John 6:59-71 Grumbling, Stumbling and a Profession

Paragraphs:
Verse 59 Setting of the Scene
Verses 60-65 Followers Grumble and Stumble
Verses 66-71 Peter Gets It Right

COMMENTARY
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. The synagogue was the Jewish center of local religious life. Capernaum, as you might remember, is Peter's home. The things said refer to the previous text in which Jesus proclaims His deity and reveals their grumbling. He was not hiding or trying to be incognito. He said these things while at the center of Jewish religiosity. Therefore the Old Testament applications were completely understood by his audience.

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" The plight of "total group of adherents" reflects the mentality of the general human population. What they thought was immediately said. They heard, they concluded, then, they spoke. If we do not understand, we might simply do not want to understand. Therein, validating one of mankind's ultimate faults in that we think we know it all. Be careful of how you verbalize your doubts. 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, The word translated 'conscious' is simply an awareness or familiarity. It is not a deep insightful perception of their inward being. They voiced there disdain and Jesus had thoughts about it. "Does this cause you to stumble? 62 "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." Do you understand what Jesus previously said that resulted in their grumbling? Do you understand the meaning of 'eating His flesh' and 'drinking His blood' (6:53)? How then will you be able to grasp the significance of His burial, resurrection and ascension? They did not know. They grumbled which resulted in stumbling. The Spirit is the transmitter of life. Life is not attained by eating. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. "Jesus had given ample opportunity for faith to all those who followed him; yet from the beginning his spiritual discernment made him aware of those whose faith was genuine and those whose attachment was only superficial (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Frank E. Gaebelein, Ed., Vol. 9, 1981, p. 79)." 65 And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." This statement should not surprise us. For, He is simply referring all of His attention to His Father. This made it well know to His followers in Capernaum, that He is about His Father's business and it is all about His Father (6:37 and 44). Simply, the Father grants access to the Son (The Word, 1:1) and the Spirit gives life.
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. All this talk about the Father and the Spirit caused many of His followers to leave. The crowd is dwindling. They could not force themselves to understand what they could not understand. They could not all this talk of the supremacy of the Father and the Spirit in faith and life. They did not want to give up their man centered religion.
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" The crowd is gone and now Jesus asks the pointed question. What about you? He asked it of them and He asks it of you. How will you answer? 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." Peter got this right. Peter is often viewed as the leader of the twelve. The mouth of the disciples. Well, he got this one right. His answer is full of eternal profundity. 1. Jesus is IT. There is no other. 2. The article is obviously missing in 'words of eternal life." Thereby striking down any notion of a saving recantation. Jesus is the Word. 3. Believed (πεπιστεύκαμεν). 4. Became confident (ἐγνώκαμεν) in trusting that Jesus was the ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ. If you don't know any Greek, that phrase, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, is one worth knowing. Peter got it right. 70 Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" 71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. It is amazing. That on the heels of such a right declaration of the Truth, that betrayal lurks. Jesus chose the twelve, but one, Judas Iscariot also chose to betray.

SUMMARY

As we wrap up Jesus' time in Capernaum, we are exposed with truth covering Jesus being the Bread of Life. As the crowd and the twelve were presented with a choice of response, we are also given an opportunity to choose. Many will abandon Him, but you don't want to go away also, do you?' Choose you this day.

The Father grants. The Son 'speaks.' The Spirit gives eternal life. There is no human effort that surpasses the call of God, the Word of God and the Life of God. Jesus will soon present Himself with another by stating that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Does this dependence on God for your life make you withdraw or draw near to God?

Several years ago now, I was spontaneously asked by a dear mentor, to provide a group with the difference between 'religion' and 'Christianity.' I came up with this on the spur of the moment. Religion is man reaching up to God. Christianity is God reaching down to man. Are you busy in your religion? So busy going nowhere? Trust, believe, know the Holy One of God (ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ). Life will then have purpose and direction.

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Grumbling and Arguing? John 6:41-58

ACCORDING TO JOHN
CHAPTER 6 VERSES 41-58
Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. “I am the bread of life. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

COMMENTARY
41. Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” Does it surprise you that the Jews were 'grumbling.' What is grumbling? Well, according to Dictionary.com the antonym of grumble is 'compliment' or 'praise.' Whenever there is grumbling, muttering or murmuring, then there is surely no thinking highly of or saying anything good about anyone else. In our family the following phrase is often verbalized. 'If you can't say anything good, then don't say anything at all.' Grumbling, muttering or murmuring is very self focused. And there is no doubt that the Jews, as they were grumbling about Jesus, were very self focused with their thoughts honed in on their religion, lineage, knowledge and prominence. 42. They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” Ever been so right about what you know, confident in all matters of physics, accounting, history, botany, trivia, science, relationships, religion, etc. that you missed the transcendent premise? Smart folks can miss the essential to Life facts. The Jews knew Jesus' natural birth facts but they did not know His eternal birth facts. These facts are covered in the first chapter of John's gospel account. John 1:1-4 "In (the) beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was light, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." The Jews did not comprehend it. They knew His mother and father, but they did not know His Father. 43. Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. Cease the grumbling, complaining, barking, grunting, whining, snuffling, snarling, mumbling and muttering among yourselves. Jesus hears you. 44. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is refreshing to contemplate the role of the Father in one coming to Jesus. It is also refreshing to hear the Son refer to His Father is such a capacity. In His defense to the grumbling Jews, Jesus compliments His Father. 45. "It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. This is not a knew thought. The Jews, through the writings of the prophets, knew this. The Father promotes the Son as the Son compliments the Father. The Father draws. 46. "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. Be careful, only the Begotten One has seen the Father. The Father will draw but He is still not visible. That is why Jesus is here. Behold the One from the Father. 47. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48. "I am the bread of life. Ἐγὼ εἰμι ὅ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς I might add at this point for all the scripture sceptics, that there are no variations between the six main Greek texts: Wescott/Hort, Greek Orthodox, Tischendorf 8th Ed. with Diacritics, Stephanus Textus Receptus (1550 with Accents), Byzantine/Majority Text (2000), and Textus Receptus (1894). Peshitta: ܐܢܐ ܐܢܐ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܚܝ܀. "If your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50. "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51. "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Jesus is asking the Jews to remember the state of their past fathers while God provided manna for them in the desert after delivering them out of Egypt (Exodus 16). This also refers to the bodily crucifixion of Jesus. Notice that he 'will give' not that they 'will take' or they 'will kill.' Jesus was not planning to be a victim. He, even at this point in His journey, was planning to be a sacrifice. Therefore, the crucifixion of Jesus will not fit in the defense of 'capital punishment.' For His crucifixion was not a punishment even if we think so. It was an offering and a sacrifice. He paid for our sin. He had no sin of His own for which to be punished. Therefore, He cannot be punished and we cannot offer a sacrifice for the life of the world for we deserve punishment based on our sin and guilt.
52. Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” They grumble then they argue. Such is the plight of the 'know-it-alls' when they do not understand. Been there (or so I think), done that (most definitely). 53. So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54. “ who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. Chew on this for a while. This is a direct foreseeing of His crucifixion which will be observed by Christians with the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper, or the Last Supper, will modeled by Christ in the upper room and then prescribed by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. Some say that this text lends to the literal 'eating' and 'drinking' of Christ's flesh and blood in the observance of the Lord's Supper with the bread and the wine. Some say that the bread and the wine are symbolic. Regardless, the crucifixion of Jesus, as foretold here, is to be embraced and is essential to eternal life which will culminate in our resurrection. 57. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58. “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” AMEN!!!

SUMMARY
In a day in which knowledge is vehemently pursued at all costs, there is only knowledge of Jesus that will attain eternal life. His death, burial and resurrection are essential elements in one's arsenal of that attainment. Do you believe that His death was a gift and not a punishment? Do you believe that He was in the grave for three days and not just passed out from the exertion? Do you believe that He was raised from the death by the power of His Father as an exclamation of His approval of His Son's sacrifice and that Jesus' body was not stolen? For Jesus walked around for over 40 days, appearing and speaking to thousands after being raised from the dead. Do you believe it? If so, then you just ate of the Bread of Life! You will be raised on the Last Day.

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John 6:26-40 I AM the Bread of Life

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. "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, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 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? "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "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. "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”


VERSES 26-34
This paragraph, verses 26-34, is the first of our text for this post. It serves to transition us from the great provision of the previous day to allow for the crowd from the 5,000 to be more thoroughly instructed in the impact of their miraculous lunch. 26. Jesus answered them The question Jesus is answering is from our previous text, verse 25, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"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. A question of motive for the crowd that was with Him the previous day and benefited from the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Motive reflects why we do what we do. Have you ever considered why you do what you do? Jesus had a way of getting below our superficial behaviors to uncover our deep motivational intents. For, why you do what you do overwhelms the importance of what you do, especially in your endeavors to follow Jesus. That was the reason for His answer. Are they seeking Him or are they seeking miracles of having their bellies filled again. 27. "Do not work for the food which perishes, Yes, on the heels of providing food, Jesus articulates the total futility of food itself. Food perishes. Why is so much of our lives in pursuit of such a thing that perishes? Try not working for food. Try doing without a meal. Then see the result of your motives. Those who voice the atrocities of doing certain things are melted away by seeing their children hunger if not by their own growling guts. but for the food which endures to eternal life, How much move valuable is life eternal than food. Feed the world, be a hero. Present eternal life options, be persecuted. which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” The Greek word translated as 'seal' is ἐσφράγισεν. It occurs here in the Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative. The author of this Gospel, John, along with the Apostle Paul are the two major users of this term. Outside of their usage, Matthew uses it one time in Matthew 27:66 "So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone." This Greek term, ἐσφράγισεν, speaks of a stamp with a signet or mark of security or preservation. What approval! Are you approved of by someone of true significance? Whose signet mark or ring do you bestow? Do you, dads, approve of your son(s) in this manner? The aorist tense of this verb denotes a 'simple, undefined, past action.' Approval does not have to be a show. But it needs to happen in a significant manner. 28. Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” People will gravitate towards and question those who have someone's approval. In this case, Jesus had His Father's approval. 29. Jesus answered and said to them, Note Jesus' patience with these folks in this dialogue. “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” Trying to work your way to heaven? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. 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? Amazing! How quickly they, and we, forget the previous days feeding of the 5,000 and us. An empty belly has no memory. Hold on to that thought. For it will be developed as we progress. 31. "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” Here 'them' turns to proof-texting their food based inquisition. By quoting from the Exodus event in Exodus 16, in which God provided manna and quail for the sojourners, they have a heritage memory. God did this for our fathers. They quickly abandoned yesterday's events when Jesus gave them fish and chips on the mountain side. 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Jesus takes there awareness of their heritage and drives home the point that His Father, not Moses, is their provider. As long as their hope was on Moses, and not The Father, then they will be hungry. But, if their hope is in the Father God, then they will have life from heaven. 34. Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Good choice! As naive and misdirected as this request may be, it was a simple request based on them not knowing all that it entailed.

VERSES 35-40
Having gotten to the core issue, this paragraph, verses 35-40, contain Jesus' revelation monologue. 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς This is the climax of these two paragraphs stretching from verse 26 to verse 40. The crowd made a request and Jesus answers with resounding revelation. His sole use, for He is solely worthy, of this phrase, Ἐγώ εἰμι, serves to identify resulting in people either welcoming Him or rejecting Him. 'Come' and 'believe.' Regarding the Greek word, ἐρχόμενος, translated 'come,' Strong's Concordance gives us 'accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go, and grow' as synonyms. Seeing is NOT believing. 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 certainly not cast out. Coming and believing will result in eternal acceptance and belonging. 38. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Be sure this is the will of the Father, the One who fed their fathers in the wilderness. This same Father sent this one before them and He is about His Father's desire. 39 "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. This is the will of the Father. This is the will of God. 'I lose nothing' is literally 'I destroy nothing.' 'Lose' is a figurative interpretation of the Greek word ἀπόλλυμι. Littel, Scott, Jones offers other renderings based on other Greek texts: demolish, lay waste, ruin, kill. The 'all' refers to the authority and sanction that was bestowed on Jesus as a result of His identity and mission. Of all His rights and authorities that may seem to be vanquished, will never be completely demolished. For the resurrection will gather and restore. Death, where is your victory? 40. "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” What is true for Him, is true for those who 'behold' and 'believe.' Eternal life and resurrection is the desire, will, purpose, mandate, sanction, pleasure, decree, determination of the Father.

SUMMARY
Do find yourself seeking after Jesus, pursuing Him, inquiring of Him or being fed by Him? Some experience the blessings of Christ while never doing those things. However, blessed are those who 'come,' 'behold,' and 'believe' in Him. He is the I AM.

Regarding the impact of food on our faith, the statement was made that empty bellies have short or no memories. That may be true but empty bellies can have hope based on a belief or faith in Christ. Consider your faith the next time you are hungry. Consider how quickly you abandon His promised provision the next time you have nothing to eat. He was faithful to your fathers. He was faithful yesterday. He is faithful now. And He will be faithful tomorrow. Do not abandon your faith on an empty stomach. That is the time when faith is most prevalent and most beneficial. Please read Matthew 6:25-33 for another perspective on faith and food. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Month Left Over at the End of the Money?

Month left over at the end of the money?

Are you telling your money where to go or is your money telling where it went?

Questions about money? Ever heard of Dave Ramsey? He is the man of our time for Financial FREEDOM based on the freedom in Christ Jesus.

I am amazed of the tumultuous financial situations of our day regarding individuals, families, corporations, governments and churches. All have forgotten how to say 'NO!' to the pull of marketing on our uncontrolled binges. Where is the discipline? Budgets are usually thought of as medieval forms of torture, but they are vehicles of planning, discipline and focus that allow us to prepare for Murphy showing up in life. Dave Ramsey is well known for pointing the advantages of having a life emergency and it not also be a financial emergency. A life crisis does not also have to be a financial crisis.

For more information: daveramsey.com

A Family Budget

with Recommended Percentages

• Giving: 10-15 %
• Saving: 5-10 % Emergency Fund, Retirement, College Fund
• Housing: 25-35 % Mortgage(s), Furniture, Insurance, Taxes
• Utilities: 5-10 % Electricity, Water, Gas, Phone, Cable, Trash
• Food: 5-15 % Grocery, Restaurants
• Transportation:10-15 % Car Payment(s), Gas, Oil, Repairs, Insurance, Tags, etc.
• Clothing: 2-7 % Children, Adults
• Medical/Health 5-10 % Disability Ins., Health Ins., Dentist, Meds, etc.
• Personal: 5-10 % Life Ins., Education, Gifts (incl. Christmas), Blow Money
• Recreation: 5-10 % Entertainment, Vacation
• Debts: 5-10 % Credit Cards, Student Loans, Gas Card, etc.
  

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