Jesus claims that He is the Bread that came down from heaven and that it is absolutely necessary to eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have eternal life. We have seen how absurd it is when men give a carnal meaning to a spiritual truth.
Jesus no more meant that we must literally eat His flesh than He meant that He was a literal door! Did Jesus not say,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”?
The context will almost always interpret whether a term is to be taken literally or spiritually.
Jesus clearly teaches here in 6:47 that it is to believe in Him and to come to Him in faith and to live on His word that constitutes the eating of His flesh and the drinking of His blood. Any other interpretation defies the context of John chapter 6 and the entire Bible.
Notice the progression of anger and discontent among these Jews. In verse 41 they murmured [grumbled] because they understood that if He came down from heaven then He was therefore God the Son in human flesh.
Only Daniel’s Son of Man could be the One come down from heaven.
In verse 52 they quarreled among themselves about how this Man could give them His flesh to eat. The heathen in the first century accused the Christians of cannibalism because they had heard what Jesus had said about eating His flesh and drinking His blood.
A few centuries later the idolaters would come along and invent a way to literally eat His flesh. They say that they can pray over a literal piece of bread and change it into His flesh. And the idolaters of our day are still saying the same thing.
“In view of the prominent place given the mass in the present day Roman Church, it is of particular interest to find that it was unknown in the early church, that it was first proposed by a Benedictine monk, Radbertus, in the ninth century, and that it did not become an official part of Romanist doctrine until so pronounced by the Lateran Council on 1215 under the direction of pope Innocent III. It was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent, in 1545. Transubstantiation is not mentioned in the Apostle’s Creed, or in the Nicene or Athanasian creeds. Its first creedal mention is by pope Pius IV, in the year 1564.” Roman Catholicism, Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962, page 187.
And I just have to repeat myself; Jesus cannot mean that actual bread that has been changed in its substance into His flesh.
Last week I did not talk about verse 46 and promised to deal with in it today.
46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
In Chapter 1 the apostle John introduced what is recorded about what Jesus had said about seeing the Father:
John 1:17-18
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
In verse 46, Jesus again declares His divine authority. Jesus is the sole interpreter of the Father’s being, and will, and purpose. He alone can speak as One who has seen the Father. Cf. 5:19-20
No man has ever seen God or can see Him. Only Jesus has seen God the Father and we will see Jesus!
When we get to Chapter 14 we will spend a little more time on what Jesus means when He speaks about seeing the Father:
John 14:5-11
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
The Eternal Word became flesh and He alone is the revelation of the Godhead. All you will ever know about God that is true will be revealed in Christ. Can I back that statement up?
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Anyone who claims to have seen God is simply deceived and is denying what Jesus and the apostles say that can only be true of the Son of Man.
All of the OT occurrences, when God came down from heaven and appeared to men, are pre-incarnate appearances of the Christ.
E.g., Moses hiding in the cleft of the Rock saw Christ!
That is what verse 46 means. And Jesus was preparing their minds for the truth that they were not yet able to grasp, that however impossible it seems to man, that the Christ was now with them and that He was that very Person that appeared to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob!
46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God;
He has seen the Father.
Having already covered 52-59 we will take up at vs. 60.
What is it that most offends the pride of a self-righteous person?
John 6:60-71
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?
62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
What is it that most offends the pride of a self-righteous person?
It was what had Jesus said that caused them to be offended?
It is the truth that offends and disturbs Satan's kingdom!
It is my opinion that many well-intentioned preachers over the centuries have added millions of souls to the multitudes on the broad way that leads to destruction by telling them that they are sovereign over their own salvation.
They teach that it is man who controls his own eternal destiny by an act of his free will. The problem with that is that is exactly the opposite of what the Lord Jesus Christ says.
Reason with me! I am pleading, as did Isaiah with those of you who are yet in unbelief.
Isaiah 1:18-20
18 "Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the LORD,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
There is no sin too great for the mercy of God.
You must come to Christ, but you must come on His terms!
You must come to Christ, but you must not rob God of His glory!
What ultimately offended the multitudes so much that they turned away from Him?
"Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
It is God’s sovereign choice that causes men to turn red in the face and spit out invective words against the truth!
Some of the most respected and popular preachers of the past and the present have railed against God’s sovereign choice! Why? Because they will not receive the truth that:
“… no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Like the offended multitudes, they turn away from the truth.
In verses 60 and 66 we see the defection of temporary disciples who are offended at the doctrine of divine election, of God’s sovereign choice.
There is no honest way to modify or explain away this great truth of God’s sovereign choice.
65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
We either bow to God’s sovereignty or turn away. Those who are given to Christ by the Father will come to Christ and those condemned in their sinful pride will turn away.
Each person who hears my voice in person or on videotape or reads this message from a written transcript I ask you, “Does this offend you?”
My soul is disturbed that so many choose to leave the only way to God because of their human pride and self-righteousness.
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
The word “time” is in italics, which means that it is not in the original text but was added to help clarify the meaning.
But the meaning is that it was the doctrine He taught that offended them, not that they were late for an appointment.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Blessed Peter speaks for us all! Blessed believer in Christ!
Where there is true faith there can be no departing from Christ, for the faith itself is of divine origin!
Yes, Peter will deny His Lord but he will truly repent because Peter was one of Jesus’ sheep. Judas repented and went to hell because his repentance was the sorrow of the world that leads to death! Cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Years ago I copied this poem out of Christianity Today:
REMORSE: by Sue Fife
To have been the cup
His lips touched and blessed,
To have been the bread
Which He broke;
To have been the cloth
He held as He served,
Or water He poured
As He spoke;
To have been the road
He walked on the Way,
To have been His print
In the sand;
To have been the door
That opened the tomb,
But I was a nail
In His hand.
That poem expresses true repentance. It was my sin that nailed Jesus on the cross! And if Jesus only intended to save one person it would have required the same awful Sacrifice.
But Jesus died for a multitude of sinners that will surely come to Him.
Don’t listen to the devil when he says to you, “You must know if you are one of God’s elect before you can come to Christ.” NO! Come to Christ and then you can know that you are chosen! Make your calling and election sure!
Jesus did not come into the world and suffer the humiliation of being put in the rank of sinners for a “crap shoot”! On some chance that maybe, just maybe, someone might be saved! NO!
John 6:37
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
Next let’s compare natural philosophy [30], and genuine faith [69].
Carnal man says, “Seeing is believing”.
30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?”
They man of faith says, “Believing is seeing.”
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Must you understand the Trinity, election, predestination, before you will believe them? Then you will never believe them!
Jesus knows His sheep and He knows who the unbelievers are as well.
That the secret knowledge of Jesus extended not only to believers but also to unbelievers in shown in verse 64 & 70.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
Although Peter spoke for the Twelve in verse 68, he could not know that there was one exception. Jesus knew who it was who would betray Him.
Judas can never say he wasn’t warned. Jesus says Judas is devil [diabolos], a slanderer, and a false accuser.
Judas is a very difficult case and we must be wise enough not to accuse God of unrighteousness.
Judas Iscariot [man of Kerioth] in Southern Judea.
Another Judas is a half-brother of Jesus and the brother of James.
A quick review of some of the references and prophecies about Judas:
Matthew 26:25, Judas did ask Jesus if he was the one that would betray Him.
Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"
He said to him, "You have said it."
John 13:10-11, Judas is not saved and Jesus knew what Judas would do.
10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
Acts 1:23-26, Judas was not saved and then lost. He did not lose his salvation but his ministry and apostleship.
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
John 17:12, Jesus prays that Scripture might be fulfilled.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
And the Scripture that Jesus means:
Psalm 109:8
Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
Psalm 41:9
Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
Zechariah 11:12
Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And one more:
Matthew 27:9-10
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced,
10 and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."
Why a Judas?
All I can say is that the OT Scripture prophesied that a friend of the Christ would betray Him.
But I caution anyone who takes offense at the fact of God choosing a man for His own purpose and to use him and still condemn the man.
This is a great mystery, i.e., election and predestination and free will.
Can you bow down to God’s sovereign choice or do you worship the idol of man’s free will?
Before you think that it would be an unrighteous thing for a holy God to do answer this. Are we not all justly condemned?
Does God owe His mercy to anyone?
Then how can we take offense at God’s sovereign choice?
It is God who chooses to save someone out of fallen humanity.
God is not choosing to save one and condemn another.
We are condemned already!
That is why it is called mercy!
Listen one more time to Paul in his letter to the church at Rome:
Romans 9:14-24
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
It is my opinion after this current study of John’s Gospel that Chapters 5 and 6 so clearly state Jesus’ claim to His deity and to the sovereign choice of God in the salvation of sinners that only a man like Judas could resist this truth! Is that too hard?
“Does this offend you?”
Amen
