathers in this sense.” (Borrow The Gospel according to John) John
João 6
Morris - Eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood point to that central saving act described otherwise in, say, John 3:16. Christ’s death opens the way to life. Men enter that way by faith….Eating the flesh and drinking the blood represent a striking way of saying this.” (See John - Page 313 - scroll up and down for more text OR BORRO The Gospel according to John) H A
João 6
Morris points out (Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 366), Jesus’ words are not an abstract statement, but rather an appeal for people to come to Him and believe in Him. As I mentioned last week, this is an astounding claim that no mere man could make. Jesus says that if we will come to Him and believe in Him, He will eternally satisfy and sustain us spiritually. It’s important to affirm that the doctrine of election does not in any way restrict offering the gospel freely to all. Whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life (John 3:16). The Bible ends with this open invitation (Rev. 22:17), “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” The Bible never says, “If you’re one of the elect, come.” It invites every sinner to come to Jesus just as you are and know that He will welcome you. But … 2. People are so hopelessly lost in sin that they will reject even the best reasons to believe (Jn 6:36). I might add, “Even religious, morally upright people are so hopelessly lost in sin that they will reject even the best reasons to believe.” Jesus was speaking to religious, moral Jews. They were zealous about keeping the Sabbath and the many Jewish rituals. Yet here they’ve seen Jesus miraculously provide bread and fish for a huge multitude and they’ve watched Him heal many of their sick, but Jesus’ tragic assessment is (Jn 6:36), “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” People do not reject Christ because they lack solid evidence for believing in Him. Sometimes skeptics will say, “Show me a real miracle and I’ll believe.” No, they wouldn’t. People reject Jesus because they love darkness rather than light (Jn 3:19-21). People apart from Christ are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3). They cannot understand spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14) because Satan has blinded their eyes (2 Cor. 4:4). In John 8:43, Jesus asks the unbelieving Jews, “Why do you not understand what I am saying?” He answers His own question, “It is because you cannot hear My word.” He did not say “because you will not hear My word,” but “because you cannot hear My word.” That’s why He says (John 6:44), “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (also, 6:65). Because of sin, it’s impossible for anyone to believe in Jesus apart from God’s opening their blind eyes (Rom. 3:10-18). In the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn, before Christ sends His “quickening ray,” we are “fast bound in sin and nature’s night.” Leon Morris writes (Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 367), “People do not come to Christ because it seems to them a good idea. It never does seem a good idea to natural man. Apart from a divine work in their souls (cf. Jn 16:8) men remain contentedly in their sins.” Yet at the same time, we are responsible for our unbelief. So, then, how can anyone be saved? 3. All whom the Father has given to Jesus will certainly be saved Jn 6:37a). John 6:37a: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me ….” This refers to the elect, whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world to give to His Son. Jesus refers to those the Father has given Him in Jn 6:39 and in Jn 10:29 (see, Jn 18:9). He repeats it five times in His prayer in John 17: John 17:2: “… even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.” John 17:6 [2x]: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” John 17:9: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours ….” (Note that the Father has not given everyone in the world to Jesus, but only some.) John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” Many argue that the elect, whom the Father gives to the Son, are those whom God foreknew would believe in Christ by their own free will. But as we’ve seen, left to their own fallen will, none would choose to believe in Christ. Furthermore, the foreknowledge ruse robs God of His sovereignty and makes man sovereign. But the Bible is clear that God did not make up His plan for the ages after He saw what sinful people would do! John Bunyan wrote a wonderful book on John 6:37, “Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ”. He makes the point that Jesus’ statement here is unconditional. It will happen without exception because it rests on God’s will, which He is able to accomplish. It’s sometimes called “irresistible grace.” This does not mean that God drags people to Christ kicking and screaming against their will. No one comes to Christ unwillingly. Rather, it means that God makes sinners willing to come to Christ (Ps. 110:3). When Paul preached the gospel to Lydia, we read (Acts 16:14), “And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” If God had not opened her heart, she would not have responded favorably. If you have believed in Christ, it’s because the Lord opened your heart to believe. You believed because the Holy Spirit imparted new life to you, apart from anything in you. You believed because in His sovereign grace, before the foundation of the world the Father chose you in love to give to His Son. All whom the Father has given to Jesus will certainly be saved. No sinner can thwart God’s mighty will to accomplish His purpose (Ps. 115:3). 4. Salvation is absolutely and finally secure for all whom the Father has given to Jesus (Jn 6:37b-40). These verses are a wonderful foundation for assurance of salvation for all who have come to Jesus and believed in Him. Note four things: A. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him (Jn 6:37b). John 6:37b: “… and the one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out.” That phrase is often understood, even by the greats like John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon (who has at least seven sermons on this verse), to mean that Christ will welcome all who come to Him. That is certainly true, whether it’s the thief on the cross or Paul, the persecutor of the church. But I agree with D. A. Carson (Borrow The Gospel according to John, p. 290) that that is not the meaning of this phrase in its context. Rather, what Jesus is saying is that all that the Father gives to Him (who will surely come to Him) He will certainly keep or preserve unto eternity. In modern terms, He won’t “kick out” any whom the Father has given to Him. There are two reasons that this is what Jesus means here. First, the Greek verb translated “cast out” in almost all of its parallel occurrences refers to casting out something that is already “in.” For example, John uses it (9:34) to refer to the Pharisees expelling the man born blind from the temple (cf. 3 John 10). Second, the next three verses show that this is Jesus’ meaning. He repeatedly emphasizes that He will eternally keep all whom the Father has given Him. At Christmas, you may receive a gift that you have absolutely no use for (except for a white elephant gift to unload on some poor victim at next year’s Christmas party). Jesus doesn’t do that with the gifts that the Father gives Him. He uses a strong double negative (in the Greek text) to underscore that He will keep every gift from the Father. If you have believed in Jesus, you’re one of God’s gifts to His Son. (Don’t let that go to your head!) As a member of Christ’s body, He will tenderly nourish and cherish you (Eph. 5:29). B. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him because He came down from heaven to do the Father’s will (Jn 6:38). John 6:38: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Jesus bases the success of His mission not on whether or not people respond to Him, but rather on the fact that He came down from heaven (John 6:33, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51, 58), where He shared the glory of the Father (Jn 17:5), to do the Father’s will, which is absolutely certain. If any whom the Father gave to the Son do not make it to heaven, it would mean either that Jesus was incapable of performing what the Father commanded Him to do or that He was flagrantly disobedient, both of which are unthinkable (Carson, Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 291). But what is the Father’s will? C. The will of the Father who sent Jesus is that of all that He has given Him, He lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day (Jn 6:39). John 6:39: “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” “The last day” is a phrase that occurs only in John (Jn 5:28, 29; 11:24; 12:48). It means that Jesus will keep us until we’re in heaven. Morris states (Borrow The Gospel according to John, p. 368), “This thought is of the greatest comfort to believers. Their assurance is based not on their feeble hold on Christ, but on His sure grip of them.” You may wonder, “What about Judas or what about the disciples in John 6:66 who turned away from Jesus?” The answer is, they never truly believed in Jesus. In John 17:12, Jesus prays with reference to the twelve, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” There are many like the seed sown on the stony ground or the thorny ground, who spring up and at first look genuine, but when trials and temptations hit, they wither and die (Matt. 13:20-21). They never truly believed in Christ. But those to whom Jesus gives eternal life will never perish (John 10:28). D. To sum up, the will of the Father is that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and Jesus will raise him up on the last day (Jn 6:40). John 6:40 sums up what Jesus has been saying: “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Again, this is a staggering claim that Jesus has already made (5:28-29), that He will raise us from the dead on the last day so that we will be with Him forever. Note that rather than referring to those whom He will raise up as those whom the Father has given to Him, here Jesus goes back to the invitation mode of Jn 6:35. There it was “he who comes to Me” and “he who believes in Me.” Here, it is “everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him.” “To behold” implies knowledge of who Jesus is. You can’t believe in one you know nothing about. John wrote this gospel to show us who Jesus is—the Christ, the Son of God—so that we may believe in His name and have eternal life (Jn 20:31). It’s interesting that none other than John Calvin (John 6 Commentary) here calls “madmen” those who seek salvation in what he calls “the whirlpool of predestination,” rather than by faith in Christ. He’s saying, to be saved, don’t probe into whether or not you’re one of the elect. Rather, focus on answering the question, “Who is Jesus?” and on the basis of the apostolic witness, put your trust in Him. Conclusion Some preachers do not teach on God’s sovereignty over our salvation because they say that it’s too controversial or divisive. Some argue that these doctrines are just theoretical theology that have no relevance for how we live. I’ve heard seminary professors say that you should never talk about the doctrine of election with unbelievers, because it will drive them away from Christ. Yet here Jesus speaks plainly about election as He confronts these unbelievers (He will do it again in Jn 10:26). The thought that you may not be one of God’s elect should drive you in panic to believe in Jesus! Also, God’s sovereign election is a comforting doctrine for us who truly believe in Jesus because it’s the foundation for our eternal security. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him. His mission will not fail. God’s sovereign election the only doctrine that produces true humility in us as we give all glory to God, who graciously saves unworthy sinners (1 Cor. 1:18-31). The doctrine of election encourages us to share the gospel even with immoral, idolatrous “Corinthians” (Acts 18:9-10), because God will save all whom He has purposed to save. And, Jesus’ words here give comfort to preachers who preach on God’s sovereignty, only to have people leave the church, which I hope that none of you will do! Application Questions Some say that the doctrine of election discourages evangelism and missions. Why is this false? What Scriptures refute it? Some argue that if sinners can’t believe by their own free will, it is mockery to encourage them to believe. What Scriptures refute this error? Since some (like Judas or those in John 6:66) seem to be saved for a while and then fall away, how can we know that our faith in Christ is the real thing? Should we assure a professing Christian who is living in sin that he is eternally secure in Christ? Why/why not? Which Scriptures give guidance on this? Related Resources: What is conditional election? | GotQuestions.org Unconditional election - is it biblical? | GotQuestions.org John 6:41-47 A Lesson in Witnessing to Skeptics - Steven Cole When I’ve received training in how to share my faith, the instruction has often been along the lines of showing unbelievers how easy it is to trust in Christ. Give them examples of how every day we trust in people we don’t even know: “You trust the companies that make your food. You trust your doctor and the pharmacist. You trust the mechanic who fixed the brakes on your car. So now, just trust in Jesus. It’s easy!” Some of these evangelistic methods also advise not to focus on the person’s sin and his need of repentance or on God’s wrath and the judgment to come. That might scare away a potential convert. Rather just tell them about God’s love and faith in Christ. Keep it positive: focus on how Jesus will meet his needs for a happy marriage, a successful career, and a life free of trouble and pain. After you “close the deal,” you can talk about the hard stuff. But have you ever noticed how Jesus often took the opposite approach? When the rich young ruler asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus simply could have said, “It’s easy: God loves you, man, and I love you too! Just believe in Me and you’ve got it.” Instead, He told him to keep the commandments. When the young man claimed that he had done that, Jesus replied (Luke 18:22), “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Not so easy! Jesus told the unbelieving crowd (Mark 8:34-35), “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Death to self! Not so easy! Jesus often seems to have made it hard to believe. He never softened His demand for total commitment in order to win more followers. To understand John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,” we have to view it in its context: Jesus is talking with unbelieving skeptics. They ate the miraculous bread and wanted to make Jesus king. But He didn’t come to be the kind of king that they were looking for, so He withdrew from them. They later sought Jesus in Capernaum, but for the wrong reason. They wanted Him to be the new Moses, who could provide them with a lifetime supply of bread. They had a wrong expectation for who the Messiah should be and what He should do for them. So Jesus corrected their errors and asserted that He is the true bread out of heaven who could satisfy their spiritual hunger. Then Jesus confronted their unbelief (Jn 6:36): “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” He then brought up the sovereign plan of God, who had given some to Jesus, whom He would certainly save and keep for all eternity (Jn 6:37-40). His mission would certainly succeed even if these Jews rejected Him, because Jesus came to fulfill the Father’s sovereign will. In this context these Jews were grumbling about Jesus (Jn 6:42-43): They thought that they knew His origin as the son of Joseph and Mary. How then could He be the bread of life that came down out of heaven? They challenged Jesus’ claims. Sometimes Jesus followed the principle of not casting your pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6) by just ignoring such critics. But here, He witnesses to them, although not in the way many modern evangelism courses would advise. Rather than defending Himself or correcting their misunderstandings or telling them how much God loved them, Jesus restated His teaching about God’s sovereignty over our salvation. He showed them their inability to come to Him apart from God’s sovereign grace. That’s a subject which, as I said last week, some pastors won’t bring up at all, but especially they would advise that you never bring it up with skeptical unbelievers. But Jesus breaks that rule here by telling these skeptical Jews that they cannot come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them. In so doing, Jesus gives us a lesson in how to witness to skeptics: Christ witnessed to skeptics by confronting their attitude, showing them their spiritual inability, and pointing them to faith in Himself as their only hope of eternal life. 1. Christ witnessed to skeptics by confronting their attitude (Jn 6:41-43). John 6:41-43: “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down out of heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, “I have come down out of heaven”?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do not grumble among yourselves.’” John uses the word “Jews” consistently to refer to those who were hostile toward Jesus. In this context, he also may want us to think back to the Jews who grumbled in the wilderness under Moses and brought judgment on their own heads (Exod. 15:24; Num. 11:1; 14:2-5, etc.). The cause of the Jews’ grumbling here was Jesus’ claim to be the bread that came down out of heaven. They thought that they knew Jesus’ origin as the son of Joseph and Mary. So they couldn’t understand how He claimed to come down out of heaven, which He repeats over and over in this chapter (Jn 6:32 [implied], Jn 6:33, 38, 50, 51, 58). So they were setting themselves up as capable of judging Jesus’ repeated claim because they did not know about His virgin birth. John is again using irony here, because he has already told us that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us (1:14). If these Jews only knew the truth (as we, the readers, do), they would have known that Jesus’ claim was absolutely true. Jesus did not correct their misunderstanding about His coming down out of heaven. Rather, He confronted their attitude (Jn 6:43): “Do not grumble among yourselves.” Grumblers invariably set themselves up as sovereign over God: “If God only saw things my way, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” “If God only took account of my insights, this problem would get cleared up right now!” Grumblers are not in submission to God’s sovereign rule. They want to tell God how to run the world so that things will go the way that they want. Grumblers arrogantly imply that they know more than God knows. These grumblers thought that they were competent to pass judgment on Jesus. So He confronted their grumbling attitude. The point is, grumblers will not believe in Jesus even if they’ve seen Him feed 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish and they’ve watched Him heal the sick, unless they repent of their grumbling attitude. At the root of unbelief is not a lack of evidence, but an attitude that wants to tell God how to run the universe, at least my corner of the universe! In John 7:17, Jesus states, “If anyone is willing to do His [the Father’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” At the root of correct understanding about Jesus that leads to faith in Him is whether we are willing to be obedient to God’s will. As I’ve said before, a good approach when a skeptic raises an objection to the faith (evolution, the problem of suffering, errors in the Bible, etc.) is to reply, “Are you saying that if I can give you reasonable answers to that issue, then you will repent of your sins and follow Jesus?” Invariably, the skeptic will say, “Well, there are other issues, too!” In other words, the issues are not the issue. The issues are smokescreens to hide the fact that the skeptic doesn’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. If he can “control” Jesus to provide him with what he wants out of life, he might profess to “believe.” But then he’s not believing in Jesus as Lord, but rather in Jesus as Aladdin’s Genie. So in witnessing to such grumbling skeptics, confront their underlying attitude of not wanting to submit to Jesus. Before I move on to Jn 6:44-45, I need to mention that grumbling is not just a problem for unbelieving skeptics. It’s also a problem for many that profess to know Christ (1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14). If you’re grumbling about your circumstances, you’re not giving thanks in all things. And if you’re not giving thanks, you’re not trusting in the Lord and submitting to His sovereign hand over your circumstances. So we all need to apply Jesus’ words in 6:43 to ourselves as often as needed: “Do not grumble among yourselves.” 2. Christ witnessed to skeptics by stripping them of all spiritual self-confidence (Jn 6:44-45). John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Note, also, that Jesus basically repeats verse 44 in 6:65, except that there He changes the Father’s drawing with His granting coming to Jesus as a sovereign gift. Why would Jesus tell unbelieving skeptics that they are unable in and of themselves to come to Him? I can see why He would talk privately with His disciples about such a profound theological truth. But why would He bring this up with these skeptics? A. Unbelieving skeptics need to be stripped of their proud self-confidence. I think that this is the main reason Jesus tells these skeptics that no one has the ability to come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them. Skeptics invariably are proud of their mental ability. They view believers as uneducated simpletons: “If they had half a brain, they could see how unreasonable it is to believe that this carpenter from Nazareth came down from heaven!” Skeptics think that their intellect is sovereign over God. They base their understanding of God (if He even exists) on evidence and logic. But if a skeptic were able to come to Christ through his own intellect or will-power or decision, he would come in pride, which is antithetical to gospel repentance. The Bible yanks the rug of pride out from under us all: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” J. C.
João 6
Morris comments (Borrow The Gospel according to John , p. 390), There can be not the slightest doubt that the title is meant to assign to Jesus the highest possible place. It stresses His consecration and His purity. It sets Him with God and not man. Your faith is only as good as its object. You can have all the faith in the world in a faulty airplane, but your faith won’t make it fly. On the other hand, all you need is enough faith to get on board a mechanically sound plane, and it will get you where you’re going. If Jesus is not who the Bible shows Him to be, then faith in Him will not get you to heaven. But if He is the Holy One of God, then you should trust in Him and persevere even when He says hard things or takes you through hard times. C. Jesus Christ alone is the omniscient, sovereign God. John repeatedly emphasizes this truth in our text. Jesus knew when the fair-weather disciples were grumbling among themselves (Jn 6:61). He knew those who did not believe (Jn 6:64). He knew from the beginning who would betray Him (Jn 6:64). He knew that He would give His life on the cross, be raised again, and ascend to the Father (Jn 6:51, 62). He chose Judas as an apostle although He knew that he was a devil (Jn 6:70). And, of course, He knows all whom the Father has given to Him and He knows that He will not lose any of them (Jn 6:37, 39; 17:9, 12). He is omniscient and sovereign. But, you may wonder, why did Jesus choose Judas when He knew that he would betray Him? A. W. Pink (Christ and His Disciples John 6:60-71) suggests seven reasons: (1) It furnished an opportunity for Christ to display His perfections. Christ came to do the Father’s will and to accomplish the work on the cross that the Father gave Him (John 4:34). That required choosing the disciple who would betray Him. (2) It provided an impartial witness to the moral excellency of Christ. Judas later testified (Matt. 27:4), “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” (3) It gave occasion to uncover the awfulness of sin. Judas shows us the heinous nature of the sin from which we have been saved. Apart from His grace, we all would be traitors against Christ. (4) It supplies sinners with a solemn warning. Judas shows us “how near a man may come to Christ and yet be lost.” (5) It tells us we may expect to find hypocrites among the followers of Christ. (6) It shows us that a devil is to be expected among the servants of God. (7) It affords one more illustration of how radically different are God’s thoughts and ways from ours. D. Jesus Christ is far above all others by way of comparison. “Lord, to whom shall we go?” I’ve thought about that question many times when I’ve faced hard things. “Lord, to whom shall I go?” Jesus Christ is far and away supreme over all other options. He alone has words of eternal life. He alone is the Holy One of God. He alone is the omniscient, all-wise sovereign of the universe. “Lord, to whom shall we go?” To the extent that we are tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil, we do not realize or have forgotten the supreme beauty and glory of Christ. John Owen wrote (ibid., p. 93), “The whole foundation of all gospel faith rests in the glory of Christ’s person and offices…. It is this knowledge of him alone that will make us despise all other things in comparison with him.” Jesus is the pearl of great price. He is the treasure in the field. Sell everything and buy that pearl! Buy that field! I like the way Juan Carlos Ortiz tells the story of the pearl of great price (adapted from The Disciple [Creation House], pp. 34-35). A man sees this pearl and says to the merchant, “I want this pearl. How much is it?” The seller says, “It’s very expensive.” “How much?” “A lot!” “Well, do you think I could buy it?” the man asks. “Oh, yes,” says the merchant, “everyone can buy it.” “But I thought you said it was very expensive.” “I did.” “Well, how much?” “Everything you have,” says the seller. “All right, I’ll buy it.” “Okay, what do you have?” “Well, I have $10,000 in the bank.” “Good, $10,000. What else?” “That’s all I have.” “Nothing more?” “Well, I have a few dollars more in my pocket.” “How much?” “Let’s see … $100.” “That’s mine, too,” says the seller. “What else do you have?” “That’s all, nothing else.” “Where do you live?” the seller asks. “In my house. Yes, I own a home.” The seller writes down, “house.” “It’s mine.” “Where do you expect me to sleep—in my camper?” “Oh, you have a camper, do you? That, too. What else” “Am I supposed to sleep in my car?” “Oh, you have a car?” “Yes, I own two of them.” “They’re mine now.” “Look, you’ve taken my money, my house, my camper, and my cars. Where is my family going to live?” “So, you have a family?” “Yes, I have a wife and three kids.” “They’re mine now.” Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children, house, money, cars, and you, too.” Then he goes on, “Now, listen, I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they’re all mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them, you must give them up, because I am now the owner.” Conclusion Everything in the Christian life depends on Jesus Christ and whether He is who He claimed to be. If He’s not, then go follow someone or something else. Maybe there is someone better to follow or something better to live for. But if Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the one with words of eternal life, the Holy One of God, the omniscient, sovereign God, then where else can you go? Even when He says hard things or takes you through hard times, you’ve got to follow Him. There just aren’t any other options that even come close! Application Questions What thing(s) other than Christ are you most tempted to put your faith in? How can you guard against their lure? Which of the nine wrong reasons to turn from Christ to things that cannot save do you most easily succumb to? Why didn’t Jesus go after these disciples who turned away? Is the church growth approach that focuses on getting more people into the church valid in light of Jesus’ ministry? How can we as Christians get an ever-increasing vision of the glory and supremacy of Jesus Christ?