Jesus’ Teaching: The Father’s Witness
John 6-7 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
In this Bible study, we need to follow up on Jesus’ teaching, and we need to think deeply about what God has done for us through Jesus.
According to Is. 54:13 (see development below), God has promised restoration and a kingdom consisting of those who are “taught of God.”
We need to appreciate the exclusivity inherent in Jesus’ own claims:
He is either from the Father, or he is not.
Either the Father witnessed about him, or He did not.
There is no middle ground.
Jesus has taught that the Father has a role in drawing those who come to Jesus (Jn. 6:44).
This involves teaching and evidence.
Faith is the result of teaching and evidence not something that occurs in lieu of it.
Those who will participate in the resurrection in the last day are those who are taught of God.
We need to consider what Jesus means by that. (Note the connection with Jn. 4:46.
Jesus’ Biblical Foundation
Jesus’ Biblical Foundation
In a manner befitting the context, Jesus bases his claim on the prophets.
He uses a partial quote from Is. 54:13.
God promises a restoration to Israel.
We can see from the full context that there are a series of things he promises that He will “set” or cause.
This follows from Is. 54:12.
Jesus may be suggesting that those who will participate in this promised time of restoration will be those who have God as teacher.
At a minimum, he explains: “everyone who hears from the Father and learns is coming toward me.”
So, he is not talking about some mystical drawing by God.
He draws through instruction.
“Learns” would imply gaining understanding.
The Broader Teaching
The Broader Teaching
Jesus teaches regularly that God, the Father, has given a witness to Jesus’ generation.
Passages Where Jesus Says the Father Testifies About Him:
Jn. 5:31-37.
Jn. 8:16-18.
Jn. 10:25-30.
Jn. 12:27-30.
Passages where Jesus says he speaks the words of the Father/God:
Jn. 3:34.
Jn. 7:16-17.
Jn. 8:26-28.
Jn. 12:49-50.
Jn. 14:10.
Jn. 17:8.
From the context, how do we understand the “drawing” by the Father?
How is this not consistent with Mt. 16:13-18?
What Jesus seems to have in mind in such contexts is the person being persuaded by God’s evidence.
In other words, what they hear from Jesus and what they see him do, in terms of signs, must be seen as, in some way, the witness of the Father himself.
Jesus, so it seems, points the crowd to his equality with the Father.
Those who participate in the resurrection will be those who come to Jesus, who are brought to belief in him, based on the weight of the evidence provided by the Father and carried out or manifested by the Son.
So, participation in the resurrection is not a matter of Jewishness or fidelity to the Torah, but a matter of believing Jesus. Jesus is also, most likely, pointing them to the reality that what he teaches is the very word of God.
Introduction: Part 2
Introduction: Part 2
Jesus has taught the crowd very difficult sayings.
They are not yet so disgusted they will leave, but that will happen.
We should not think their conversation has veered off:
Jn. 6:33-35.
This will once again have relevance to the conversation.
Physical bread = physical life
Spiritual bread = spiritual life
Moses and manna also remain relevant to Jesus’ emphatic teaching.
The crowd has wanted physical manna.
Jn 6:26, 31.
Jesus has pointed them to something different, him.
Jesus’ Emphatic Claim
Jesus’ Emphatic Claim
Note the drawn attention to the statement.
Jn. 6:26, 32.
Jesus states the one believing is having eternal life.
Believing must mean to accept the witness of the Father.
Believing must mean to accept that Jesus is from the Father.
Believing must mean to trust that Jesus is the only one giving life.
Believing must mean to trust that Jesus is the one empowered by the Father to raise up at the last day.
To refuse to listen, to learn, and believe what Jesus is teaching the people means you do not have eternal life.
The positive, and opposite, then must be true.
Rejecting the message of Jesus places people in opposition to God.
Jesus has told the people what God wants them to do.
Will they obey and believe, or will they reject?
Jesus’ Restates a Previous Claim
Jesus’ Restates a Previous Claim
The previous assertion occurred in Jn. 6:34.
The bread that brings about eternal life is Jesus.
God’s plan is Jesus, only.
He is both the giver of this bread, and he is the bread.
Jesus will complicate this for the crowd in short order.
Jesus Makes a Blunt Claim
Jesus Makes a Blunt Claim
He wants the crowd to understand in the clearest of terms that physical bread or manna does not give spiritual/eternal life.
Manna did not prevent anyone from dying.
It had two main purposes:
To test Israel: Ex. 16:4.
To humble Israel into obedience and point them to a higher need: Dt. 8:3.
Those who ate manna, including Moses, died in the wilderness:
Num. 14:21-22, 26-37.
Jesus’ own generation, like all generations of fallen human beings, needed something else besides physical food.
Jesus Makes a Startling Claim
Jesus Makes a Startling Claim
Jesus continues to use the same words to make the same claims, but he will now advance the conversation.
“This is the bread descending from heaven.”
Jn. 6:33-35.
I have descended from heaven: Jn. 6:38.
I am the bread of life now gets connected to this claim.
“This one” now must refer back to “I myself am the bread of life.”
So, he is the bread descending from heaven so that someone might eat from him (it) and might not die.
He has returned, again, to the matter of everlasting life or eternal life.
Jesus clarifies that this is the meaning:
He is the bread of life descending from heaven.
The startling claim, however, is that the bread is his flesh.
Now the crowd has something new to ponder:
How will he give his flesh to eat?
What, now, does this all mean?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus is God’s plan for eternal life.
He does not make a way for us.
He IS the way.
