The Reaction of The Jews
August 21, 2022
Commentary
Jesus then rebukes the crowd for their lack of faith (v.36). They had the great privilege of seeing Him, and yet they refused to believe. It is evident here that seeing does not necessarily lead to believing. He goes on to explain that salvation involves both divine sovereignty and human responsibility (vv. 37-40). The Jews supposed that by virtue of their national origin and religious works they were assured of a place in the Kingdom. Our Lord revealed their thought that they could manipulate the Messiah into adapting to their conception of the Kingdom. Quite the opposite was true. Entrance into the Kingdom is not ultimately a matter of our choice, but God’s. It is not we who bring God to us, but God Who draws us to Himself (vv. 41-44). He assures them that anyone who comes to Him will never be lost, but will be raised at the last day (v. 39). In fact, those who put their trust in Christ will be resurrected from physical death to everlasting life with God when Christ comes again (v. 40).
The audience suddenly changes. No longer are we dealing with the wandering crowds that pursued Jesus from the site of the feeding miracle. We are now confronted with an audience of hostile ‘murmuring’ Jews. Again John seems insensitive to the fact that all his characters, with the exception of the Roman official, are ‘Jews’. But as we have noted, by ‘Jews’ John means the religious leadership determined to destroy Jesus. By implication they were still causing the original readers of this Gospel difficulties.
Application
The fact I am going to heaven when I die is not because of something I have done but because of Jesus revealing himself to me and drawing me to Him. All I had to do was believe in Him.
John 6:36– 44 (NET)
36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father—for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus replied, “Do not complain about me to one another. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Illustration: Howard Hendricks Had a Teacher Who Believed in Him
Howard Hendricks tells how he came from a broken family and was a problem kid. During his first day in fifth grade the teacher said, ’Oh, Howard Hendricks. I’ve heard a lot about you. I understand you are the worst kid in school.’ That year Howard did whatever he could to prove her right. When the next year rolled around his sixth grade teacher said to him, ’Oh, so you are Howard Hendricks. I’ve heard you are the worst boy in this school.’ Hendricks thought, ’Here we go again.’ But then the teacher continued, ’And you know what? I don’t believe a word of it.’ And Howard said that year that woman did everything she could to help him and encourage him and praise his work; she believed in him. Hendricks credits her with changing his life forever. (Source: Spiritual Stamina, Stuart Briscoe, p 231-232).