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So when I see one chapter I think “light day”. And then I read it and say “Woah, that was heavy”. This is one of those chapters. I hope you will read it: I am going to literally break down a section verse by verse. I just have to it is so good!
I am going to start at verse 25. Many had just been fed by Jesus the night before. They wake up and look for him to eat again (or to see what else He might give them).
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
Oh stars. Why were they seeking Jesus? To “get” something. How many people do you know that seek Jesus ONLY when they need a favor? They haven’t followed Him, prayed, lived for Him BUT when they “want” something they suddenly look for Him. (I wasn’t throwing a stone, I was looking in the mirror).
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
Sooooo being legalistic, they inquire about the word “work”. What good deed do I need to do to earn a blessing? 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
THE ULTIMATE ANSWER:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
The ONLY thing you must do is believe! (This is not what they were expecting). What they said next made me say a few 4 letter words)….yes I am a sinner, I know, but good grief Charlie Brown!!
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.”
- They asked for a sign! What in Sam Hill? What’s Jesus been doing??? Healing the sick, blind, mute, paralyzed people, casting out demons, feeding about 15,000 people (5000 plus their wives and children)….what was that? A Vegas show?
- Then they threw Moses in His face! “Well, Moses fed my ancestors manna for 40 years…you gave us only 1 meal!
See why I said a bad word! I really shouldn’t have because what Jesus says was better!
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.
DROP MIC!!
Now the next paragraph is HUGE. It is PACKED with Salvation doctrine! (I will break it down in bullets)
- 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.
Re-read verse 37. Salvation: First, God chooses you BUT we must choose HIM. It’s a relationship. Think about that when you share the Gospel with young ones, I am seeing a HUGE church trend where we “choose” Jesus in our hearts without ever mentioning Sin, Cross, or Sometimes even God.
- 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.”
What is the Father’s Will?? What does God want? Everyone who seeks Jesus AND believes WILL have eternal life! All believers will be raised up from the grave and taken to Heaven on the last day!
So what happens next you ask?? You won’t believe it…just like the other day, they went back to saying “WHOSE He is, not WHO He is”. I am not kidding…look for yourself!
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’?”
He ends this conversation with another ‘drop mic’ statement: 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.
Wait….all this was said IN a Synagogue….oh, I wish I was there that day! The Rabbis must have been furious!
“Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
We are really beginning to get small hints of what is to come. We have heard about 3 days in the fish, pick up your cross, and now-what if I ascend to heaven. (There are more. I wish I had written them down because I know the Big Ones “I will rebuild this Temple in 3 days”….but this year I am seeing the little ones 😍.
After many decide not to follow Jesus, He asks His 12 men if they are going and Peter (Oh I love Peter) says “what?? no way man”.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
Ok, thinkers: Why was Judas CHOSEN?
No wrong answer.
Reading the Bible - 2021 
I’m going out on a limb here…because He knew it was a part of God’s plan.
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Recently I have heard the theory that Judas really believed that Jesus was the Messiah and his betrayal was Judas’ way of forcing Jesus to take on the role of an earthly King and throw off the Roman occupation. Even on the walk to Gethsemane the other disciples were arguing about who was going to get the positions of power when Jesus came into his kingdom so it appears they all believed there would be an earthly kingdom until the resurrection.
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Interesting thought!
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