John 6:25-51

These people had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and gone to Capernaum, «seeking for Jesus.» It seemed a very hopeful sign that they should be willing to make such efforts to find Christ, but see how the Lord Jesus himself regarded it.

John 6:25. And when they had found him on other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 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.

What very plain talk this is! Our Lord does not try to gain popularity by the concealment of truth, but he tells these people to their faces, «You are only following me because of what you get out of me;» «Oh!» some worldly-wise man would have said, «that is a very imprudent speech; it will drive the people away.» Just so; and Christ seemed to say, on more than one occasion, «If people will be driven away by the truth. let them be driven away.» John the Baptist had declared that Christ; had his fan in his hand, and that he would throughly purge his floor; and if that floor is to be purged, there must be a driving away of the chaff Our Lord's example should teach us to speak in his name nothing less and nothing more than the truth in all love and kindness. After thus pointing out the true motive which made the people seek him, our Saviour uttered a very singular paradox:

John 6:27. 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.

Is it not strange that Christ says, «Labour not for the very thing which you cannot get without labouring for it,» and then he says, «Labour for that which you cannot get by labouring for it»? He virtually tells us that it is so, by adding the words, «which the Son of man shall give unto you,» plainly proving that it does not come as the result of human labour, but as the free gift of the Son of God. He that is wise will spell out the meaning of the paradox; but he that is blind will stumble over the letter of it, and not discern the spiritual interpretation.

John 6:28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

«We want to do the best works, the noblest works, the most acceptable works in all the world; tell us what we: should do in order to perform a Godlike work.»

John 6:29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God,

«The highest and best work which you can accomplish is»

John 6:29. That ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Faith is the noblest of the graces; it is the very essence of true worship; it contains within itself the germs of all excellence; and the man who believes in Christ has done that which is more pleasing to God than anything else in all the world.

John 6:30. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from, heaven to eat.

Do you see the drift of their talk? They are still looking after the loaves and fishes; and, therefore, whatever Christ may say, they turn the discourse round that way. If they can get from Christ something to eat, they will believe in him; what groveling, earth-bound creatures they were!

John 6:32. 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. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

«The best and noblest bread, the bread which has Deity in it, the bread which can feed your souls, and sustain you with everlasting life, ‘the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.'»

John 6:34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

They said this, not knowing what they said, and not understanding what he meant. Bread for the body was all that they wanted; their cry was, «Give us bread, and we are contempt;» they had no spiritual appetite for Christ, «the bread of God.»

John 6:35. 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. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

These were the very people whom he had fed on the other side of the sea; yet they were craving for more. That kind of bread cannot stay their hunger for long. They had not received him as their Saviour, else they would have been well content with him, and would have asked for nothing more.

John 6:37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which lie hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Christ will not lose one whom the Father gave him, nay nor any part of one. He will not lose the body of any one of his people any more than he will lose the soul of one.

John 6:40. 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.

Christ will never have finished his work upon believers till he has raised their bodies from the grave, and glorified them like his own resurrection body. He will never cease from the work which he has commenced on any one of his people till he has laid the topstone in the glorious perfections of heaven; and this truth is: the joy of our hearts even now.

John 6:41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

They muttered, murmured, whispered, growled amongst themselves at this saying of Christ.

John 6:42. 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?

This is just the way with men, they judge by outward appearances; and if the gospel comes to them as a thing beloved of poor men, if it be preached with much eloquence, if the service be without; the attractions of sweet; music or of gaudy attire, straightway they say there can be nothing in it. O blind bats, when God veils himself in human flesh, can it be otherwise?

John 6:43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

«I never thought you would believe in me; I never imagined that I should win your confidence.»

John 6:44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.

«You are not drawn unto me; therefore it is clear that you are not the subjects of divine grace. You think you are judging me, but in so doing you are really judging and condemning yourselves.» Whenever men sit in judgment on the gospel, they soon let us know what kind of spirit possesses them. It is not Christ who is on his trial, it is they themselves; and when they rail at him, they do but prove that the grace of the Father has never drawn them to him: «No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:»

John 6:44. And I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

«Do not suppose that, even when you are taught of God, you will know the Father as I know him, or see him as I have seen him.» That divine glance at, Deity is not for us.

John 6:47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

This was how our Lord spoke straight to the face of those who had derided him, and said, «Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know ?» With the strongest asseveration which he was in the habit of using, he says, «Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.»

John 6:48. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh, down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.