BIG IDEA:
ONLY THE BREAD OF LIFE CAN SATISFY FOR ALL ETERNITY
(:22-26) INTRODUCTION: CROWD FOLLOWING JESUS FOR WRONG REASONS
“came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus”
A. (:22-23) Curiosity Driven
“saw that there was not other small boat there, except one”
Illustration: Like soccer coach counting his subs so he knows whether he has the right number of players on the field. Here they counted up the remaining boats = one.
intrigued by what they had witnessed of Jesus and wanted to see more
B. (:24) Crowd Mentality
“When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.”
C. (:25) Calculating Spirit – wanted to figure everything out down to the hour and minute
“Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Confounding of Their Detective Instincts = they were stumped
not satisfied until they can piece everything together and figure out how Jesus did it; like playing game of 20 Questions
looking for answers; wanted to put Jesus into their own, natural, logical box
D. (:26) Consumption Fetish
“you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled”
world content with immediate gratification and satisfaction for just the moment
Hendriksen: “What Jesus meant was that though these people had seen his miracles (especially the healing of the sick and the feeding of the ‘five thousand,’ but in a more general way, all the wonders which he had performed), they had not understood them in their quality as signs which pointed to him as the spiritual Messiah, the Son of God.”
Deffinbaugh: Earlier in John chapter 2 (verses 23-25), we saw that those with only “sign-faith” were those our Lord kept at arms reach; He did not commit Himself to them. If our Lord avoided “sign-faith” believers, then you can well imagine how Jesus feels about these people who are looking for a “free meal messiah.” Though they witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, these folks did not grasp its meaning, nor did they come to faith in Jesus as God’s Messiah. They have been given a free meal, and they want more of the same.
I. (:27-29) FAITH IS THE ONLY REQUIREMENT –
THE FREE GIFT OF THE BREAD OF LIFE TIED TO FAITH IN CHRIST
A. (:27a) Spiritual Orientation Rather Than Materialistic
“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life”
B. (:27b) Grace Orientation Rather Than Works
“which the Son of Man shall give to you”
“for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal”
Speaks to the issue of authentication – the Father has set His seal of approval on the Son; What does God value? What do we value? Possible reference here to the Holy Spirit and to the Father’s voice at the baptism of Christ.
C. (:28-29) Faith Orientation
“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Hendriksen: works vs. grace
“The roots of a tall oak perform a well-nigh unbelievable amount of work in drawing water and minerals from the soil to serve as nourishment for the tree. Nevertheless, these roots do not themselves produce these necessities but receive them as a gift. Similarly, the work of faith is the work of receiving the gift of God.”
II. (:30-35) THE BREAD OF LIFE CAN FULLY SATISFY –
FAR SUPERIOR TO THE OT MANNA IN THE WILDERNESS WHICH PREFIGURED CHRIST AS THE BREAD OF LIFE
A. (:30-31) Can You Top This? – A Bold-faced Challenge
1. (:30) Demanding a More Impressive Sign
“What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?”
2. (:31) Raising the Bar by Pointing to the Miracle of Manna
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”
B. (:32-33) I Beg Your Pardon – A Few Corrections
Don’t minimize the miracle Christ performed in the feeding of the 5000 when you compare it to the manna in the wilderness; Look at what it symbolized in Christ being the true Bread of Life
1. Consistency of the Giver = the same God the Father … Not Moses
“it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but is My Father who gives you . . .”
2. Superiority of the Bread – the Reality vs. the Type
“the true bread out of heaven”
3. Superiority of the Bread – Life-Giving on a Global Scale vs. merely Life-Sustaining on a Local Scale
“gives life to the world”
C. (:34) Materialistic Response
“Lord, evermore give us this bread.”
D. (:35) Identification of the True Bread of Life
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
III. (:36-40) ETERNAL SECURITY GUARANTEED –
ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE ELECT TIED TO THE RESURRECTION
A. (:36) Unbelief Denies People the Benefits of the Bread of Life
“you have seen Me, and yet do not believe”
B. (:37a) Irresistible Grace
“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me”
C. (:37b) Guaranteed Welcome and Security
“the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out”
D. (:38-40) Eternal Security Tied to the Resurrection
1. (:38) Focused Commitment to the Father’s Will
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
2. (:39) Final Destiny of the Father’s Will = Resurrection of All the Elect
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has give Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
3. (:40) Fuller Definition of the Father’s Will = Gospel Summary
“For this is the will of My Father”
a. Necessity of Revelation about Jesus
“that everyone who beholds the Son”
Romans 10 – “How shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?” – Necessity of Preaching
b. Necessity of Faith in Jesus
“and believes in Him”
c. Gift of Eternal Life
“may have eternal life”
d. Guarantee of Resurrection
“and I Myself will raise him up on the last day”
Job not left to any subordinates; no doubt about the outcome
Hendriksen: “The doctrine of the preservation (hence, perseverance) of the saints is surely implied in the very term everlasting life.”