The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 11
John 6:43-71
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 11
John 6:43-71
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May 11 - John 6:43-71
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 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. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 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.” 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
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.” 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then is 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.” 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.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
This is where we separate the men from the boys. Here Jesus declares I am the bread of life. He explains what this means to the disciples, that He would be giving His body and flesh to bring life to the world. Then Jesus teaches them unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you do not have life in you. Again, Jesus was teaching a spiritual truth not to be applied literally. He makes this clear in verse 63 saying; The words that I speak are Spirit and life.
But what did Jesus mean when He said unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you?
What in the world was Jesus talking about? Some of the disciples were probably thinking; Now we know he is a cult leader because he's teaching cannibalism! We always have 20/20 vision in hindsight but if we were there that day among that group of disciples listening to Jesus, it would've puzzled the best of us. This is why the multitude of disciples began to say: this is a very difficult saying who can accept it? As a matter fact, John records that from that day forward many of His disciples stopped following Him.
To be sure, this was a major test that would separate those that sincerely trusted that Jesus was the Christ promised of God from those that did not have this kind of faith and may have been following Jesus for ulterior motives. As many of His disciples began to walk off after hearing this teaching Jesus asked the 12 apostles; “Are you also leaving?” Simon Peter answered Jesus by saying; “Lord, who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life and we believe that you are the Son of the living God.”
What does this teach us? Every one of us is at a different stage spiritually and in our understanding about the things of God. However, just because we don't understand something from the Bible does not mean that we should stop believing in God or following Jesus Christ. The most important truth that we need to understand from God's Word is that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Son of the living God. The Holy Spirit causes us to understand the Word of God and reveals the mysteries of God to us progressively. No one understands everything when they first get saved.
Eating Jesus flesh and drinking His blood understood and applied
Later, at the Passover meal the disciples came to understand what Jesus was talking about when He taught them how to worship God by practicing the Lord's Supper or what is commonly referred to as Communion. Jesus prayed to the Father, gave thanks and broke the bread saying; take eat this is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me and when He took the cup He said; drink from this cup because it represents My blood shed for many to create a new covenant with God for the remission of sins. This is how we eat the flesh of Jesus and drink His blood. It's by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross when he gave his body and blood to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins and heal us from every sickness and disease. Ref; Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1. To be sure, the Bible contains teachings, prophecies and mysteries that we may not be able to understand immediately.
2. Sometimes people get offended by what the Bible teaches because they don't understand it or they misinterpret the correct meaning.
3. God does not expect us to understand everything written in His Word immediately.
4. Like the disciples of Jesus when he walked the earth we also come to progressively know and understand the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit.
5. The most important thing that we need to know and understand foundationally is that God is good and that He loves us and has provided salvation for us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 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. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 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.” 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
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.” 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then is 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.” 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.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
This is where we separate the men from the boys. Here Jesus declares I am the bread of life. He explains what this means to the disciples, that He would be giving His body and flesh to bring life to the world. Then Jesus teaches them unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you do not have life in you. Again, Jesus was teaching a spiritual truth not to be applied literally. He makes this clear in verse 63 saying; The words that I speak are Spirit and life.
But what did Jesus mean when He said unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you?
What in the world was Jesus talking about? Some of the disciples were probably thinking; Now we know he is a cult leader because he's teaching cannibalism! We always have 20/20 vision in hindsight but if we were there that day among that group of disciples listening to Jesus, it would've puzzled the best of us. This is why the multitude of disciples began to say: this is a very difficult saying who can accept it? As a matter fact, John records that from that day forward many of His disciples stopped following Him.
To be sure, this was a major test that would separate those that sincerely trusted that Jesus was the Christ promised of God from those that did not have this kind of faith and may have been following Jesus for ulterior motives. As many of His disciples began to walk off after hearing this teaching Jesus asked the 12 apostles; “Are you also leaving?” Simon Peter answered Jesus by saying; “Lord, who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life and we believe that you are the Son of the living God.”
What does this teach us? Every one of us is at a different stage spiritually and in our understanding about the things of God. However, just because we don't understand something from the Bible does not mean that we should stop believing in God or following Jesus Christ. The most important truth that we need to understand from God's Word is that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Son of the living God. The Holy Spirit causes us to understand the Word of God and reveals the mysteries of God to us progressively. No one understands everything when they first get saved.
Eating Jesus flesh and drinking His blood understood and applied
Later, at the Passover meal the disciples came to understand what Jesus was talking about when He taught them how to worship God by practicing the Lord's Supper or what is commonly referred to as Communion. Jesus prayed to the Father, gave thanks and broke the bread saying; take eat this is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me and when He took the cup He said; drink from this cup because it represents My blood shed for many to create a new covenant with God for the remission of sins. This is how we eat the flesh of Jesus and drink His blood. It's by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross when he gave his body and blood to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins and heal us from every sickness and disease. Ref; Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1. To be sure, the Bible contains teachings, prophecies and mysteries that we may not be able to understand immediately.
2. Sometimes people get offended by what the Bible teaches because they don't understand it or they misinterpret the correct meaning.
3. God does not expect us to understand everything written in His Word immediately.
4. Like the disciples of Jesus when he walked the earth we also come to progressively know and understand the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit.
5. The most important thing that we need to know and understand foundationally is that God is good and that He loves us and has provided salvation for us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll