John 6:40

“Let me expand on that,” Jesus clarifies. “It is my Father’s will to grant a resurrection experience and everlasting life to every last person who looks to the Son and places all their trust in him.”  John 6:40 EFP

The truth Jesus is trying to communicate is so simple yet so comprehensive at the same time.  There is no exclusionary clause and no loophole in this truth.  It’s stark.  It’s straightforward.  It’s all-embracing.  Look.  Believe.  Experience the gift.

"Look" denotes the desire to place my life’s focus on the Son, who is the image of His Father.  Looking to him is as much a decision as it is a way of life.  Jesus is the “who” we look to for the God-given quality of life.  “Believe” denotes a decision to place my life in the hands who promise to ensure I am totally fulfilled in my life here while securing my place with him forever.  “Experience” is the journey of a life lived to its fullest for the glory of God.  Resurrection and life eternal are present realities and future expectations as well. I am raised up now into a new life and experience eternal life even as I live my mortal life in this sinful world.  Looking awakens the need in me.  Believing takes hold of the promise for me.  Experiencing is living the essence of a life that never runs out even in a scarred planet as I await the Life that never ends and stretches into eternity.  Why would I settle for anything less? Why would you?

John 6:39

“This is what my Father wants,” Jesus clarifies, “He sent me with the desire that I not lose even one of the ones he sends my way.  He doesn’t want any of them to die, and if they do, he wants to raise them up on that glorious last day of this world as we know it.”  John 6:39 EFP

Do you sense Jesus is trying to emphasize the unity that exists between his will and his father’s will.  The plan of salvation is not an attempt by the son to convince his father to forgive humanity.  This is a joint effort.  There is total unanimity between the Son and the Father.

But there is a term used by Jesus a couple times in this verse and in verse 37—“the father gives me.”  It’s not clear by the syntax what Jesus is referring to when he refers to “that” which has been given to him by the Father.  The context of this text clarifies these as people and not things.  God has given humanity to Jesus to save.  Who are they?  Chosen ones?  An exclusive club?  Everyone?  Whoever they are, they will not be sent away when (or if) they come.  The Father wants all of the ones “he gives” Jesus to be saved.  He does not want to lose any of them.  I have to believe the tenor of the book would require I see the ones God “gives” to Jesus to save as the whole world—the same world he loved so much, he sent his only-begotten son to save, although in the end he knew he would only be able to save the ones who believed in him.  I have been chosen to live forever!  It is my choice to believe. Heaven is in my future.  God wants me there!  I want to believe…help my unbelief.  (Mark 9:24)

John 6:38

“That is why I am here.  This is why I left my home in heaven.  I didn’t do this just for the fun of it.  There is a purpose to all this.  I am here to live out the will of the one who sent me—my Father.” John 6:38 EFP

As Jesus did previously with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, he now does with these people who are having trouble understanding his words.  He tries to explain it in different ways. He does not want to give up! He tries another angle.  Why else would he have left heaven behind if not because there is a master plan in place?  The Father has a plan and he is here to make sure it happens as planned.   

Coming to this planet is not a vacation for Jesus.  He does not live a life of luxury and leisure.  He descends from a perfect and peaceful place in heaven to inhabit a decrepit and disgusting planet, to live a primitive life amongst a petulant people.  Why?  If what Jesus says is true—why would he do it?  His short answer—for me!  For you.  For anyone and everyone who believes (there’s that word again!).  Make no mistake, Jesus did not come to earth against his father’s wishes or in order to appease Him, who is determined to destroy earth and all its inhabitants in perpetuity.  He came to implement God’s plan, his purpose, and his ultimate desire.  The Father loves me—he loves the whole lot of us!  There is no reason to be left out of his rescue plan, unless I refuse to believe in the one who is responsible for implementing the plan.  That makes me feel so much more secure. “Blessed assurance!”

John 6:37

“Don’t you understand?  Jesus pleads. “All the ones my Father brings to me will approach me, and when they do I will never send them away without giving them what the Father wants me to.” John 6:37 EFP

Jesus’ heart must be breaking as he says these words.  He could see their inability to see him for who he was and their unwillingness to believe in him.  What was the blockage?  What kept them from seeing what was so clear?  “Come to me and you will be satisfied!” Jesus was imploring the restless crowd.  “I will not send you away empty-handed!  That is why my Father brought you here today.  He wants me to give you heavenly bread—that’s me!”

If the Father in heaven brings me to Jesus; that should lead to Him, right?  And if I approach Jesus he promises to satisfy my deepest needs.  He will give me more than I could ever anticipate or imagine.  That’s why he came to this rebellious planet.  That’s why he moved into my backwater neighborhood.  That’s why he chose to move into my home.  He lives to bring me back to his home.  He longs to restore me to the condition he designed for me before I was born.  He came to save me.  Why would he shoo me away when I finally come to Him?  It makes no sense…why do we insist in believing the lie to end all lies!  The gift is not a real gift.  There’s a hook in there somewhere.  Take the bread you can hold in your stomach and fill in your belly.  At least you’ll have something to show for it.  It’s my choice.  How often have I settled for the immediate gratification and temporary satisfaction and left the eternal on the table?  I’m sorry, Lord!

John 6:36

“The fact is,” Jesus continues, “I am here right in front of you and you still don’t believe.  How is this possible?” John 6:36 EFP

How could they miss it?  How is it they are unable to see what is so clear to us?  They see the miracles.  They eat the fish and bread provided through supernatural means.  They can’t explain any of it any more than they can explain how Jesus made it across the lake before them…without a boat.  Their own mouths ask for more wonderful heavenly bread, but they cannot see it is already being given to them.

How do they miss what Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman grasped?  Nicodemus was able to understand the meaning of new birth; the woman at Jacob’s well rejoiced in the meaning of living water. Both the new birth and the living water come from and through Jesus.  Both are given for the salvation of the sinner—lost and hopeless.  I qualify for that dubious title.  Yet, can it be that there are times my mind cannot fathom the spiritual nature of God’s gift and I insist in making it a tangible and measurable thing.  I have to feel it; I have to hold it; I have to participate in the event—otherwise it’s too hard for me to grasp.  And Jesus tells me, “I’m right here; just believe in me and your hungering days are over!”  How do I get there? Where is that spiritual plain? I want to get there! I need to get there!

John 6:35

“Let me make myself clear,” Jesus declares, “I am the Every Day Bread of Life.  Whoever keeps coming to me will never be hungry, and whoever puts their trust in me will never be thirsty either.” John 6:35 EFP

If there was any doubt as to what Jesus is trying to say, there is no doubt remaining now.  He makes the first of his classic “I Am” statements recorded by John; statements that must have made the hair on the back of the people’s neck stand at attention.  The Bread of Life is inseparable from the Giver of Life.  Material bread is easy to provide.  Jesus could keep the people alive for their entire lifetime as he did with the Israelites millennia before.  But that is not the point.

Jesus wants a permanent solution to the soul-starved and heart-hardened human condition.  Jesus came to secure a permanent remedy to the sin problem.  The prescription is Jesus.  He is the only drink and bread that can permanently satisfy the deepest human thirst and the hunger pangs of the human heart.  We may want to address temporal concerns, but Jesus redirects our eyes to the true source of our despair.  Manna was the daily bread for an entire nation for forty years.  Jesus is the daily bread for his people forever.  No need to collect and store.  No danger of spoilage.  Fresh every morning.  Satisfying every time.  Drink it up.  Taste and see that God is good. Every day and every moment. That is life.

John 6:34

“Well, in that case, Lord,” the people reply, “sign us up to receive this bread from you from this day forward.” John 6:34 EFP

Does this phrase not sound somewhat similar to the reply of the Samaritan woman to Jesus’ offer of living water?  She said, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." (John 4:14 NIV)  Is that not the same attitude?  I think so…sort of.

It seems to me her request was for Jesus to give her the living water so she would not have to come back to the well.  She saw the bankrupt routine she had chosen for herself and wanted something better.  Jesus offered freedom from the routine of the past in exchange for a new-found freedom from the earthly in favor of something beyond the earth-bound.  This crowd, on the other hand, seems to be asking for more of the same thing that took place yesterday.  They wanted bread from Him from this day forward.  They are still locked in to the earth-bound.  They are fixated on the bread.  The woman has begun to grasp there was something bigger at play than merely water to quench her physical thirst.  They could not see the heavenly bread due to their obsession with the earthly bread.  That’s sounds faintly familiar.  Jesus knows what I need.  So often I want what I want, while convincing myself it is what I need. Lord, help me want what you know I need!  

John 6:33

“The bread of God is not mere bread,” Jesus makes his point even more clearly. “The bread is the One who comes down from heaven to give life to the world.” John 6:33 EFP

What was thinly veiled in the previous verse is explicitly stated in this verse:  The bread is a person.  What?  The bread is a person?  The people must have been caught off guard by that statement.  Did Jesus really take that big a jump and expect people to follow him?  Something like “being born again” or “never thirst again”?  Jesus is speaking to those who are searching, the ones who want nothing but a show will have plenty of evidence on which to hang their impenitence and ignorance.

Then Jesus adds a quality to the bread that makes it even more difficult to believe for the one not intending to connect the dots.  The “bread” gives life to the world.  OK.  I get that, the world will not go hungry if God provides bread for the masses.  I get it!  Maybe Jesus is saying that you can’t separate the miracle from the miracle-maker.  Bread does not produce itself. But he says the bread is the one who comes down from heaven… Is he saying he is the bread?  If that’s the case, how does he give life? Jesus is edging closer and closer to the point of decision—a point to which I am brought every day of my life.  Do I believe?  Life?  Light?  Bread?  Living Water?  Healing?  The Word?  All these are titles claimed by Jesus, or ascribed to Jesus by John.  He either is or he is not all these things.  More importantly, either he is or he is not all these things to me.

John 6:32

Jesus patiently responds to their assertion, “Listen carefully, it is not Moses who produced bread from heaven.  Don’t you see?  In fact, it is my Father who gives you authentic bread from heaven today as well.” John 6:32 EFP

What is Jesus trying to assert here?  Clearly he is trying to establish what they have obviously overlooked, but that seems so logical in retrospect.  “Bread from heaven”?  That should clearly denote it was not produced by a human, even one as great as Moses.  God sent the bread—not Moses.  Moses was the instrument by which he communicated what God would do, but he had no part in making it happen.  This was probably not a welcomed statement, although they could not argue with its validity.  But it’s what comes next that will set in motion an avalanche that will have lasting effects on the people, Jesus’ disciples, and Jesus himself.

His point?  If what you say is true—God fed our forefathers in the past by bringing bread from heaven, then it must also be true that God is also the one who fed you this time.  But even more than that, he couches the statement in such a way that implies there is more to his statement than what they might hear at first.  What does he mean by “authentic bread”?  Did he intend to imply that the bread given by God recently was superior to the bread given the Israelites in the desert?  That’s pretty serious.  Jesus is just getting started. 

When I am tempted to look back and see God’s greatest miracles as things of the past, I will remember this text.  The God I serve today is the same God who worked the wonders in the desert for the people of Israel and the same God who walked the dusty roads of Palestine and sojourned on the “other side of the sea.”  God’s power has not diminished—that only leaves my faith as the only deficient variable.

John 6:31

“God gave our forefathers bread to eat during their times in the desert.” The people add. “The Scriptures tell us, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” John 6:31 EFP

To add insult to injury the crowd quotes the Torah to Jesus!  Don’t they know he is the Word that spoke the thoughts to Moses that he would pass on to the desert-dwelling forefathers they speak of?  Are they not aware he is the one who rained manna six days a week for forty years on the wandering ones who would have otherwise died of starvation?  Obviously not.

So they bait Jesus, hoping to guilt him into multiplying some more food.  He did it once.  God did it repeatedly for forty years!  God fed hundreds of thousands—well, Jesus, a mere ten thousand or so.  Does it sound faintly familiar with the temptation he confronted in the desert a few months before?  “If you are who you say you are, make some bread for all of us!” they suggest.  The audacity is not in the request, it is in the preface placed on the request.  God is more than willing to grant our request, but he is still sovereign.  He does not act on our behalf to prove he is God, but because he is God.  The crowd fed in Perea comes to hear Jesus because they believe he is something special—they were fed more than enough.  This mixed up group comes seeking proof on their terms.  I sense they will go away hungry today. As do I when I bargain with God instead of taking him at his word and claiming his promises to me. Come think of it, that’s pretty audacious as well! And not in a good way.

John 6:30

The people query, “If that’s the case, show us a sign—perform some miracle for us, so that we can see it and then we can believe what you say.”  John 6:30 EFP

Oh, oh!  This can’t possible end well now.  Just when I am beginning to have hope in the masses…they pull the “miracle card” on Jesus.  I get the feeling they (and by “they” I refer to the spokespeople, still clinging to the belief there are some in the crowd that are honestly seeking truth) are showing their true colors.  “Show us a sign” they say.  “Do a couple of tricks for us, Jesus.  Maybe that ‘loaves and fish’ trick again.  Then we will have evidence on which to base our belief in you…to honor God, of course.”

God says, “Believe in my son” and I ask for evidence…a sign.  God makes it simple.  I ask God to give me a miracle as a down payment on my faith in him.  It sounds pretty crass when couched in that language; you think that has never been the case with me?  “I want to believe, God, but give me a sign or something….”  I want evidence on which to hang my “faith hat.”  It must break God’s heart to hear me say or think things like that.  What if he asked me for evidence that I was a worthy risk, worthy of his sacrifice?  “I want to save you, Ruben, but I am not sure you are going to pan out.  Give me something to work with and then we’ll talk.”  God believes in me in spite of the risk.  I am a bad bet, but he risks it all on me anyway.  He’s counting on me to come through for him, but it’s not the basis of his investment in me.  How is it that I cannot believe; and trust God with the evidence when he’s ready to give it to me?  It comes back to believing that Jesus is the Son of God.  It makes all the difference if it’s true.  If it’s not, then nothing matters in the end.  I choose to believe!

John 6:29

Jesus replies, “You want to know how you can honor God’s will for you?  Do this:  believe in the one he sent to you.”  John 6:29 EFP

Let’s go on the assumption the question asked in the previous verse reflect the will of the people.  It is an important question after all.  Has not most every true believer wondered, “How can I know God’s will for my life?”  Is that not just another way of asking the question this crowd was asking of Jesus?  “What can we do to do the things God wants us to do?” pretty much sums it up. 

For all the confusion that exists regarding the will of God and the myriads of books and manuscripts written on the subject, Jesus sums it up in just a few words—maybe as few as three:  “Believe in me.”  He doesn’t say it in such stark words. He says, “Believe in the one God sent.”  Why is something so simple so complicated?  Do I truly want to do what God wants me to do?  Do I want to honor his will for me?  God’s response to me is, “Believe in my Son.”  That’s it.  No long list.  No convoluted doctrine.  No theological treatise.  Is it truly that easy?  I have often wondered if it is because this concept is so simple that it becomes so difficult a concept for me to grasp and internalize.  It may also have to do with the meaning and implications of the word “believe.” One things for certain, whatever it is that comes after believing, it cannot follow without believing first. Well, Jesus has my attention again.  I can’t wait to see how this exchange develops.

John 6:28

The crowd responds, “What would you have us do in order to act in such a way that honors God’s will for us?”  John 6:28 EFP

There seems to be a genuine question from the people whom Jesus has challenged. “What do you want us to do, Jesus?”  When I have found myself convicted by a sermon or a passage of Scripture, I often ask the same question, “What should I do to honor you will for me?”

It’s a critical juncture in this passage.  They have opened the door for Jesus to respond to them and give counsel.  What will he answer?  It’s interesting to note their question is couched in a similar way as other biblical characters who have come to a point of decision in their lives: Paul (Acts 22:10) and the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16) come to mind.  Conviction is a work of God.  I can’t manufacture it or feign in for the benefit of God.  Jesus sees right through me when I attempt it. It’s pointless.

Questions: Was there a spokesman or spokespersons?  Did this come as a result of consensus?  Did it reflect the feeling of the entire mass of humanity?  I often wonder about casting a crowd as some monolithic group of like-thinkers. Such a group is so hard to find.  Perhaps the text will shed some light on this dynamic as we proceed.

John 6:27

Jesus continues, “Don’t focus your efforts on food that spoils and expires; your work is best served in pursuing that which has everlasting staying power.  This is the food the Son of Man will give you.  He does so because God the Father has given him his seal of approval.”  John 6:27 EFP

As with Nicodemus, Jesus cuts to the chase.  He makes clear that “humanity does not live on food alone; life comes from every word spoken by God.” (Matthew 4:4)  Spiritual nourishment is superior to physical nourishment.  This must have been hard to hear, considering many of these people lived a subsistence-laden life.  They would have thought, “No, I don’t think so!  I need to eat to live.  Spiritual food is optional.  Give me food that will fill my belly!”

Jesus is drawing his line in the sand.  Echoing his words to the Samaritan woman in chapter 4, he reminds them that eating physical food will only satisfy temporarily.  It spoils and rots. The satisfaction it offers is temporary at best.  The bread he wants to give them—the one His Father has authorized him to share, is everlasting bread.  Given a choice, most people would choose physical food.  If I was starving, would I go without physical food in favor of spiritual food?  Would you?  This is the scene Jesus is painting.  Spiritual first—physical second.  This does not make sense from a merely human perspective.  Perhaps I’m missing something.  I sense the people gathered that day listening to Jesus are not yet connecting the dots.  I am not sure I would have fared any better at this point if I was living in their shoes.  Stay tuned!

John 6:26

Jesus is not fooled by their inane question.  “I can see right through you people,” He responds. “You are not looking for me because of the signs you saw, but because you ate your fill of bread yesterday!” John 6:26 EFP

This appears to be a repeat performance of chapter three between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Except this time he is challenging a multitude.  He sees right through the “When did you get here?” question and exposes their motives.  He is not afraid of the consequences, he simply states the truth as He sees it.  As always, he is spot on!

I doubt very much Jesus’ intention is to insult them or repel them.  He is simply revealing their self-deception hoping to draw them to reconsider their motives.  He did it with Nicodemus.  The result was a gain for the kingdom of God.  He also does it with me.  If I am willing to listen, He will challenge my motives and question my rationale.  I am not always willing to hear it, but that does not stop him from stating the truth.  He speaks to me through the Bible.  He speaks to me through my wife.  He speaks to me through sermons and books.  Sometimes he simply brings a thought to mind that shakes me into a realization that my motives are not altogether righteous.  God is not fooled!  I am able to convince myself that ill motives are noble…regularly. He sees right through me. I often can’t.  We could all use an extra helping of holy introspection.

John 6:25

When the boat people find Jesus in Capernaum, on the other side of the sea, they ask him, “Teacher, when did you get here?”  John 6:25 EFP

Perhaps a better question would have been, “How did you get here?”  Remember, the people had seen him disappear, followed soon by his disciples’ sudden departure without their Master on board.  As far as they knew he was still on the other side of the sea in the Perean hills.

But it is Jesus they seek, and since they are apparently surprised to find him in Capernaum, they ask him the first question that comes to mind, “When did you get here?”  My guess is that it was more an ice-breaker type of question, since their entire search was in response to the miracle he performed in Perea.  “When did you get here?”  What kind of question is that?  They already knew the answer—he got there before they did.  A bit disingenuous, to say the least.  I sense they wanted an encore of the day before!  Am I disingenuous with God when I pray?  Do I say things that don’t make sense simply because they sound like prayer words?  Do I lose sight of Jesus even as I seek him, because my motives are not pure or genuine? 

If I am sincerely seeking Jesus, why should I be surprised to find him?  I believe Jesus wants to be found more than we want to find him.  But when we do find him, we should not be in charge of setting the agenda. I should leave that up to him.

John 6:24

When the Tiberian troupe realize neither Jesus nor his disciples are there, they jump back into their boats (as do the local people) and head off to Capernaum, where they hope to find Jesus.  John 6:24 EFP

Things are getting interesting.  Recap time.  A major miracle takes place the day before.  The crowd goes crazy and launches a spontaneous “Jesus for King” campaign.  Jesus makes a sudden escape to the hills.  The disciples make an equally sudden departure in the wake of Jesus’ rebuff of the campaign to make him king.  The people come back the next day and are confused about the status of Jesus.  Tiberius people come (probably hungry) looking for him.  He is not anywhere to be found.

Something that is unanswered at this point is how do the people jump to the conclusion that Jesus is in Capernaum?  Did they assume he walked home?  Do they believe the disciples came back for him?  It’s really not important, since the mass of humanity is now determined to find him.  Perhaps they were going to Capernaum to ask the disciples where Jesus has gone.  There is a veritable flotilla crossing the Sea of Galilee in search of Jesus.  He has that kind of draw.  But we haven’t ascertained what they are looking for in Jesus.  I sense there is a collision between conflicting causes in the near future.

One thing for sure, the people from the “far side of the sea” have figured out that things are better with Jesus than without him. His disciples certainly failed to grasp that concept.

John 6:23

A day goes by before the people on the far side of the sea realize the disciples’ boat is gone.  They also know Jesus had not boarded the boat before the disciples departed on their own.  John 6:23 EFP

This appears to be a parenthetical statement.  It says a lot about the perception of the people on the far side of the sea.  They are a perceptive bunch.  Nothing escapes them.  In short they summarize the disciples are gone, their boat is gone, and Jesus did not leave with them the day before.  These were the people who wanted to declare Jesus king the day before.  They had seen Jesus rebuff their advances and disappear.  They must have also seen the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ decision and their subsequent departure.  Now what?

It doesn’t matter if we are at home or “on the other side of the sea,” people are looking and taking note of what we do and how we act.  We may not think that anyone is watching; but when you least expect it—expect it.  My words, my actions, and my reactions to situations that may not be to my liking are more powerful than any sermon I might preach.  It might be more prestigious to wax eloquent from behind a pulpit, a desk, or from behind the bench; but it is what I do and say in the heat of the moment outside the spotlight that will carry the most weight.  The ripples can spread quickly and create a tsunami of ill-will.  God help me.

John 6:22

A day goes by before the people on the far side of the sea realize the disciples’ boat is gone.  They also figure out Jesus did not board the boat before the disciples departed on their own.  John 6:22 EFP

This appears to be a parenthetical statement.  It says a lot about the perception of the people on the far side of the sea.  They are a perceptive bunch.  Nothing escapes them.  In short they surmise the disciples are gone, their boat is gone, and Jesus did not leave with them the day before.  These are the people who wanted to declare Jesus king the day before.  They see Jesus rebuff their advances and suddenly disappear.  They must have also seen the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ decision and their subsequent departure.  Now what?

It doesn’t matter if we are at home or “on the other side of the sea,” people are looking and taking note of what we do and how we act.  We may not think that anyone is watching; but when you least expect it—expect it.  My words, my actions, and my reactions to situations that may not be to my liking are more powerful than any sermon I might preach.  It might be more prestigious to wax eloquent from behind a pulpit, a desk, or from behind the bench; but it is what I do and say in the heat of the moment outside the spotlight that will carry the most weight.  The ripples can spread quickly and create a tsunami of ill-will.  God help me.

John 6:21

When they hear Jesus’ words they happily take him on the boat. No sooner has he boarded, immediately they find themselves at their intended destination.  John 6:21 EFP

Remember the word “suddenly”?  It comes earlier in this narrative. Trouble often arrives suddenly and without warning.  The storm seems to have caught this disciples by surprise—it comes on suddenly.  They have placed themselves in harms’ way and have battled within an inch of their lives, when Jesus arrives.  Jesus also appears suddenly, and after an initial hesitancy due to their misplaced fear, they welcome him on board.

Notice what happens then—“immediately” the disciples find themselves where they were supposed to be.  Awesome!  Sometimes including Jesus in my plans is all it takes, not only to get me back on track but to get me where I’m going.  I often recognize my wasted efforts and futile attempts to get there on my own after the fact.  Too late to fix the damage.  I can’t push a replay button.  But it would certainly help if I remembered more often not to wander off to sea without Jesus, not only in the boat, but at the helm!  My journey will always be a lot surer, of not always smoother.