The Gospel of John 6:25-59 (Jesus as the Flesh and Blood) – Angelic Wars
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The Gospel of John 6:25-59 (Jesus as the Flesh and Blood)



 

We move onto John 6:25-59 and Jesus’s foreshadowing of how he is and his ministry.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell 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 them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

We move onto John 6:25-59 and Jesus’s foreshadowing of how he is and his ministry.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell 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 them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Questions for discussion:

  1. Why does Jesus use his flesh and blood as a symbol of people’s dedication to him?
  2. Jesus states in verse 44 that nobody comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him (or her).  “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Does that mean the Father picks and chooses who will come to Jesus and be saved?
  3. Have you been rejected by friends and family by telling them that Jesus is the WAY to God?



Leave a Comment:

10 comments
Ashaba Timothy says August 19, 2023

Question no 1
Jesus was using symbolic language that would have been familiar to his Jewish audiences, therefore jesus was establishing the sacrament of the holy Eucharist, where bread represent his body and wine represents his blood,by consuming these elements ,we are participating in spiritual communion with Christ, nourishing our souls and depending our relationship with him.

Reply
    Rick says August 25, 2023

    Great answer! I agree. Thank you.

    Reply
Ashaba Timothy says August 19, 2023

Question no 2:
The natural has no ability to come to God and is actually an enemy of God ( Romans5:10)when Jesus says that no man can come without God’s drawing him, he is making astatement about the total depravity of the sinner and the universality of that condition. So darkened is un saved person’s heart.,,, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9)
Therefore it is only by the merciful and gracious drawing of God that we are saved to the maximum.

Reply
    Rick says August 25, 2023

    Cool. You look at the human depravity as the barrier to humans approaching God.

    Reply
Ashaba Timothy says August 19, 2023

Question no 3
In John 18:10, we see Peter drawing his sword and in Acts 16:19 helkuo is used to describe Paul and Silas being dragged into the market place before the rulers.peters sword had no part in being drawn and Paul and Silas didn’t drag themselves to the market place , the same can be said God’s salvation . no one who is being rejected by friends or by family that jesus is way but every body come willingly to believe it.

Reply
    Rick says August 25, 2023

    I am not sure I understand. As an online missionary, I have received emails from African people who have been rejected by their families for believing in Jesus. This is especially true with former Muslims.

    Reply
      Ashaba Timothy says August 29, 2023

      Some but it is not good to force someone who’s not willing to believe in God , he or she may feel heart touched after feeling the gospel and decide to believe.

      Reply
        Rick says August 31, 2023

        I agree. I am not saying that rejecting us for our belief in Jesus is good, but people have their positions. As I wrote, I correspond with Africans who have left Islam. Some are beaten, arrested, and/or ostracized. Jesus said this would happen.

        Reply
Rick says August 26, 2023

Rick’s thoughts:

1. Why does Jesus use his flesh and blood as a symbol of people’s dedication to him?

The terms, flesh and blood, that Jesus used had other meanings to the Jew of his time and helped them to see the whole picture of the story of redemption. Jesus is again referring to the traditional sacrifices that all of the Jews understood and practiced. Before, he called himself the Lamb of God, which parallels to the sin sacrifice. “ If you offer a lamb instead of a goat as a sacrifice for sin, it must be a female that has nothing wrong with it.” (Leviticus 4:32). Here Jesus also calls himself the “Bread of Life” which is associated with the grain offering (sacrifice) and his blood which is the drink offering (sacrifice.) “Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning—a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD.” (Exodus 29:41).

This contrast between physical food and spiritual food sets the stage for Jesus’ statement that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus explains that it is not physical bread that the world needs, but spiritual bread. Jesus three times identifies Himself as that spiritual bread (John 6:35, 48, 51). And twice He emphasizes faith (a spiritual action) as the key to salvation: “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (verse 40); and “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life” (verse 47).

2. Jesus states in verse 44 that nobody comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him (or her). “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Does that mean the Father picks and chooses who will come to Jesus and be saved?

Everyone has the access and opportunity to believe in Jesus. The Father draws people through His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts hearts. “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8). It is always up to the individual to accept Jesus when called.

3. Have you been rejected by friends and family by telling them that Jesus is the WAY to God?

There are members of my family who do not believe in Jesus as the bread and body for salvation, but that doesn’t seem to bother me since my relationships seem to be on a level of mutual respect. I have had more issues with people I just met who find out I am a Bible Teacher, though I don’t push it.

Reply
    Ashaba Timothy says August 29, 2023

    I gree

    Reply
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