JOHN LESSON 17
We will begin this lesson in John 6:25.
We saw in the last lesson how Jesus fed the multitude. Now the
people have followed Jesus to Capernaum.
V-25, "And when they had found him on the other side of the sea,
they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?"
They had not seen Jesus leave, so this question was
understandable. This name Rabbi, was a way of showing respect to
Jesus as their teacher and their spiritual leader.
V-26, "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did
eat of the loaves, and were filled."
Jesus scolds them for being so shallow in their view. A great
miracle has been done by Him and instead of them realizing that He is
Messiah, they have followed so they can be fed again or receive more
signs, wonders, and healings from Him. They are looking on the gifts
and not looking at the Giver. Jesus is disappointed in them because
they do not understand who He is.
V-27, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give
unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
Jesus, in the verse above, is instructing these people to worry
more about their spirit and less about their flesh. The spirit of man
shall live on, but the flesh will return to dust. Jesus is telling
them that the gift of eternal life which He shall give them is much
more important than food for their flesh. Jesus has been set aside
from the beginning for this purpose by the Father.
V-28, "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might
work the works of God?"
This is the same as saying, "How can I know the will of God in my
life? What must I do?"
V-29, "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of
God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
Just as Abraham's faith was counted unto him for righteousness,
those whom Jesus saves must believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. God
sent Jesus to save whosoever will believe.
V-30, "They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then,
that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?"
This is the same group who saw Jesus feed 5,000 men with five
loaves and two fishes, and now they want another sign. They are so
blinded, they would not believe with dozens of signs.
V-31, "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written,
He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
What they do not realize, is that they are speaking to the Bread
of life. It appears, here, that they want Jesus to feed them on a
regular basis, as their fathers were fed manna in the desert.
V-32, "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you
the true bread from heaven."
Jesus explains to these people who are caught up in the law of
Moses, that Moses did not feed the children of Israel, God did. Jesus
here is speaking of Himself as being the true Bread of life.
V-33, "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven,
and giveth life unto the world."
Jesus, again, here is speaking of Himself being the Bread which
brings eternal life. Jesus came from heaven and took on the flesh of
man.
V-34, "Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this
bread."
Here, again, we see John mentioning something that is not
mentioned in the other gospels. This shows Jesus as the Bread of
life. These people are looking for physical bread and they want Jesus
to furnish it for them with no effort on their part. T hey have
misunderstood what Jesus was telling them.
V-35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst."
Just as the bread on the table in the tabernacle symbolized
Jesus, He is showing here that through belief in Him they would have
their needs taken care of. Jesus literally came down from heaven
(like the manna) giving Himself to us so that we might have life
eternal. In heaven, there is a river of life and a tree which
furnishes twelve manner of fruits for each month, Revelation 22:1-2.
Jesus is the water and the tree of life.
V-36, "But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and
believe not."
Jesus tells them, you have seen me and my miracles and still you
do not believe me.
V-37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
The Father has given to Jesus as His followers whosoever will.
Those who come to Jesus and accept Him as Saviour and Lord shall not
be turned away. Salvation is a free gift from God, but we must reach
out and receive it unto ourselves before we have it. Jesus will not
deny His own.
V-38, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent me."
When Jesus agonizes in the garden before His crucifixion, His
last words are "Nevertheless not my will, but thine". Jesus was on a
mission. He submitted His will to the will of God the Father.
V-39, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day."
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells of the time when Jesus shall raise
the dead in Christ to eternal life with Him. The Father's will is to
glorify Jesus by His followers. In Hebrews chapter 2, we see that
everything is in Jesus' hands. He is over all creation. Hebrews
2:8, "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." The
Creator is in total control of His creation.
V-40, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 3:16, explains this completely, "For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." The parable of the
harvest of wheat is symbolic of this last day when the wheat will be
carried into the barn (heaven) and the chaff (unbeliever) will be
burned. Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17 both tell of the wheat and chaff.
V-41, "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the
bread which came down from heaven."
V-42, "And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down
from heaven?"
These Jews could not see through spiritual eyes. They thought of
Jesus as Joseph's son. Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God. They
didn't believe Him because they had seen Him grow up and they did not
believe He was their Messiah. We have gone into this before, but read
chapter 1 of St. John and you will know who Jesus is.
V-43, "Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not
among yourselves."
Murmuring has always displeased God. Just as God punished those
who murmured on the way to the promised land, God dislikes this
murmuring here.
V-44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
It is the Father's will that all should be saved. He sent Jesus
into the world to save the world. Whosoever believes in Jesus as
Saviour and Lord shall be saved. The Holy Spirit tugs at our heart
and draws us to Jesus. God will not always strive with us. If we
refuse over and over, the Holy Spirit will stop drawing.
Notes
John 17 Questions
1. Where have the people followed Jesus?
2. By what name did they call Jesus?
3. What did the name they called Him by show?
4. Why did Jesus say they had followed Him?
5. What did Jesus say labour not for?
6. Why is the spiritual more important than the flesh?
7. In verse 28, what question did they ask Jesus?
8. What was Jesus' answer to them?
9. What did they ask Jesus for in verse 30?
10. What great miracle had they just witnessed?
11. What did they tell Jesus their fathers had eaten in the
wilderness?
12. What are they really asking Jesus to do?
13. Jesus told them ________________________________ did not give the
bread from heaven, the ________________________________ did.
14. In verse 33, who is the Bread of life?
15. What does John show that the other gospels omit?
16. What selfish thing were they asking Jesus for?
17. Who will come to Jesus?
18. Why had Jesus come to earth in verse 38?
19. In verse 40, Jesus tells us what the Father's will is. What is
it?
20. Quote John 3:16.
21. Where can we find the parable of the wheat?
22. Why were the Jews murmuring?
23. Who did they think Jesus to be?
24. Who can come to Jesus?
Notes
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