Last week we ended after the disciples had left the east side of the Sea of Galilee and headed for Capernaum on the northwest side. They made the trip via boat at night (perhaps 8 miles) and Jesus met them in the middle of the lake. The crowd that Jesus had fed was left on the other side of the lake.
John 6:22-24
On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
The people were looking for Jesus but not for the right reasons. It was a miracle that they didn't take Him by force earlier. They were expending a great deal of effort seeking a savior after their own design. They had nationalist motives and needed a leader that could deliver God's blessing.
John 6:25-34
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Rather than respond to their question about how Jesus got to Capernaum, Jesus begins to explain to them that they have a root problem that they haven't dealt with. At this point it becomes obvious that these people didn't even see the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 as a sign of Jesus being the Christ. They saw the sign but they didn't accept it as a sign. So they didn't realize the implications of declaring that Jesus was The Prophet. They were hearing the words being spoken but without any enlightenment because they were spiritually dead. They say they want a sign so they can do what Jesus commanded.
Jesus is moving the discussion to a spiritual dimension and they can't follow the logic. They need spiritual and eternal food but all they ask for is physical and temporary food. They even misattribute manna to Moses rather than God. They are looking for a leader and not a savior and don't see how serious their position is.
John 6:35-40
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. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 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. 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."
We'll see 7 "I AM" statements as we move on through John. This is the first. In Greek it is "εγω
ειμι". It is a claim to divinity. The Jews of the 1st Century perceived it as a claim of divinity. Sometimes it is hard for us to see why the reactions were so strong because we don't hear link to the Old Testament name for God.
Notice that this is Jesus stating the doctrine of Specific Atonement (sometimes called Limited Atonement). Jesus did not lay down His life wondering if anyone would get saved or just hoping it would all work out. Here we find Jesus affirming that He knew that He was dying for the Church (Old and New Testament Believers). This Body of Believers would be given to Him by the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit.
There are no preconditions are placed on those who are saved. Jesus simply says that "all that the Father gives me will come to me". So the blessing of Grace is without condition. It is unconditional. This is known as Unconditional Election. God has reasons for what He does. I'm not saying that God is capricious or random but His reasons for His grace are not found in you. He didn't need your skill set to make up the "A-Team" and Scripture tells us the opposite is true.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
Notice also that if it were not for God the Father acting first through the Holy Spirit we wouldn't come to God. Some folks say that God changes your "want to" and as long as you realize that means you were moved from death to life spiritually then it is a fine way to think of it. God acted first in your salvation, regardless of how it "felt", and it is known as a monergistic or one worker start to your new life. This is also known as the doctrine of Effectual Calling (or Irresistible Grace) but keep in mind that you always choose according to your strongest inclination at the moment but God makes your heart of stone into a heart of flesh and you look on the Son and believe in Him. This completes your justification before God and you can't add anything to Christ's work. Walking out your salvation is synergistic or a working together of you with God by the Holy Spirit bringing glory to Christ. This is your sanctification.
In fact, Jesus also teaches the doctrine of the Preservation of the Saints (sometimes called the Perseverance of the Saints). Jesus knew that He would also keep the Church and raise it up on the last day. This is a promise to each individual and it is not just a general group from various populations.
Although Paul and other portions of Scripture reiterate and explain these doctrines, it is wonderful to see our Savoir teaching Specific Atonement, Unconditional Election, Effectual Calling, and the Preservation of the Saints. We are love gifts of the Father to the Son by the Holy Spirit and the Son will not lose any part of His gift and it is the Father's will that everyone who looks on the Son and believes will have eternal life and be raised up on the last day. That is really good news.
John 6:41-47
So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 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'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 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— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
Remember that Jesus was teaching in Capernaum. This region, because of a presumed familiarity, was a hard hearted place. Their hearts of stone were condemned by Jesus in Matthew 11:23. They said that they were rejecting the teaching of Jesus because they didn't think the incarnation could occur by a birth. In reality their sin was keeping them in rebellion. Here Jesus touches on our sin nature.
This doctrine is known as Radical Corruption (or Total Depravity). Our sin goes to the core of our being. Scripture says that we were by nature the children of wrath and God must move us into the Kingdom of the Son. Jesus says it in a very clear way. He says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him".
Our inability stems from our radical fall into sin and the "enmity" against God that it generates. In Romans Chapter 8, Scripture teaches that our minds, before salvation, are opposed to God for they are not subject to the laws of God and cannot be subject to the law of God. We can't want what we don't want and we are therefore in bondage to our own wills. Our wills are the problem not the solution. But God in His mercy (see what Jesus says) sent Jesus and draws us. That word for draw isn't a sweetly and tenderly luring of us. It is the same word in the Greek that is used when Paul and Silas were seized and dragged into the marketplace before the rulers (Acts 16:19).
In a very practical way this is tremendously encouraging to evangelism because the conversion of sinners depends on God and you simply need to be a willing participant. It isn't salesmanship that saves someone. Charles Finney was dead wrong and I'm afraid that is true in more than one way.
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