Scripture Reading: John 6:41-71
41 The Jews then murmured at him because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, “Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, ‘I came down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me unless the Father who has sent me draws him. And I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall be all taught from God.’ Every man therefore who has heard and has learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that any man has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven so that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore contended among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, 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 dwells in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he who eats me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate manna and are dead. He who eats of this bread shall live forever.” 59 He said these things in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Therefore, when they had heard this, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit that revives. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they 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 he was who would betray him. 65 And he said, “Therefore, I said to you, that no man can come to me unless it were given to him by my Father.” 66 From that time many of his disciples went back and no longer walked with him. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon. For it was he who was to betray him, being one of the twelve.
Sermon: John 6:60-71
Do you believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, come down into this world a true man to atone for the sins of all that we might have eternal life through faith in His name? Do you believe that the only way to have communion and fellowship with God is to partake of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world, and that those who do not in faith partake of His flesh which was given into death for us and His blood which was shed for the remission of our sins have no life in them?
That’s what Jesus taught His hearers when He said, “‘I am that bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven so that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ … Then Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he who eats me, even he shall live by me’” (John 6:48-51,53-57).
For the Jews who heard Jesus, this was a hard saying to accept. How could Jesus be God the Son and have come down from heaven to give life to the world? How could they eat and drink His body and blood as if He were a sacrifice for sin? How could they partake of Jesus and have eternal life? And how is it that they had no life apart from partaking by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for the sins of the world?
Jesus’ hearers stumbled over His words and did not believe. Many who had followed Him and were His disciples turned back and quit following Jesus because of His claims. His teaching did not agree with what they had been taught — that they had life and were God’s chosen people because they were descended from Abraham and had the law of Moses and because they observed that law and strictly lived according to the tradition of the elders.
Of course, the same is true today. Many do not accept Jesus’ words and turn away from following the Jesus of the Bible because they stumble over Jesus’ claims to be the eternal God in human flesh, the perfect and only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the world. They do not partake of Him in faith — they do not eat His flesh and drink His blood by trusting that He alone is the atoning sacrifice for their sins and the only way to obtain pardon and peace with God the Father.
Why? Because, as Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that revives. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. … No man can come to me unless it were given to him by my Father” (John 6:63,65).
There were some disciples who did not turn away. When Jesus asked the twelve, “Will you also go away?” “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (John 6:67-69). As Jesus said, they were chosen by God to believe (cf. v. 70; Matt. 16:15-17 — “He [Jesus] says to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon-Barjonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’”).
I ask you again: Do you believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, come down into this world a true man to atone for the sins of all that we might have eternal life through faith in His name? Do you believe that the only way to have communion and fellowship with God is to partake of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world and that those who do not, in faith, partake of His flesh, which was given into death for us, and His blood, which was shed for the remission of our sins, have no life in them?
If so, you are blessed by God. He graciously chose you, revealed the truth to you, and brought you to know and trust in Jesus as your Savior. You have partaken of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world in faith, and you have God’s pardon and peace. Your sins are forgiven you for Jesus’ sake. You are in communion with God, and you have everlasting life.
God grant to you a knowledge of the truth through the hearing of His Word, and may He graciously grant you to partake of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world in faith, that you may live, now and forever!
Dear Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, grant that I look to You and Your cross and partake of You in faith as the holy and sinless sacrifice for my sins so that You may raise me up on the last day to life everlasting. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]