John 6:22-70

1. Background

On the previous day, Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 using a miracle. In response, the people want to take Jesus and make Him King by force, whether He wanted it or not. The following day, the crowd is searching for Him and find him on the other side of the Sea of Tiberias in Capernaum. The following dialogue from Jesus begins with asking Jesus how He arrived on the other side of the lake, “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?”

2. What Can We Observe About God?

God wants to draw you into true belief with His love.

In a rare public discourse, Jesus speaks frankly with the crowd, though still using metaphorical language once the metaphors are defined. Jesus knows they are looking for Him because of the feeding miracle He performed the previous day. He tells them, don’t exert yourselves looking for food only but for the “food” Jesus gives, which is everlasting life.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” Verses 26-27

Misunderstanding what Jesus meant by this, they asked in effect, “what sort of works does God require of us?”

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? ” Verse 28

To this, Jesus said, “Believe Him, and that He has sent me.”

“This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Verse 29

In this initial exchange, we can see the heart of God being communicated to them, though they do not perceive it yet. Despite their ignorance of who He is and wrong motives for following Him, Jesus was compassionate to their hunger the day before. Jesus is patiently dealing with their ignorance. He gives them more chances and time to realize that they need to trust Him solely because of who He is and that He has come to die for them.

But to believe Him the way He is directing them to, they must first humble themselves to be able to hear what He is telling them. He is the King. But He isn’t the one they are expecting (see v15) because their assumptions of Him and of the Scriptures are wrong. The miracles prove who He is, and that alone should be enough reason to humbly consider who He is and what He is saying.

Jesus’ response elicits more questions from the crowd, and their questions continue to show their selfish motives for searching Him out. They demand more signs, namely more bread, and even apply Moses’ law to their interests.

With each response, they urge Jesus to move closer to their desires, but with each answer, Jesus directs them closer to Him to where we end at a final showdown and rejection on the crowd’s part.

“Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger,; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Verses 34 and 35

God’s desire for these people and us is for us to believe. But a sinful construct stands in the way of them offering a heartfelt belief God can accept.  

“But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.” Verse 37

So as far as Jesus is willing to produce bread so the people are willing to follow, but this does not constitute the belief God will accept; in fact, it is not belief at all. The belief God wants will humble itself before Him. Not because we are to cower before a fiery God, but because we willingly submit ourselves to He who loves us greatly without measure. Without this trust and submission, there is no belief that God would accept.

Even though the Son of God stands in front of them, they cannot see past their lust and their own desires. There is no submission in their confession. They must first be drawn by the Father’s love away from their lustful motives. 

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 44

They must believe who He is, His authority over the world, and His motivation of love for them. The Father’s love, seen in the compassion of Jesus, and the power display in the miracles is the meaning of the signs, healings, and raising from the dead. God desires to draw His own unto Himself in this way, being constrained by the love of Christ.  

This is not a novel idea invented by the New Testament. God has always wanted to overcome unbelief by drawing us closer to Him with His love. 

  The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel…

Jeremiah 31:3-4

The outcome of this drawing is “belief,” namely, a life lived for the glory of Christ and not our own desires. Paul captures this thought.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Should not these two elements of God’s drawing persuade the sinner to repentance? He is infinitely able to hold you firmly as not to lose you. And His love is boundless so that He comes down from Heaven to die for you.

3. How does this passage point to the Gospel and Jesus Christ?

Both the love that draws and the resurrection power that saves is in Jesus Christ Alone.

The crowd is stubbornly following Jesus for their desires. This is not belief. But perhaps some of them will consider the power Jesus holds to perform miracles and consider His heart for doing so. If they believe this, they will agree that Jesus is the “bread of life”.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.”

Those who were unwilling to hear never got past this mild metaphor.

“The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Verse 52

The ultimate showdown of their self-will and submitting to Christ has arrived, and many were offended, not even willing to know who He is.

Of course, Jesus is not talking about consuming His physical body, but consuming His words, believing them, and faithfully abiding in them forever.

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Verse 63

4 Application

Knowing that you have eternal life does not require any other work than that of believing Jesus Christ is enough.

We are not even required to understand everything He said intellectually, but only to believe who He is and why He died for you. He died to become the “Bread of Life”. His death and resurrection fulfill His promise to give everlasting life to those who believe in Him. You can believe right where you sit.