26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What should we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses has not given you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 Now this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6: 26-40 LSB
John 6: 26-40
V. 26 Truly Truly - Again, when Jesus does this it's like the Amen but at the beginning, the repetition says this is important, it's imperative that you listen and do so carefully.
V. 26b You seek Me, not because you saw signs - What were the signs? Miracles that not only weren't something outside the power of men, but also markers, these were signs because they described His work in the Old Testament. The prophets had already written about Him. Some acknowledged this even by saying He was the prophet that Moses spoke about, but Jesus looks at the heart, how deep does this confession go? Isaiah describes the Lord of Hosts preparing a banquet. He also talks about God coming and healing the deaf and blind. Jesus' miracles are signs that point back to all these things, the proof that He can deliver.
…6On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine. 7On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.…
…9And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Isaiah 25: 6-9
…4Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.… Isaiah 35: 4-6
V. 26c But because you ate the loaves and were filled - We left off with them wanting to make Him a king, and so He disappears to be alone with the Father. He then meets back up with His disciples, but now these people who saw the miracles come looking for Him. They are hungry again, and now they want Jesus' welfare, and He tells them as much. You aren't looking for Me for the right reasons, every sign He has performed points to Who He is, but they're here because they want their bellies filled again. I say it over and over again, many people, and I was one of them, come to Jesus for the fish and the bread, for the hope of a better life, for God to bless them with a good husband, with a better job, or for many, no job, just feed me. Many come because they heard hell was a bad place, never realizing that it was the place made for people like them, they just can't imagine that. "What kind of God would send people to hell, and here it comes, the God I believe in wouldn't do that," they say. You hear it from many so called Christians, "spiritual" people, they don't believe there's a hell, or they believe that their morality excludes them, they're just too good. Some of them are kinder than God and others are owed by God based upon their merit system. It rings from pulpits today and out in the streets, these other gospels, these other Messiahs, apostasy. There are thousands of churches today, religious organizations, based upon people's felt needs, self esteem, and temporal blessings. "What can God do for me today, I'm hungry, I'm bored, feed me, give me money, give me glory, keep Your cross." I hope this offends you, but those people aren't saved, and you pretending with them that they are, it makes me wonder about you.
…12Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. 13Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel. 14They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.… Psalm 106: 12-14
…30As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’ 31So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. 32Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.… Ezekiel 33: 30-32
…18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. 19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!…
21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.… Acts 8: 18-21
V. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes - They are fully vested in following after what will not last, what is momentary. We should take care of our bodies in that they are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but all these things come as we are working unto the Lord, for His glory, His kingdom. Your earthly body will age, it will fail you some day, it is susceptible to disease, to being to frail against car wrecks, storms etc. Jesus is trying to get them to have an eternal perspective, and that they keep coming to Him is dangerous ground, the more knowledge, the more miracles they witness, the more He speaks the more guilty they become. This is similar to His conversation with the woman at the well, but each time they seem indifferent to their condition, only interested in what they can get from Him.
Do not work (ergazomai - present imperative with a negative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) for the food which perishes (apollumi), but (strong contrast) for the food which endures to eternal (aionios) life (zoe), which the Son of Man will give to you - Don't misinterpret Jesus saying we do not need to work to buy food (see Paul 2Th 3:10)! The first mention of food refers to literal food, which men had to work to have money to buy and symbolizes anything that satisfies legitimate bodily desires. The second food refers to spiritual food. Jesus uses food as a metaphor for the gift of salvation that brings eternal life, and is the gift He will give to those who ask Him for this "food." He is trying to open their eyes to eternal truths and get their focus off filling their bellies. Jesus is telling them to stop working for the food that perishes but by contrast to work for (believe in Jesus) the only food that truly satisfies one's soul, the living Word of God. Don't miss the juxtaposition of work "for the food that endures to eternal life" and the fact that it is a gift (which the Son of Man will give). Do we normally work for gifts? Of course not! So it is a paradoxical statement which we cannot completely explain much like the invitation in Isaiah 55:1 "“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost."
Those who work only for the food that perishes will themselves perish! - Precept Austin
1“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! 2Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods. 3Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.… Isaiah 55: 1-3
18so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.… Matthew 6: 18-20
V. 27c For on Him the Father God has set His seal - "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased."
…32Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. 33I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”… John 1: 32-34
1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. 3And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,… Isaiah 11: 1-3
The seal is the mark of authentication. The Book of Esther often refers to the importance of the royal seal as giving validity and authenticity to documents to which it was appended. So at the waters of Jordan God authenticated our Lord; first by the voice that spake from heaven, and secondly by the holy anointing that came upon his head, setting Him apart for holy service. What the Father did for his Son, He does for his sons. “He that establishes us with you into Christ, and anointed us is God, who also sealed us.” (1Co 1:21) In other words, God waits to authenticate us to ourselves and to the world, as his beloved children, in whom He is well pleased.
The conditions of sealing. — In the case of our Lord there was entire subjection to the Father’s will, although it involved his leaving the blessed home of Nazareth and identifying Himself with the sins and sorrows of men, by baptism in waters where they had confessed their sins. We, too, must be prepared to obey utterly, even to death.
The agent of sealing. — The Spirit descended and abode upon Him; He was filled with the Spirit, and returned in his power to Galilee. We, too, are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise; who stamps us with the die of our Savior’s image and superscription. Simultaneously with his gracious work upon us, we may detect his loving voice within us, witnessing with our spirits that we are children of God.
The effect of sealing. — Secrecy, safety, and assurance. Secrecy, Song of Solomon 4:12. Safety, Matthew 27:65–66. Assurance, Romans 8:15–17. There is also a daily assimilation, though we know it not, to the glorious likeness of our Lord (2Co 3:18); so that those who see us bear witness that his name is on us. - Precept Austin
V. 29 This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent - Their teachers had long taught them about doing good works, they were part of a works based religion. Note here, "this is the work of God", and what follows is trusting in someone else. Their are works involved in salvation, don't be deceived about that, they aren't yours though. You have to trust in the finished work of Christ. He became man because man was in breach with God, He lived a life as it was put, "that all righteousness might be fulfilled", He dies so that God's righteousness is left in tact, that the wages of sin is paid. The Father chose you from eternity, made a covenant with His Son for a redeemed people, the Son provides the payment, He is the Way, the truth and the life, and the Holy Spirit applies Christ's work to you by regeneration, being born again. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God and not of works lest any one should boast.
…3Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes. 5For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things will live by them.”… Romans 10: 3-5
…22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.… 1 John 3: 22-24
…19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.… Galatians 2: 19-21
V. 30 What then do You do for a sign that we may see, and believe You - They have hearts like Pharaoh before the miracles God performed through Moses. Elijah called down fire from heaven, but Jezebel was only moved to want to kill him. It is becoming clear that no amount of evidence will cause them to believe unto salvation. They remain in their unbelief, and this again is why you must be born again. Every time they seek a sign and have seen many is yet more to their judgment. Men always say, "if I saw God do, or God must do this or the other, and then I will believe," and that was me, faced with a mountain of evidence against my unbelief, yet I believed more in my sin than in God's Word against it. Even when I came to believe in God's existence I did not have saving faith, nor did I want anything from Him other than to escape punishment. I would also accept cash, healing and Bass Pro gift cards, but I didn't really want anything to do with God and self denial. I also saw myself as pretty good in comparison to a lot of people out there.
…21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,… 1 Corinthians 1: 21-23
…31In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! 32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him. 33From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.… Mark 15: 31-33
V. 31 Our fathers ate Manna in the wilderness - Oh no you didn't. This is getting more and more disrespectful, it makes your ears burn. You want Him to provide food now for you for 40 years? Is that what you are saying? Your fathers ate Manna and loathed it. They begged for meat and He gave it to them till they were sick and puking it through their nostrils. He sent venomous serpents to punish them for murmuring, and He just proved His power over nature by feeding y'all with a little boy's lunch. They really want a socialist Messiah Who can whip up food for them everyday, but they have no concept of the more critical state they are in.
V. 32 Moses has not given you the bread from heaven - Yeah, that wasn't Moses, also another person who your fathers despised and rebelled against as he baby sat them for 40 years in the wilderness. They are actually just like their fathers, whiners.
It is My Father Who gives (present tense) you the true bread (artos) out of heaven - Literal Greek order = " “the bread out of heaven, the real bread.” Note that this true bread is a gift, not something that can be earned or worked for. Note also that once again Jesus is calling God His Father, the clear implication being that He Himself is also God, which would have made his hearers cringe! Recall this same claim ("My Father") had caused an angry reaction in Jerusalem (Jn 5:17,18+).
The Father sent the literal manna which foreshadowed the spiritual manna, the Messiah, Who is the true bread out of heaven (which He explains in Jn 6:35), the spiritual bread that Alone can give eternal life to those who "eat His flesh and drink His blood," that is, those who believe in Him and receive Him as their life and their righteousness. Jesus is the "True Light" (Jn 1:9), the "True Vine" (Jn 15:1), and the "True Bread." - Precept Austin
V. 34 Lord always give us this bread - Much like His conversation with the woman at the well, but she had her sins revealed to her, and she ran to tell others. They never make it to the go and sin no more here.
They said to Him, "Lord (kurios), always give (aorist imperative - Do it now!) us this bread (artos) - GWN = "Sir, give us this bread all the time." NLT says "give us that bread every day," which even sounds like the prayer Jesus taught the disciples - "Give (aorist imperative) us this day our daily bread." (Mt 6:11). What does always "every day" or "all the time" imply? Clearly the Jewish crowd reasoned that since this was physical bread, it would need to be given to them daily and continually (like the manna from heaven had been for 40 years).
This is a very strange passage for what the Jews were asking for was Jesus Himself! Of course, they had no clue that He Himself was the true Bread they were asking for. And clearly they were not asking to receive and believe in Him as their Savior, as He makes clear in Jn 6:36! - Precept Austin
V. 36 You have seen Me and yet you do not believe - His presence, His preeminence is undeniable, everything He claims goes along with what He does and it fulfills prophecy. Even demons believe, but they are smart enough to tremble. These have seen enough and do not tremble, do not hold onto His words.
V. 37 All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me - These were the hardest doctrines for me, humbling but now my greatest relief. If God is sovereign overall, He is in salvation too.
…28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.… Philippians 1: 28-30
3For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.…
…6This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.… Titus 3: 3-8
V. 39 Of all that He has given Me I lose nothing - God initiates salvation, and once you have been born from above you cannot be lost.
…5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me.… Philippians 1: 5-7
V. 40 Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him - This seems strange at first because they have seen Him, they have thought Him to be the Prophet, they have wanted to make Him take the throne, yet in seeing they did not see, and in hearing they truly didn't understand. They believe that He performed miracles. If you note, they don't believe what He says, they don't believe they are such wicked sinners. They don't believe that His is God the Son, they don't believe then that they can or need to be made into new creatures. They want a king to wage war for them but they don't believe in Him as the Manna from heaven, the Lamb that will be slain, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Their belief amounts to unbelief and want, the want of more miracles, but not the greatest miracle, the calling of their dead souls unto life. They believe only so far as the prophets said they would.
…22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should desire Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our peace fell upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. Isaiah 53: 1-6
All the details of believing in Christ that are laid out in that message are necessary for salvation. Believing in the miracles of Jesus doesn’t save anybody. One must believe in the words of Jesus. What He did validates who He is. What He says is the means of salvation. People can’t be saved by believing in the miracles. They can’t even be saved by experiencing the miracles, being healed by Him, being delivered by Him, or being fed by Him. So in this chapter, it is the words of Jesus that really are preeminent. Everybody believes in the miracles. Nobody denies them. True disciples believe them. False disciples believe them. Everybody believed them. Everybody did not believe the words, and that’s what separated the false from the true.
So in the end, it’s the words of Jesus that are the demarcation between the true and the false. Now, starting at the beginning of the chapter, we begin to look at the characteristics of false disciples. How did these people end up the way they ended up? And I think that’s really rich revelation from the Holy Spirit in this chapter. I don’t think you can miss this once you begin to really look at it this way.
So we’ve been piling up some characteristics of false disciples. Number one, remember the false disciples are attracted by the crowd. This is true then. This is true now. False disciples today are attracted to Christianity, superficially to Christ by the crowd. Wherever the crowd goes, the very energy of the crowd draws them. And that was true then and that is true now. There are massive crows of people surrounding the name of Jesus all over the world. False disciples are attracted by the crowd.
Secondly, they are fascinated by the promise of the supernatural. If you add the component that something supernatural is going to happen, whether it’s a physical healing or whether it’s some kind of miracle of deliverance, or whether it’s some kind of ascent to a higher level of satisfaction or fulfillment or prosperity in life. The possibility that you could be engaging with the supernatural is another attraction to false disciples.
Thirdly, false disciples think only of earthly benefits. We saw that. They tried to force Jesus to become their king so He could feed them permanently. False disciples, fourthly, have no desire for true worship. True worship is not on their agenda. They’ll come for what is called worship. They’ll take the entertainment; they’ll enjoy the entertainment. They like the light show; they like the music, et cetera, et cetera, but it’s not true worship from the heart through the mind according to scripture directed at the glory of God.
False disciples, number five, seek personal prosperity or personal fulfillment. We saw that because the whole crowd followed Jesus to get the next meal. It’s the temporal appeal that attracts the false disciples. Attracted by the crowd, fascinated by the promise of the supernatural, thinking only of earthly benefits. No real desire for true worship and seeking personal fulfillment and prosperity.
That’s where we left the passage at verse 27 with these words from Jesus indicating that they were only seeking personal prosperity, personal satisfaction on a worldly level. “Do not work for the food which perishes.” You’re spending all your energy for something that’s going to burn up with this earth, that’s going to perish when your life ends. Stop doing that.
The false disciples want Jesus to give them what they already want. They know their agenda. They know their list. They’ve got their demands in tow, and they want Jesus to fulfill their desires. And we’ve looked through all of that. Now, let’s come to verse 28, and let me play on just what I said to you. They are so bold that false disciples actually make demands on God. They actually make demands on God. - J Mac
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