Daily Devotions
John
John 6:22-71 "BELIEVING AND ABIDING IN JESUS"
Day 94 – John 6
BELIEVING AND ABIDING IN JESUS
The true disciple of Jesus would not only love what Jesus said, he would spend his life trying to fathom what Jesus meant. In order to do that, he would have to learn how to abide in Him.
Jesus had spent much time explaining the Gospel to the Multitude. There were already signs that they were going to totally reject what He had said, not because they understood Him, but because they didn’t! Nevertheless, He persisted in teaching them deep spiritual truths. Those who were true disciples would understand Him, believe in Him, and also abide in Him.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me,
and I in him.
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father,
so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
This is the Bread which came down from heaven –
Not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.
He who eats this bread will live forever.”
John 6:56-58
It was time to summarize what He had been saying all along. Had any of the deep truths He had uttered in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59) made any sense to the hearers? For easier recapitulation, let us delineate what Jesus had taught thus far.
1. God as Father
He spoke of God as Father.
2. Sent by God
He declared that His Father had sent Him into the world.
3. The Father’s Mission for Jesus
The Father’s will was that Jesus should give His life in order to redeem the world from the guilt and penalty of their sins.
4. Belief in Jesus
He who believed in Jesus may be said to have eaten and drunk of His body and blood.
5. Abiding in Jesus
The moment the sinner believes in Jesus, the Saviour will abide in Him. He will sustain the believer and he will understand what it really means to truly come alive to the Lord.
6. A Greater Provision than Manna
What Jesus was offering was much more than the miracle of the provision of Manna in the days of Moses. That was only physical food, and people did not have everlasting life after they had partaken of that bread. If people believed in Jesus as the Living Bread that came down from Heaven, he would live forever. In the Last Day, he would not be judged and condemned. Jesus would raise him from the dead and he would be with Him forever in heaven.
THE STRUGGLE OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES
As Jesus came to a conclusion of His message at the synagogue, the people here dubbed “Disciples” because they followed Him, voiced their dissatisfaction. They had come to attempt to make Jesus their king. Instead they heard an earful of deep, dark sayings that they could not fully follow. They too came to a conclusion. John carefully made notes of this response.
“Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said,
‘This is a hard saying: who can understand it?'”
John 6:60
The word “disciple” simply means “a learner”. In a very general application of the word, this term can be used to describe anybody who followed Jesus in order to learn what He taught.
Jesus knew their hearts. This group of people who saw themselves as “disciples” were not like the ones whom He had handpicked.
“When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained
about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you?
What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend
where He was before?'”
John 6:61-62
His own handpicked disciples had trouble following what Jesus had been teaching. But why should they expect that Jesus must always be limited to teaching simple and basic spiritual truths? Jesus went on to speak of other spiritual truths that He would not even try to elaborate on at this point of time. What if He were to explain about His resurrection and His ascension to heaven? Would they be able to comprehend those truths? What He said were great truths. Their asking for simple facts was not wise or even healthy. If they were true disciples, why, they should delight that their Teacher knew so much and had such great truths to impart to them!
Had His own Disciples not understood anything at all? Jesus went on to urge them to think on the realm of the spiritual.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
But there are some of you who do not believe…”
John 6:63-64
The words of Jesus were deep. But they were also words that promised everlasting life. Just as the Spirit of God gives life, so His words are spirit and they give life. Would they be offended at His words or would they seek comprehension of His words?