Or, The Gift That Cannot Be Lost
Scripture: John 6:35-40
Date: May 20, 2012
Speaker: Sean Higgins
I’d like to start in reverse this morning and mention three levels of response that John 6:35-40 creates. First, though furthest away from the immediate context in Capernaum, I cannot imagine too many other Scripture passages that encourage a believer more. You will find certainties here that are worth building your life on. If you have already come to Jesus, look for the encouragement in this paragraph.
If you are not a Christian, or if you know someone who isn’t, look for the invitation to come to Christ. John the apostle included this episode to urge you to believe in Jesus. The Son alone can satisfy the longings you have, only He gives life. In the context of John’s Gospel, this paragraph is a great invitation to believe.
A third response from this paragraph, and the lesson that comes directly from Jesus to the crowd in Capernaum, is an explanation of why some men (including the ones He was talking to) will not believe in Jesus. Look for the eternal, Trinitarian insight behind religious responses to Christ.
While Jesus’ words effectively encourage those who have come to Him, and while those same words invite others to come to Him, the reason in context is why men do not come to Him. So here is encouragement, invitation, and explanation.
It’s the day after Jesus fed the five-thousand men (John 6:1-15), later the same day after Jesus (and Peter) walked on water (John 6:16-21). Those who had eaten their fill took water taxis across the Sea of Galilee to find their candidate for King (John 6:22-24), the one they hoped would take office on the economic platform of providing plentiful bread for the people.
Jesus instead offered them something better. He offered them heavenly food, true bread, eternal life given by the Son of Man sent from the Father (John 6:25-34). They cannot hear Him say something that they can’t misunderstand. They misunderstand what it means to labor for eternal life; they really think they can do something themselves. They misunderstand why they should believe in Jesus; they expect Him to prove Himself to their standards. They misunderstand the verses they quote at Him; they attributed power to Moses that wasn’t his. They misunderstand the bread He offers.
For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (John 6:33-34, ESV)
Jesus responds to their misunderstanding in verses 35-40. More than simply a response, He explains why they don’t get it. It’s all Jesus in this paragraph until we hear the people grumbling in verse 41.
There is certain satisfaction in Jesus, if only men come to Him.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35, ESV)
Jesus is the Provision. He already said that “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven.” The “bread” was a who not a what and He meant that He Himself was the bread. They said to Him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” And He replies, I am the bread right here in front of you. He’ll say the same thing again in verse 48.
This is the first of the famous “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel with six more to come. For example, Jesus will say that “I am the light of the world” (8:12), “I am the door” (10:7), “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11) and more. He will soon tell the Jews, “before Abraham, I am” (8:58). The Greek ἐγώ εἰμι translates the Hebrew Yahweh, the covenant name of God. For Jesus to say “I am the bread of life” is not simply a metaphor about provision, it identifies Jesus as God.
It is a metaphor, though, on the grammatical level. He is not a loaf of “bread” anymore than He is a hanging door. These are word pictures, further corroborated by the fact that “the coming one” isn’t hungry, not the eating one. That point is that Jesus gives life just as bread sustains physical life.
The ones who have the life He offers are the ones coming to me and the ones believing in me. Of course, “coming” isn’t eating, unless eating is an illustration. So, coming, eating, and believing are all different ways of describing the same thing. Jesus is the focus, to me and in me.
The promise for the one coming to Jesus. The benefits are certain. The one coming to Him shall not hunger and shall never thirst. The illustration works because Jesus isn’t actually bread, He is the life. In Him is satisfaction of such a kind that cannot be lost.
But… Jesus observes the problem. He breaks away from the bread illustration through the rest of this paragraph to address unbelief.
But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. (John 6:36, ESV)
This is absolutely what should not happen. It shouldn’t even be possible. Jesus said that they have seen (perfect tense, so they were not waiting for more to see), they were with Him, they were direct beneficiaries of His power and grace, the immediate audience of His teaching and offer of eternal life. Yet they “are not believing” (present tense). How could that be? Who would reject bread that satisfies hunger and thirst totally? Who would intentionally pass by and leave the bread of life on the shelf?
From the other side, how could the Bread of life be so unappealing and then so ineffective? How could Jesus be so crippled in His demonstration and invitation that this group wouldn’t believe? Did He need a bigger display for His bread at the end of the aisle?
There is certain reception by Jesus, if only men are given by the Father to Him.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. (John 6:37-38, ESV)
Not only does Jesus introduce us to an important group of people, He also introduces us to an almost unbelievable story. Admittedly He doesn’t say everything here but He says enough that we get a privileged backstage pass to eternal and Triune plans.
[Side note: My eyes glaze over when the someone lifts the hood on my car and starts describing what’s happening with the engine. I could learn the terms, I could learn how things are made to work together, but I’m just not that curious. I say that to say, I understand that not everyone is interested in learning the terms or curious about how the Trinity works salvation. But knowing about the engine of eternal redemption will change your life. Jesus promises.]
The “Given Ones”. All…will come to me. Those who come are “the ones believing” (verse 35) and believing is exactly not what the crowd was doing (verse 36). Jesus identifies the all who will come. All those the Father gives to Jesus will come to Jesus. Those given to Jesus will behold and believe and be satisfied with Him as the Bread of life.
It does no good, it makes no sense in context, to say that God chose those who would chose Him first. It does not fit to say that the ones coming to Jesus are then selected by the Father for the Son. First, it doesn’t make sense in verse 37. What makes a “coming one” is that he is a “given one” from the Father to the Son. The giving creates the coming, the coming doesn’t determine the giving. Second, Jesus is contrasting those at the end of verse 36. They behold and do not believe. If even they don’t believe, how can anyone believe? The answer is that all those given by the Father will believe.
They will believe because the Father gives them and brings them. Notice how Jesus responds to their grumbling unbelief as chapter six continues:
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44, ESV)
[T]here are some of you who do not believe (v.64) This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father. (John 6:65, ESV)
Jesus will talk about the “given ones” again in chapter 10 and chapter 17. In the eternal plan, the Father elected and initiated a gift of people for His Son. It is an amazing story that unfolds the importance of the Incarnation and the substitutionary sacrifice for His people. All those given will come.
The Receiving One. All those coming to Jesus will most certainly be received by Jesus. I will never cast out or “I will never reject the ones coming to Me.” Of course He won’t! They are His gift from the Father. Jesus won’t ignore His gift from the Father, return it, or set it aside.
His gift, the whole group of “coming ones,” is the reason He came down from heaven. His purpose was to do…the will of him who sent me, not to do [my] own will.
The Father loved the Son infinitely and wanted to get Him something special. He chose a gift that would honor His Son. The Son had to come get, to give His life for this group gift (not a gift purchased by a group, but a gift that is a group). So the Father sent the Son to purchase the gift He chose for Him. The Word became flesh, gave His flesh, to save the men given to Him. Of course the Son knows and loves and receives the ones given to Him by the Father.
If Jesus turns away anyone who comes to Him, then He is either unable or unwilling to do His Father’s will. Likewise, if Jesus comes to get anyone given to Him by His Father’s will, they will not be unable or unwilling to come to Him.
In Jesus there is certain resurrection, if only men are given to Jesus by the Father.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:39-40, ESV)
God’s will takes center stage in both verses.
The “Given Ones” Will Not Be Lost. Jesus just said that He came to do the will of the one who sent Him. Now He talks about that will. He confirms, “I will lose nothing of all that He has given Me” but “I will raise him up on the last day.” The Father and Son are in this gift giving/receiving together, a mission of eternal life. The gift is received and kept forever.
The “Given Ones” Will Behold and Believe. Verse 40 parallels verse 39 a number of ways and summarizes the paragraph. Both verses begin with God’s will and both end with guaranteed resurrection. The Father parallels the Sender. The ones given parallel the ones beholding and believing.
This is exactly what the crowd did not do. They beheld the glory as of the only Son from the Father and did not believe. Why? They weren’t given by the Father to the Son. All the ones given are the ones beholding and believing in Him are the ones who have eternal life. Believing is never useless (see Calvin, 252).
The “Given Ones” Will Be Raised. All those Jesus will raise on the last day. They are guaranteed bodily resurrection to eternal life.
Nothing in the misunderstanding (or grumbling [see verse 41] or turning away [see verse 66]) among the crowd damaged the reality of Jesus’ glory full of grace and truth. Jesus shows them the bread of life, bread that satisfies, and they don’t want it. They don’t want Him. Jesus explains that unbelievers are not given by the Father to the Son.
At the same time, John uses this truth in his gospel tract. He wants people to believe in Jesus. John invites men to come to Jesus. It is apparently no off limits subject to talk about God’s sovereign grace to non-Christians. God’s Spirit may just blow in their hearts and cause them to see and come to the Son.
How can we know who are given? God elects in secret but He regenerates in public as men believe. So come to Jesus. Invite others to Jesus. Those who are “given” will behold and believe.
For Christians, how much more could we want for sake of our peace and joy? What else could we want Him to tell us in order to be strengthened? Have you come to Jesus? Do you believe in Him? Then you are part of an eternal gift, a gift secured by the coming and crucifixion of the Lamb of God. God encourages us with this. You came to Him because you were given to Him and He came for you. He will never lose you. You are part of a gift that cannot be lost. Of course He won’t reject you! Remember, He is your bread! You have no hunger or thirst in soul that He does not satisfy.
You are welcome with Him; He will not reject you. You are secure for Him; He will not lose you. You are filled by Him; you will not hunger or thirst the same way again. You live with Him; you will not be un-raised. Here is certainty. Here is love. Here is grace.
Jesus is not done confronting unbelievers, calling them to believe, and explaining why some receive Him and others reject Him. There are a variety of theological nicknames that seek to summarize these doctrines but, whatever vocabulary we use, it is life!