Men choose their own destiny

 

Delineating choice          John 6v59-71

 

There comes a point where spiritual truth is accepted or rejected.  God is not playing games, He sent His Son into the world for a very distinctive purpose, to redeem fallen man and reconcile him to Himself.  It must be on His terms, and when His truth is expounded it finds out people where they are.  In these closing verses of the chapter we shall find true disciples struggling with the teaching; we shall find some who go away, and even one who was in league with the devil!

This was a hard saying even for the disciples to take in-“This is a hard saying who can hear it?”  Jesus knew that His disciples struggled with this and murmured one to the other. There's nothing He doesn't know about what we're thinking and so He says “Doth this offend you?” What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.  The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.  But there are some of you that believe not.  For Jesus knew, from the beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.” 

 

Heavenly things, the things of the Spirit are only discerned by faith in the word, not by the flesh.  If they found it difficult to believe His words, what will it be when He is glorified, ascended back to heaven as judge of the whole earth?  These things are spiritually understood, human logic is worthless in the things of God.  It was not lack of knowledge that was the problem, it was lack of faith, for some so-called disciples did not really believe Him.  In the band of followers there were unbelievers, and at least one traitor.  What we are is exposed when faced with the living Word of God.  Paul addresses this in second Timothy 2v19 when he says, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: the Lord know them that are His and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  The reality of where we all stand is known to God. The measure of that reality is our faith in His word-faith that is expressed in actions.  Yet again we are presented with his omniscience His manifest Deity.  He concludes, “Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given to him of my Father.”   Favour from God is the gift of God, not something we deserve: and only when we accept Him as the Son who was sent by the Father will we be blessed.

 

Some depart and one is demon possessed  

 

“From that time. Many of his disciples went back and walked no more with Him.  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away?  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go, thou hast the words of eternal life.  We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.  Jesus answered them., have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil?  He speak of Judas Iscariot of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.”

 

Nice words from Simon, Peter, but Jesus keeps their feet firmly on the ground almost as if to say don't get too carried away.  For one of your number is in league with Satan.  Words are sometimes cheap, actions reveal the reality.  The whole book is presented “that we might believe.”  This chapter ends with those who ceased believing, and one who had never truly believed.

 

Feeding on Christ the living bread

 

Coming to Him involves close and intimate fellowship with Him and with the Father.                   John 6v52-58

 

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

 

Note the progression in the chapter; v28 doubting; v41  murmuring; v 52 fighting; v66 abandoning.  The alternative is coming to Him in all that He is, and in all He represents.   Scripture uses extreme language here to present spiritual truth.  It does not mean cannibalism but a close intimate relationship with God the Father and with God the Son.  Eating flesh and drinking blood is metaphorical for closest intimacy.  Coming to Him is not the wonder of a moment, it is a whole of life commitment.  Just as the food we eat becomes part of us, so Christ comes to live in us.  It is wholly a change of diet as well as a change of destiny.  At the slaying of the paschal lamb in Egypt, part of the process was to eat the roast lamb.  The progression was “Take it…keep it…kill it…eat it.” The blood was for God, the flesh for the people.  In redemption there is a change of diet as well as a change of destiny.  Israel, redeemed by the lamb, fed on three significant things after they left Egypt;

The Passover lamb-representing Christ in His death

The Manna-representing Christ in His life

The Old Corn of the land-representing Christ in resurrection

 

Thus what spoke of Christ became the permanent food of Israel

 

His flesh….God incarnate; His blood…God redemptive.  Eat and drink, it must be as intimate as that, He becomes part of us in all that He is His person, and in all that He did in His work.  His blood to satisfy the demands of God; His flesh to satisfy the needs of humanity.  Everyone outside of this has no life in them.  Coming to Him is no passing fancy, no nine day wonder, it is a new life altogether. 

 

“Verily, verily, I say unto you except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth of my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father, so he that he eateth me even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.”

 

Coming to him, and eating and drinking with Him is to dwell in Him and He in us.  It is in fact to live with Him, and He with us.  In the same way as Jesus has a close relationship with His Father, and, according to revealed Scripture has had from all eternity, and continued even all through the days on Earth-so coming to Him means that we shall have the same relationship with Him and with the Father through Him. The concept is awesome but it is true, and is the reason we were all created.

 

All whom God knows will come

 

All come to Christ at the discretion of the Father  John 6v36-40

 

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him to cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.  For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.  And this is the Father's will, which hath sent me that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.  And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

 

There are those who will come and those who will not come, the final outcome is not in doubt.  God knows the end from the beginning, He does not force Himself on anyone; neither does He deal in possibilities only in certainties.  He knows those who are real and those who are unreal, those who believe and those who believe not.  He refers to ”those whom the Father has given Him” in a seemingly unrelated aside, but which goes to the heart of His self-revelation in scripture.  This occurs 9 times in this gospel-6v37,v39; 10v29; 17v6,v9,v11,v12,v24; 18v8.  In the context of those who believe, and those who believe not, those who believe are seen as a love-gift from the Father to the Son.  In the great prayer of the Son to the Father, chapter 17v6 says “Thine they were, thou gavest them me…”.  They were the Father’s in creation, and are given to the Son as a special possession in redemption.  They are all known to God, those who believe are described as the elect.  The reality is that only believers are in the elect, and therefore an elite group of people.  They are not elect and elite because of any merit of theirs, but only by belief in Him.  God does not choose as we do, for His thoughts are not ours, and His ways higher than ours.  By reason of astonishing omnipotence, He knows the end from the beginning and on that basis, He chooses those who are in Christ, who believe on Him.  There is no thought in all of scripture of Reprobation, that is the false doctrine that God predetermines the destiny of many for judgment.   His election is based on His foreknowledge as scripture clearly states-Romans 8v29 and 1^st Peter 1v2.   He chooses those who are in Christ and this has been known before time began.  All who come, who have come, who are coming, and who will come, Christ will accept as the gift of the Father.  His intimate knowledge of the workings within the Godhead serve only to assert His Deity.  He that comes, everyone who comes, who is thinking of coming, who is sincere about believing in Him will be received-“I will in no wise cast out”; the term is very strong, absolutely no doubt that those who come will be received.   The bible dictionary says this emphasises “By no means, assuredly not!”-the phrase is variously translated, “not”, as in absolutely not, over 40 times in the N/T; “in no wise”, Matthew 5v18, 10v42, John 6v37, Acts 13v44; “in no case”, Matthew 5v20; “by no means” Matthew 5v26; “never” John 8v51, 10v28, 13v8, Hebrews 13v6- Greek scholars tell us this can stand repetition up to six times, making it an absolute certainty.  The end result is known only to the Father, and nothing shall interrupt the process of anyone coming to Him.  His door is open to all who are genuinely approaching Him. 

 

He came explicitly to do the Father’s will, and the Father’s will is to secure all who come, and enter the joy of eternal life.  The decision made in time and on earth will have everlasting consequences, and so the issues are solemn.  No one who comes will be lost, all who come will receive everlasting life.  There is no limit on this invitation, except the limit we put on it ourselves.  All are invited, all are given opportunity, some will reject, as the Jews in Jesus’ day did, and as many today are doing.

 

 

 

Christ the true bread

 John 6v32-35

Asserting His Deity      v32-58

 

Christ the true bread   v32-35    A human being, created by God, can be satisfied with nothing less than God.  Even the things that are made, the material creation are not enough, only a hunger and thirst for God Himself, to use biblical language.  Job, who knew God more than most said “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food…”Job 23v12; other scriptures are, Matthew 4v4 (from Deuteronomy 8v3); Matthew 5v6; Psalm 42v1-2; 63v1-5; John 4v34, and others.  When we have the best in life, and few of us have, of the material blessings of this world, there is still a dimension missing that only God can fill.  This is why Jesus came as “the bread of God that gives life to the world”.  The figure of bread is graphic in describing the work of Christ for all mankind.  Consider the chain of growth: seed falls into the ground; the seed dies; the seed rises high on stalks; ears of corn form; the corn ears are gathered and crushed to powder; the resulting flour is refined, then baked in the oven.  The result is life-giving bread.  This is what Christ is to the believer, He is indispensable bread to the human soul. This is the theme of John, the Deity of Christ who gave Himself for the life of the world.

 

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth the life unto the world.”

   

This is the vivid picture of the manna which came from heaven to feed Israel in the desert, where there was no food.  The manna was indispensable to the life of Israel, and is a picture of what Christ is today.  Notice the important detail: each morning for almost 40 years the manna rained on the camp of Israel.  It is estimated that 4500 tons were necessary every day-the logistics were enormous.  This heavenly provision speaks of Christ as the daily portion of God’s people.  We consider the typology of the manna, the narrative is in Exodus 16 and Numbers 11.  Space forbids us to engage a detailed study of the manna, but readers can profit by applying the nature of the manna to Christ who is our daily portion of spiritual food.  In this section we have further evidence of His Deity, followed by objections from the Jews.  The narrative here will lead to separating those who are real from the others.  Acceptance of the Deity of Jesus Christ is fundamental to spiritual life.  For all who receive Him as Divine, this portion is a goldmine of information, as He unfolds His person and defines His mission.   

 

He is the bread from heaven, the source is outside of this world; He is the true bread-spiritual, in contrast to the material which feeds the body.  We need to learn that the material world is not the real world, the needs of the body are transient-refer 2^nd Corinthians 4v18.  We need food for the soul, and He is that food.  He is the bread of God, not merely the bread which God gives, but that on which God Himself feeds.  This is made clear in the picture of the table of shewbread in the tabernacle-Exodus 25v30 and Leviticus 24v5-6.  That which the priests fed upon every sabbath was the portion of the Lord every day.  The import of this is obvious, if He is enough to satisfy the infinite God, He is enough to feed us!  He is the bread of life, just as food sustains the life of the body so Christ sustains the soul of the believer.  The manna from heaven contrasts with the food of Egypt which fed the flesh only.  The appetite of the Christian believer should change; when Christ saves us He not only changes our destiny but our diet.  Just as the Israelites gathered a portion every day, and early in the day, so we regularly feed on Him.  He is the subject of the library we call the bible, and a portion per day is what is suggested.  He is the living bread, the power motivating every changed life.  Several times through these verses He asserts He is the indispensable bread of life.

 

“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

  

He is the only satisfaction for the human soul.  Food for the body is not enough for the human being created body soul and spirit.  We need spiritual food and He is that food.  The first step is coming to Him, the only source of true spiritual life, and the fountain of living waters.  The ongoing steps are to feed on Him, the living bread and the refreshing water.  We know what it means for our bodies, we now learn to draw from Him in our souls.  Coming to Him means believing in Him and living in Him.  When we do we find our hunger and thirst in life are satisfied, our lives are full, as God intended it to be.  Never hunger, never thirst, the words are emphatic.  He is the unlimited source not only of salvation but of satisfaction.  This is life indeed and He is the life-giver.  Are we feeding on Christ the true bread?

Exposing materialism

 John 6v25-31

Exposing materialism     v25-31  The omniscient Lord, who knew their hearts, and who knows our hearts, saw through the clamour to see Him.

 

“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 that perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give  unto you, for Him hath God the Father sealed.”

 

In ancient times a legal document was always authenticated by an imprint or a seal to give it force.  The seal represented the power and authority of the sender, much like today where important documents may carry the seal of approval of the Queen, or the State.  This is to give authoritative power to the item sent.  Companies selling products today prosper when the Royal seal is on it.  This was a practise seen very much in the Middle Eastern world, especially as recorded in the Book of Esther, when at the command of the king, letters were sent to all 127 provinces under his control.  No one ignored the seal of the king for it was enforced by all the might of his armies.  God has put His Divine approval on Christ, by visible and verbal approval at his baptism; by prophesies fulfilled in His life; and by miracles that were done in the sight of all.  The Father’s seal signifies the authority of Christ’s words and works, that they are the words and works of the Father.  The Father sent Christ, He anointed Him at His baptism, spoke of Him from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”  By Him, Christ went about healing and raising the dead.  All of the prophets before Christ, including John the Baptist, and all that followed after, especially the apostles, were sent of God and spoke of Christ. God raised Him from the dead. The Spirit of God set His approval on Him.  These things are evidence that God the Father sealed the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, with His own Spirit so that He spoke and did all that God required of Him by the Spirit of His Father.
The Lord Jesus Christ must be heard because of the seal that He bears – it is the seal of Almighty God, the Father’s seal, and is the highest testimony to the authority of Christ as the Son of Man.  The Son of God bears the signet ring of Heaven’s throne   Therefore, we should hear Him.

 

The multitude had travelled across the lake to find Him, and because of the miracles they should have worshipped Him.  But Jesus knew their hearts; it was for material benefit they sought Him, not for spiritual reality.  His mission was not to feed the body but to sanctify the soul, and they had missed the whole point of His mission.  Material things, like food, are only for this life; the emphasis should be on the spiritual, which last for ever.  They shew their ignorance by asking Him what they must do to work the works of God.  His answer is the very heart of the gospel He came to bring-“This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom God has sent.”  Not works of yours, but works of mine which God will accept.  All you have to do is believe in me.  What follows amounts to incredible insensitivity, “They said therefore unto Him, what signs showest thou that we might see and believe on thee?  What dost thou work?  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

 

They have just witnessed an astonishing miracle- the feeding of 5000 men beside women and children from meagre resources. And now they ask Jesus what sign do you show us that we might believe?!  Sadly, their minds were so fixed on the material, they lost all rationality. This gives rise to the great discourse on the bread of God, who came down from heaven to supply the only life that we need.  

Jesus in control of life's turbulence

 

Calming the storm    v15-21

In the feeding of the multitude it is clear that He controls the production of earth’s food supplies.  In the calming of the storm He controls the elements of nature-the wind and the waves of the sea.  Jesus departed Himself to a mountain alone.  Following his miraculous provision of food for the multitude, He wanted to be alone, to pray, to commune with His Father, and to seek guidance for the future. The disciples departed to go towards Capernaum, the home of Peter and Andrew-a fishing haven, and the centre of the Galilean ministry.

So the picture is that the disciples are on the boat on the sea in the darkness and Jesus is on the mountain alone.  This is symbolic of the present day with Jesus in heaven, praying and interceding for His people, while they toil on earth in the dark, and in the midst of a storm.  The ship was in the midst of the sea tossed with waves. The Lord came in the fourth watch of the night, which was the last of the night watches.  In order to test their faith the Lord allows them to reach the end of their tether.  The 4^th watch of the night was 3a.m.-6a.m. at the darkest point of night.  It is only in the storm that we truly find Him, and when all hope seems lost. The disciples had rowed for three or four miles; the ship was carried by the wind into the centre of the sea.  Because they were rowing against the wind, it's quite possible that they had been rowing for between six and eight hours.  The Lord wanted to test them, He left them to struggle on before He came to them.   

 

The waves of the sea represent the trials of life that will come the way of the disciples of Christ.  These trials can come from mistakes of our own making, from men who try us to the limit, from Satan who seeks to destroy us, and ultimately from God whose purpose is always benign.  Scriptures are full of evidence that faith is put to the test, and it comes from many sources, the principal source being God Himself-Job 9v17; 30v22; Psalm 65v7; 89v9; 107v29; Isaiah 25v4.  The Lord is the instigator of the storm, and He is also the refuge.  This may have been a satanically inspired storm which God allowed.  The first two chapters of Job reveal that Satan can move the elements of nature.  The evidence is that Jesus “rebuked” the storm-Matthew 8v26.   He is not in the habit of rebuking normal weather patterns, so this storm is satanically driven, no doubt another attempt to destroy the group of Christ’s followers.

 

There are two accounts of the storm on the lake, which can best be understood by the contrast between Matthew 8 and14.  Matthew records both occasions, Mark and Luke, the first occasion, and John records the second of them.  It is in the comparison of them all that we learn the full picture being presented here in the two accounts of the storm on the lake.

In Matthew 8, Jesus was in the boat with them; in Matthew 14 Jesus was on the mount apart from them.

In Matthew 8 a great tempest arose; in Matthew 14 the boat was tossed with the waves.

In Matthew 8 Jesus was asleep; in Matthew 14 He was awake and praying.

 In Matthew 8 the disciples cried to Him; in Matthew 14 the disciples were afraid of him.

In Matthew 8, He said to them “…o ye of little faith; in Matthew 14 He said, “Be not afraid.

In Matthew 8 it says He rebuked the winds; in Matthew 14 the wind ceased.

In Matthew 8 the disciples said “What manner of man is this?”; in Matthew 14 they declared “Thou art the Son of God”.

 

It is necessary to understand the meaning of the storm in the lake for us today.  Too often we talk about little problems that come our way, like bodily ailments, business troubles and the like.  All these problems are common to humanity, and are not what are in view here.  Some of these may be very testing but this is not what is in view here.  The story of the storm in the lake, which is recorded in every gospel, and which is viewed from two different angles is relating to real stressful, life-threatening situations which may come upon us all today.  Particularly in the first incident, in Matthew, Mark and Luke, we find the extent of the storm.  In Matthew 8v24 we find that the storm came from beneath the boat “Behold there arose a great tempest of the sea inasmuch that the ship was covered with the waves.  The storm came from underneath from the depths of the sea.  In Mark 4v37 we find that the storm came from all around them.  It says that “the waves beat into that ship so that it was now full.”  In Luke 8v23 it is recorded “There came down a storm of wind on the lake and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy”- the storm came from above.  Putting these three records together:

From underneath them, from all around them, and from above them the waves filled the boat.  They were in peril of their lives! This is not about common, everyday problems.  We are talking about severe life-threatening problems that come the way of the Christian believer. The lesson surely is that since Christ delivers them from severe extremities, He will also deliver them from lesser problems.  We learn, from this, just who He is who controls nature, and rebuffs the Satanic spiritual attacks on His people.  The Psalm 46v10- “Be still and know that I am God” seems relevant here.  The winds ceased, the waves were stilled- one of them records there was “a great calm.” The situation went from life-threatening trauma to blessed peace; if He is with them in the pressure of life-threatening trials, so He will be in the ordinary problems of life.  The phrase “Peace be still” can be translated “Hush!”  There is no situation which He does not control.  As He approached them walking on the sea, they were afraid.  He said, “It is I, be not afraid”.  The sea was calmed and the disciples were saved; they willingly receive Him into the ship, and following the miracle of the calming of the sea, there was another miracle, they were immediately at the safe haven of Capernaum.  He knew they had suffered enough trauma for one day.  At all times and in every situation, He is with us in our troubles, “He is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him.”-Hebrews 7v25.

 

Jesus the Bread of Life

 

Chapter 6         Jesus the living bread

  

6v1-15        Feeding the multitude   the fourth sign

6v16-24      Calming the storm         the fifth sign

6v25-31      Exposing materialism

6v32-58      Asserting His Deity

6v59-71      Delineating choice

 

Feeding the multitude      v1-15

 

Once again the writer follows the same pattern and presents a miracle followed by discourse.  Action, then explanation is the key to understanding.  What was enacted was “out of this world”, and must have an extra-terrestrial import.  He uses bread, the most basic and common need of man to say that, just as bread (food of any kind for the body) is vital to physical life, so Christ is vital to our spiritual life.  We see that the bread in terms of spiritual food is used many times in the chapter.

 

6v32  “Moses gave you not that bread from heaven…the Father giveth you the true bread.”

6v33 “The bread of God is He which came down from heaven and giveth life unto the world.

6v35 “I am the bread of life.”

6v48 “I am the bread of life which came down from heaven”. 6v50 “…this the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.”

6v51  “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; the bread, which I give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world…  if anyone eat this bread, he shall live forever.”

6v58  “This is the bread which came down from heaven.”

 

He is the true bread (vital spiritually just as bread is vital physically); He is the bread of God-He is enough to satisfy God, He will be enough to satisfy us!  So the main topic is bread, necessary for life; since we are tri-partite beings, of body soul, and spirit, we need feeding of the soul and spirit as much as for the body.  Christ is the spiritual food of the soul and spirit.  As food nourishes the body, so spiritual food nourishes the soul. 

 

The main thought of this chapter is that food for the body is transient (for time only); food for the soul is eternal.  N. B. the references to “eternal” and “for ever” in the verses.

 

6v27 “The meat that endures to everlasting life.”

6v35 “… he that cometh to me shall never hunger.”

6v50 “This is the bread which comes down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die.”

6v51 “…if a man eat this bread he shall live forever.”

 

Again, He says four times over, “I will raise him up at the last day”- 6v39, v40, v44, and v54.  This bread is eternal in character and has eternal results.  Whatever you truly take into your soul of a spiritual nature will last forever.  Spiritual life eternal life (which is defined in chapter 17 as knowing God) will go on endlessly.  There is one truly important feature of this spiritual food which separates Christians from all non-Christians.  The food is not His teaching only, nor the doctrine only as with other world leaders and teachers; the food is Christ Himself, in living, vital communion with Him.

6v33 “The bread of God is He which has come down from heaven.”

6v35 and v48 “I am the bread of life.”

6v53  “Except you eat His flesh and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

6v55 “…my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed…he that eateth and drinketh dwelleth in me and I in him.”

There is nothing more personal or intimate than eating and drinking, so the lesson is clear.  Just as our physical food becomes part of our bodies, so Christ becomes part of our souls. The central lesson of the chapter is an expansion on what He says in 6v27, “Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for the meat that endureth unto everlasting life.” We should give more attention to our spiritual food than to the physical.  Jesus Himself was the living example of that-John 4v31; His disciples said “Master eat”- His reply was, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work.  Again, in the temptation in the wilderness, He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every spoken word of God.” There is an interesting aside in verse 4, where it says that “the Passover, a feast of the Jews was nigh.” This imagery gives colour to the whole story.  At the end of chapter 5, Jesus had said “Moses wrote of me.” Here is one of the prime portions of Moses writings-namely the Passover.  What is the lesson of the Passover?- from Exodus 12, concerning the lamb-“ Take it… keep it…kill it…eat it.”  What was slain for their redemption was to become part of them.  Exodus 12v14 says “This day shall be a memorial for you.  Ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”  Not only back then, but in every generation this became part of their lives. There were three foods the children of Israel were commanded to eat- Exodus 12, the Passover lamb- this typifies Christ in his death; Exodus16, the Manna of which an estimated 4500 tonnes every day was required to feed them-this represents Christ in His provision for our lives now; Joshua 5, the Old Corn of the land-this represents Christ in His resurrection and exaltation. Christ in His life, Christ in His death, Christ in His exultation.   Christ in the Old and New testament scriptures, symbolised and revealed for the spiritual food of His people-every part of them being food for our souls.

 

The entire Bible, which is already been stated in Chapter 5, to be a testimony to Christ becomes our food.   This is what is spoken of as “the Lord’s table” in 1^st Corinthians 10, the table spread on a daily basis, shared by every believer for spiritual food- close fellowship with the Lord, bringing us into the enjoyment of Divine things. The chapter begins with the Lord feeding the multitude, so He does not deny the need for material food. But the clear lesson of this chapter is that He is the bread of life, and the spiritual need is greater. The question this chapter raises is what is my priority?  Is it the material or is it the spiritual? We spent plenty of time on the physical. Do we need to spend more time on the spiritual?

PERSONALLY, CORPORATELY, WILLINGLY, REGULARLY!

 

As much as He wanted to be alone with His disciples, the multitude followed Him, and what a multitude it must have been!  It was Passover and Jerusalem increased in population at this annual feast.  This Passover was special for one had come who was performing miracles, just as it was predicted the Messiah would.  Excitement had reached fever-pitch, is it possible Israel are to be soon freed from their occupying enemies?  They came, without thought of necessary food, men, women and children.  They had to be fed, Jesus asks Philip “Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat”?  Jesus was putting His disciple to the test, as He does with us today, for He knew what He would do.  Again the theme of the omniscience and omnipotence of Christ.  Philip’s answer was to be expected, the wages of a man for two hundred days would not cover this!  Andrew ventured there was a lad who had five barley loaves and two small fishes, but “…what are they among so many?” 

 

The disciples were looking at their limited resources, they were not looking to the Lord whose resources were infinite.  This was a big test for these men, as it is for us.  How many projects fall for lack of faith and understanding of who He is?  This is reminiscent of Moses when God sent him to confront Pharoah-Exodus 3-4.  He went on with excuse after excuse as to why he could not do it.

3v11 Who am I?... The Lord replied, “I will be with thee.”

3v13 “What shall I say?”…say “I am hath sent you.”

4v1 “They won't listen to me”… What is that in thy hand?”

4v10 “I am not eloquent.”…”Who has made man’s mouth?”

 

No excuses, just do it.  “Make the people sit down”.  The Lord of the earth is about to feed a multitude with just 5 barley loaves and 2 small fishes!  We remember that Elijah multiplied flour and oil daily to feed the widow and her son.  Elisha multiplied 20 barley loaves to feed 100.  Now Jesus feeds 5000 from 5 barley loaves.  Barley harvest is the first of the crops in the springtime, and becomes the provision for the feast of unleavened bread.  This miracle previewed that feast as the Passover was drawing near.  Jesus uses this miracle to declare He is the bread of life.  The miracle of the loaves points backward to the Old Testament images as in the manna in the wilderness, and the Feast of first fruits. It also points forward to the great Millennium, when there will be plenty for all. The people were made to recline on the tender grass and He feeds them all.  So lavish was the supply that 12 baskets of fragments were gathered up.  12 is symbolic of all the people, as in the twelve patriarchs and the twelve tribes.  There is a notable aside in v12-“Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost.”  There are two points here-the Lord will not have waste, despite the overflowing surplus; also it symbolises that none of His people will be lost-John 17v12.