As always you may read the transcript below
John 6:25-40
25 When they found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.39 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day.40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
JOHN 6:25-40 GOD’S
LOVE IN PROVIDING ETERNAL LIFE
Springford Baptist Church: February
21,2021.
This past week, following our big snowstorm, I have already told you that it took awhile to shovel out our drive. Well, that was not the end of the story. When I got out into the street to drive to the Long Term Care where I begin work at 7 am, I got stuck in the snow, since the street had not yet been plowed. This is where some things about what to do when stuck, came back to me from what my father had taught me. I remember my Dad telling me to keep the wheels straight ahead because then you get the best traction. I followed his approach and rocked the car back and forth until I could back up a little. Then the strategy was to “take a run at it” and just keep going with my foot on the gas. All the while, I was praying and I came through that heavy snow and out to where the main street was plowed.
Jesus talks in today’s Scripture about His Father in heaven. He says at the end of today’s reading, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”(vs. 40) God our loving Father does not want us to stay stuck in sin. He wants us to be set free and to receive the gift of eternal life. It is clearly the will and desire of God, the Father that, “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.” God, our loving Father wants us to understand this truth and to keep remembering it whenever we find ourselves stuck.
Do we realize what a precious gift is eternal life? It speaks in a powerful way about the extent of God’s love for us that He would arrange for us to live forever in heaven with Him.
There are experiences and circumstances in this life that cause us to feel anxious and stuck with no way out. God has provided a way out and the conversation that Jesus has with the people in the crowd on this occasion in today’s Scripture reveals that it is necessary to be “LISTENING FOR GOD”, if we are going to understand.
There were some things about God and eternal life that these people misunderstood. There are things about God and eternal life that we too may misunderstand.
Jesus realized that this crowd of people, who had come looking for Him, had enjoyed full stomachs when he performed the miracle of feeding over 5000 people. He says, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (vs. 26) Human beings can look to God to meet their everyday needs, like food or other urgent prayer requests, and miss what more God has to offer. Out of his immense love, God wants to provide this gift of eternal life!
Jesus says, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.” (vs. 27) So much of our attention focuses on “making a living.” If we do not take into account eternal life, then we have missed what matters most.
Misunderstanding is often revealed by questions asked. Here the people ask Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires”? (vs.28) They did not comprehend that eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus His Son. They thought it was something they could earn and merit by what they did. We can all be extremely grateful that eternal life does not come to us because we are “good enough” or have done enough. We could never do enough to gain eternal life with God, but praise God, JESUS IS ENOUGH!
Jesus reveals, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” (vs. 29) Believing in Jesus is what is required. Jesus is the One who guarantees eternal life.
As the conversation continues, we can recognize that the people were still thinking about having their stomachs filled. They want Jesus to perform a sign from God greater than the gift of manna from heaven that was provided in the time of Moses. This was when the people of Israel were given bread from heaven to supply their need while wandering in the wilderness. This was before they entered the Promised Land.
It was a popular Jewish expectation that when the Messiah came, He would renew the sending of manna. This had been a demonstration of God’s loving care for His people.
Jesus moves the conversation to a deeper level when He explains, “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”(vs. 30)
And Jesus who is standing right there with them declares, “I am the bread of life.” (vs. 33) It is only as they believe in Jesus that they can receive what will satisfy forever. It is only as we believe in Jesus that we can receive what will satisfy forever.
Am I saying that you will never need to go for groceries again? Of course not! We will still need provision of food for our bodies. Jesus as the bread of life has attended to the lifelong, and into eternity need of our souls.
Sometimes, we might be inclined to think of eternal life as the gift that assures us of spending forever in heaven with God. Jesus has arranged for us to receive this remarkable gift and certainly eternal life is that. But we can listen in on this conversation that Jesus has, we can realize that the amazing gift of eternal life starts here and now. We can be feeding on the truth of who Jesus is and choosing to trust Him for all of this present life and reality.
Hear Jesus say, “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (vs.35b)
The limitations of our physical life of getting hungry and thirsty every day, are not the limitations of the eternal life that Jesus makes possible. God, our loving Father, keeps reminding us that we are not stuck in the constraints of this world. As Jesus affirms, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (vs. 40)
JESUS IS ENOUGH!