The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. (John 6:41-43)
As we studied in a previous lesson, and we will also study in a future lesson, the people who knew Joseph and Mary judged them harshly, because they thought either Joseph and Mary had had sex before they were married or Mary had been with someone else before Jospeh. As the old saying goes, they did the math and it didn't add up. Jesus finally explained this when He was around twelve years old and at the temple talking with the religious leaders, that He was the Son of God. (see Christ Childhood, the Missing Years) Well, obviously the majority still didn't believe Him, and thought He was crazy for even saying such a thing, regardless of all the miracles He had performed, and regardless of God Himself speaking from Heaven at His baptism, saying, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11; Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22; see THE GOSPEL: Rejected by His Own; THE GOSPEL: Indisputable Witnesses)
Jesus goes on to explain, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:44-51)
Two important things Jesus clarifies: 1. He [God] chose us in Him [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6) Who is us? They shall all be taught by God. Every single human being on the planet had, has and will have the opportunity to hear and believe the Word of God, God promises so, and He doesn't need man's help to get it done! (I Peter 4:1-6; see Predestined, not Predetermined) But why aren't all people saved? We can't just hear The Truth, but we have to believe it also. (Romans 10:14-21; see THE GOSPEL: First Parable, the Sower) Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Jesus stands at the "door of everyone's heart, knocking", if we "come to the door and let Him in", we will be saved. (Revelations 3:20)
2. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Jesus is clarifying God's purpose for sending Him: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) He came to be the final sacrifice for sin. Most of us are not Jewish, so we may not understand all the Levitical requirements of sacrifices for sin, but the Jews He was talking to did. (Leviticus)
God required some outward showing of denial as a way of asking for forgiveness for committing sins, indulging in our ungodly desires, so the Jews had to make specific sacrifices for specific sins. These sacrifices had a cost and a commitment of time and energy. Jesus is saying all of those requirements are being fulfilled through Him being the final sacrifice. All we have to do is accepts Him as our Savior and Lord, put all of our hope, trust and faith in Him. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:1-2, 6, 10)
So, the Truth is, if we want to be saved, ...the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith...): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and [non-Jew], for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!” (Romans 10:6-13)
Believing? Confessing? OK! But If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh... Eating Christ Jesus flesh? What does He mean?...
No comments:
Post a Comment