John 6:26-59

By Dale Smelser

 

 

There are several keys to understand­ing this passage. One is verse 48 where Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." Then verse 50, "This is the bread of life which comes down out of heaven that a man might eat and live."

As we will note, the consideration of actual baked bread is not in this passage. It is not talking about the Lord's Supper, or the "Eucharist." If so it would assure eternal life to all who ate it. But there were plenty who ate it in the New Testament who would not have life. Many at Corinth had been bap­tized and ate the Lord's supper, but that no more gave them life than those baptized unto Moses, and who ate the Manna after that release from bondage (I Cor. 10:1-12). Rather, they perished in the wilderness. Some ate literal bread to their own destruc­tion (I Cor. 11:27). Physically partaking of the Lord's Supper did not in itself result in eternal life. But eating his flesh and drink­ing his blood did. Whatever that meant, the two actions must be distinct actions.

First, we remember that Jesus had miraculously fed bread and fish to 5,000 people. They would make such a provider king and follow him for that (Jn. 6:15). So now, back across the Sea of Galilee in the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus told them not to work for the food which perishes (which included the bread of the Eucharist), but to work for that which abides to eternal life (v. 27). They asked what they must do to work the works of God and Jesus told them that was to believe on him whom God had sent (vv. 28-29). Note again, the food that perishes not, is not physically con­sumed bread, but the Christ of whom we must partake by believing. We can see this building up to his claim to being the bread of life, of whom we partake by believing.

As people in a pinch, Jesus' listeners for­get what he has done and this language re­minds them of Moses who gave their fathers bread. So they ask what sign Jesus would do in comparison. Jesus said it was not Moses but God who gave them bread and who was now giving them the true bread out of heaven that they may eat (partake of through their faith) and receive life (vv. 32-33). They asked for that bread just as the woman asked at the well for liv­ing water, which was no more physical than the bread of which Jesus speaks. To which Jesus answered as he would repeat, "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes on me shall never thirst" (v. 35). Again we see this is not about eating anything physical. We can do that and still hunger and thirst. He is the bread, not, the bread is him. And "eating" is not ingestion of physical material, but be­lieving.

Another key to understanding the pas­sage is to note the correspondence and comparison of believing and eating.

1. "Everyone who beholds the Son and believes on him should have eternal life" (v. 40).

2. "He who believes has eternal life" (v. 47).

We have life because the bread he gave was his body given for the life of the world (v. 51). We partake of the benefit of this bread, his sacrificed body, through our faith. So then comes the graphic figure, "He who eats my body and drinks my blood has eter­nal life" (v. 54). Who has eternal life? Those who believe. Who has eternal life? Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood. In this manner, through believing, we partake of the bread of life, the body offered on the cross. That sacrifice is why Jesus is the bread of life, that which gives eternal life, not just a material substance, as the bread (manna) Moses gave. We must eat of him, actually take Christ into ourselves, which conveys how consuming faith is. It is not a casual acceptance. We do not do this eating representatively by eating the "host," but by ingesting him through our consuming faith.

The importance of that is memorialized in the Lord's Supper, where in eating the bread and drinking the cup we do so in "remembrance" of Christ (I Cor. 11:24), and thereby "proclaim" his death (I Cor. 11:26). Those of faith will do that because the one in whom they believe told them to do it. But John 6:50-54 is not speaking of the Lord's Supper. It pictures Christ as the bread of life of whom we partake in believing. The Lord's Supper is a memorial of that. We do it in memory. We do not partake of Christ by eating the Lord’s Supper. We partake of Christ by believing. &

THE INDIRECT OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (2)

By Bob Myhan

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, good­ness, faith­fulness, gentleness, self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in the children of God but He does not do so apart from the word of God. If He were going to do so, His children would not be responsible for their own spiri­tual devel­opment. But it is obvious that they are re­sponsible in the area of spiritual growth be­cause God commands them to ex­hibit those characteristics that are collectively referred to as “the fruit of the Spirit.” Consider:

Then one of the scribes came, and hav­ing heard them reasoning together, per­ceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first command­ment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other command­ment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom. 12:18)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one an­other, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Col. 3:12-13)

For "He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10-11)

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (1 Cor. 4:2)

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. (Titus 3:1-2)

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to persever­ance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

It should be obvious to all that the word of God is the instrument of the Spirit of God in producing the fruit of the Spirit in us, thus effecting our spiritual growth. However, we are not left to infer this.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all de­ceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if in­deed you have tasted that the Lord is gra­cious. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Thus it is the duty of God’s children to develop the fruit of the Spirit. The more consistently they apply the word of God to their lives, the more they are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-7). And, al­though they never can be all that God is, they can more or less reflect His character even as the moon can never equal the sun in bright­ness, though it can and does reflect the light thereof.

This certainly does not require a direct operation of the Holy Spirit or His literal, direct presence within our physical bodies. It is enough to “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16), being “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).