John Chapter 6
In John chapter 6, Jesus had just crossed over the Sea of Galilee. In Jesus’ ministry, a great number of people followed Him because of His ability to heal the sick. Jesus repeatedly proved faithful to meet the physical needs of His people. There was now a great crowd that followed Jesus into the hills and they sat with Him and His disciples. Jesus saw that the people who followed Him were hungry, and so he demonstrated His capacity to miraculously provide perfectly for those who followed Him. However, Jesus was more concerned about their spiritual well being, and knew that unless they also took in His word and spirit, that their eternal need would be left unsatisfied.Soon after they ate, the crowds who were miraculously fed by Jesus were ready to make Him king over them. People were beginning to realize that this was the coming Messiah foretold by the prophets. But few yet understood that Jesus’ ministry on earth was not to establish His earthly kingdom, but to delegate His authority over sin and death to a kingdom of God’s children until the proper time came for Him to return and to rule and reign with His people. The problem with Christ ruling and reigning at that time is that He did not yet have a kingdom of people established to rule and reign with, for His own people Israel had rejected Him, and sin was keeping all people from being eligible inheritors of God’s provision. Without Christ’s work on the cross, there would be only judgment and there could be no chosen kingdom of people to reign with.
Jesus had left the crowd to go up into the hills to be alone, while His disciples crossed back over the sea to the other side. Jesus walked on the water and met them in the boat and made the return trip in time for the crowds to meet them in the morning. The crowds who were waiting for Jesus on the other side were amazed that Jesus was with the disciples who had left without Him. Jesus then identified that the crowd was more concerned about their own physical well being than the state of their souls. Jesus wanted to demonstrate that He had the same ability to feed their physical bodies as their spirit inside them.
The people were expecting another miraculous sign of provision. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying about Himself. As the beginning of the book of John said,
“In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it…
But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan- this rebirth comes from God.
So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.”
Jesus was explaining to His people that His words were life. He wanted them to know that He is the fulfillment of all scripture, and unless they accepted His physical body and His source of life which came from God, they will be no better than their ancestors who could accept God’s provision for their physical needs, but rejected God in their hearts (As was referred to the Israelites being fed mana by God while under Moses). He wanted them to know that he was the new provision sent by God that gives life to any who believe in him, because those who have faithful dependency on Jesus’ words are eating of His flesh, and those who agree that He was sent by God drink His blood and agree that His source of life is God. Any who rejected Jesus were rejecting God who sent Him.
The way Jesus presented this truth was confusing. The illustration He used was graphic and was meant to hide his purpose of death and resurrection until the right time came. Most of the crowd abandoned Him at this point and even many of His disciples left.
There comes a pivotal point in the lives of those who have heard the gospel of whether or not to accept what Jesus Christ said about Himself. Many times today we wait for a miraculous sign in order for Jesus to prove Himself in our lives. However, Jesus doesn’t want us to get as caught up as we are on our physical needs and what our eyes can perceive. Jesus has always been worthy of kingship based on his nature and character, but on the cross he made a way for us to become a part of His kingdom. As inheritors of the promise we have been bestowed eternity in our hearts, and as we have been freely given the all encompassing love of God, we can now also distribute His love freely to others.
We can all receive the life God wants to give us. Before the mana was for the Israelites in the desert, but now the death and life of Christ provides eternal life for any who will partake of His flesh and blood. Christ invites everyone to have communion with Him, but few ever take that opportunity
