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.]

Hymn: LSB #507 “Holy, Holy, Holy”

Invocation


O almighty God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — we come into Your presence to seek Your mercy, hear Your Word, and offer up to You our prayers and praises. Hear us for the sake of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Amen.

Psalm 130 A Song of degrees.

1 Out of the depths have I cried to thee, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice: let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. 3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. 7 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Confession of Sins

P: Let us, therefore, confess our sins unto the LORD our God and look to Him for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of the plenteous redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from all our iniquities.
C: Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You in our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. We, therefore, flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
P: For the sake of Jesus’ holy life and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, I announce unto you the grace and mercy of God and, in the name and stead of Jesus Christ our Savior, proclaim to you forgiveness for all your sins through faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture Lesson and Message

“The Jews therefore began to dispute among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath 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 that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers ate manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. These things he said in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.” John 6:52-59

How can Jesus give us His flesh to eat? This was a question that troubled Jesus’ hearers in the synagogue at Capernaum, and it still troubles those who hear His words today.

And, certainly, eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood is important because Jesus also said, “Verily, verily, I say to you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53).

Was Jesus talking about partaking in the Lord’s Supper? Some might say yes, but He had not yet even instituted His Supper when He spoke these words, and nowhere does the Bible ever say that those who have not been afforded the opportunity to partake of the Lord’s Supper remain spiritually dead and are condemned forever.

Jesus said, “Whoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (John 6:54-55). Jesus says that His flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed, using the same Greek word used for “is” when He said of the bread in the Lord’s Supper, “Take, eat; this is my body,” and of the wine, “Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:26-28). In fact, Jesus’ words here in John 6 are even stronger because He adds the word “indeed,” meaning it truly is, to His statements concerning His flesh and His blood.

Yet, Jesus is not talking about actually eating and drinking His flesh and blood and digesting it in our bodies. He is talking about partaking of Him and His sacrifice on the cross in faith — a spiritual eating and drinking of His body and blood that we might also partake of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that He won for all when He suffered and died on the cross and then rose again in victory.

Understanding how the sacrificial system pointed to Christ is necessary to rightly understand Jesus’ words. Sacrifices were offered, pointing ahead to the perfect sacrifice God would provide, that “Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; cf. Gen. 22:13-14). And as the people often partook of their sacrifices, so we partake of Christ and His sacrifice for us on the cross when we trust in Him (cf. Ex. 12:1ff.; 24:1-11 29:33).

Jesus’ words in John 6:56-57 make this clear: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” We abide in Christ and are in communion with Christ when we confess our sins and partake of His sacrifice for the sins of the world in faith (cf. 1 John 1:5 — 2:2; John 3:14-18). Not all who partake of the Lord’s Supper are saved, but those who by faith partake of Jesus’ body and blood, given and shed for all upon the cross, live through Him. They have the forgiveness of sins Christ won for them, and they have the promise of eternal life as God’s redeemed people.

As Jesus said in John 6:58, “This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers ate manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.” Jesus is the true life-giving bread that came down from heaven. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The question is: Do you partake of Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for you on the cross in faith?

Dear Jesus, 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 that You may raise me up on the last day to life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Merciful Father, for the sake of the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, forgive us for failing to walk by faith in the promises of Your Word. Move us to read and study our Bibles regularly and to come before You with our petitions and praises. Keep us from being overcome by our sinful inclinations and preserve us in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

O Christ Jesus, eternal Son of God and our Savior, You gave Your life for ours when You died on the cross and made atonement for our sins. Bless the work of our pastor and congregation and of faithful pastors, missionaries, and congregations everywhere so that Your life-giving Word might be proclaimed among us and among the peoples of the world, and those who hear might repent of their sins and look to You and Your cross for pardon and forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

O Holy Spirit, do not forsake us because of our weakness and disobedience to Your Word. Be patient with us and move us to continually repent of our sins and look in faith to our Savior for mercy. Teach us from Your Word. Strengthen and keep us in the true and saving faith. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

O loving and merciful God, our nation and people are living in darkness and are under Your wrath and judgment. Open the eyes and ears of our people and rulers that they might see and hear the truth of Your Word, repent of their evil deeds, and fall down at the feet of Jesus, pleading for pardon and forgiveness and then seeking to walk in Your ways, that Your judgment may be turned away and Your eternal wrath against us be averted. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

O Healer and Preserver of our bodies and souls, as You have promised, we ask You to provide for all our needs and to preserve us from all harm and danger and all evil. We lift up to You those among us who are afflicted. We remember especially today Linda and John, Joyce, Carl, Richard, Harley, Mike and Kathy, Wolfie, John and Karen, and all others we name in our hearts. Have mercy upon us, grant healing to the sick, comfort to the oppressed, and strength for all to endure the troubles and afflictions of this life in the hope of everlasting glory for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Savior. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26)

“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” Amen.

Hymn: LSB 917 “Savior, Again, to Thy Dear Name We Raise”

[Scripture is taken from the Revised Webster Version, an update of the King James Version of the Bible. Music is from The Hymnal Project.]

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Psalm 32:1-2

Have you ever considered what a blessing it is to have the forgiveness of God? What a blessing to have the LORD not hold your sins and iniquities against you? To be forgiven of the LORD removes all fear of wrath and condemnation and gives us peace with God. To have forgiveness for all our sins gives us the assurance of life everlasting!

Indeed, the one who admits his sin and looks to the LORD for mercy rather than attempting to hide and cover up his sins is blessed because the LORD, for the sake of Jesus’ holy life and His innocent sufferings and death, is merciful and gracious and offers to us forgiveness for all our sins.

The Bible tells us: “For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5). It tells us “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3,4); and that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).

So what about you? Do you have God’s forgiveness, or are you attempting to hide and cover up your sins? Are you justified by God, or trying to justify yourself? Are you self-deceived – filled with guile – and attempting to fool others in regard to your sinfulness, or do you admit your utter sinfulness and look to God for mercy and forgiveness?

David wrote in Psalm 32:3-4: “When I kept silence, my bones became old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer.”

What happens when we keep silent about our sins? When we are unwilling to admit our sinfulness and look to the LORD for forgiveness? When we are unwilling to give up our sins? God’s hand is heavy upon us. We grow old and weary through our groaning and sighing all day long as we feel the guilt and weight of our sins. Our moisture – our vitality, our joy – is turned into the drought of summer; it evaporates away.

David then wrote the words we speak in our liturgy (v. 5): “I acknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hid. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

To confess our sins is to say and agree with what God says of us and our sin. John writes in 1 John 1:8-9: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession makes no excuses for sin but acknowledges sin as sin and deserving of God’s eternal wrath and punishment. It is as we read in Psalm 51:3-4 (another psalm of David): “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, I have sinned and done this evil in your sight, so that you may be justified when you speak and clear when you judge.”

When we acknowledge our sin unto the LORD and quit attempting to hide it and cover it up, when we confess our transgressions of God’s commandments to the Lord, He graciously forgives our sins for Jesus’ sake. “In [Christ Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7; cf. Psalm 51:1ff.).

David writes (v. 6): “For this everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely in the floods of great waters, they shall not come near to him.”

For God’s forgiveness, everyone that is godly will pray now, before it’s too late, before the floods of God’s judgment overflow him (alluding to the judgment of the Great Genesis Flood but pointing to the coming judgment of God)!

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:2: “Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.”

So, don’t put off repentance! Don’t wait another day. Acknowledge and confess your sins now and receive God’s forgiveness. Tomorrow may be too late for you. You may never have the opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness again. If you turn to the LORD God now, He will have mercy upon you and save you from the judgment to come!

O LORD God, I have sinned in my thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. I have failed to live in accord with Your holy commandments. Have mercy on me and forgive my sins for the sake of the perfect sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ, in my stead. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

With Broken Heart and Contrite Sigh

1 With broken heart and contrite sigh,
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry.
Thy pard’ning grace is rich and free—
O God, be merciful to me!

2 I smite upon my troubled breast,
With deep and conscious guilt opprest;
Christ and His Cross my only plea—
O God, be merciful to me!

3 Far off I stand with tearful eyes
Nor dare uplift them to the skies;
But Thou dost all my anguish see—
O God, be merciful to me!

4 Nor alms nor deeds that I have done
Can for a single sin atone.
To Calvary alone I flee—
O God, be merciful to me!

5 And when, redeemed from sin and hell,
With all the ransomed throng I dwell,
My raptured song shall ever be:
God has been merciful to me. Amen.

Author: Cornelius Elven (1852)

“The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.’ And they said, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ‘Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 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. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.’” John 6:41-46

How could Jesus be the life-giving Son of God, come down from heaven to give spiritual and eternal life to sinners? Jesus’ Jewish hearers stumbled over this question because they knew Mary and Joseph, His parents.

Of course, they didn’t know or grasp that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (cf. Mat. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38) and was not, therefore, the biological son of Joseph, but the Son of God and the Son of Mary. He was and is true God and true man.

The Gospel of John also expresses this truth in the first chapter, when it says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5,14).

Why didn’t Jesus’ hearers believe in Him? Jesus tells us: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (v. 44). Unless God reveals the truth taught in His Word, no one can come to Jesus and trust in Him as the Messiah and Savior from sin and eternal punishment.

John also teaches this truth in the first chapter of his Gospel: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:10-13).

Jesus cited the Old Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 54:13) when He said: “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” (John 6:45). Only those taught by God from His Word recognize Jesus as the Son of God in human flesh and place their trust in Him as their Savior. Those who neglect God’s Word or reject it cannot and do not come to Jesus in faith. It is as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

And the only way to see the Father is to see and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Therefore, Jesus’ hearers who rejected Him and stumbled over Him in unbelief did not see or know the Father whom they claimed to worship and serve. Nor do those today who do not look to Jesus in faith as God the Son and their Messiah and Savior see or know God the Father, even if they claim to worship and serve Him! (Cf. John 14:6-11.)

And what does Jesus promise to those who come to Him in faith, trusting that He is the eternal Son of God in human flesh and that He has fulfilled all righteousness for us and made full atonement for our sins and the sins of all by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross? Jesus says, “I will raise him up at the last day” (v. 44). Those who come to Jesus and trust in Jesus for pardon and forgiveness partake of the true Bread from Heaven, and Jesus nourishes their souls and keeps them in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting.

May God grant you to know Jesus and come to Him!

O dearest Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, grant that we hear Your Word and come to You in faith for pardon, forgiveness, and the everlasting joys of heaven. We ask this for the sake of Your redeeming sacrifice for us on the cross. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give to you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” John 6:26-27 (Read John 6:1-27)

After Jesus fed the multitudes with five barley loaves and two small fish, the people sought Him. Not finding Him where He had fed them, they crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to Capernaum, where they found Him and questioned Him as to how He had come there since He did not leave in the boat with His disciples.

Jesus cut right to the heart of the issue when He pointed out to the people, “Verily, verily, I say to you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give to you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

As Jesus told them, they sought Him out and came to Him, not because they recognized from His miracles — and now believed — that He was the Messiah, God’s Son who had come into this world to redeem them from sin and death, but because they ate of the loaves and were filled.

Jesus told them not to labor for temporal food that perishes but for spiritual food that nourishes the soul and endures unto everlasting life. Rather than seeking Jesus because He miraculously fed the crowds, Jesus told them they should be coming to Him for spiritual food — for the forgiveness of their sins and for the blessing of eternal life, which He came to provide them by offering up Himself as a sacrifice to God for the sins of the world.

Jesus’ words still ring true today. Why do people call on pastors and churches? Why do you come to the church of Jesus? Is it to hear the Word of God and learn of the salvation Jesus won for all by His innocent sufferings and death? Is it to repent of selfish and sinful ways and look to the crucified and risen Christ for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal?

Ask any pastor, and he will tell you why his church phone lines ring and why people seek him out. Is it that they might learn the truth of God’s Word and hear of Jesus and what He accomplished for us when He died on the cross and rose again? Is it for spiritual food to nourish their starving souls? No, it is almost always for earthly food, money to pay the bills or free clothing.

Should churches aid those with such temporal needs? Certainly — according to the measure in which God enables them to do so. Our Lord Jesus healed the sick and fed the multitudes even though He desired that people come to Him for their spiritual needs — for mercy and forgiveness, for eternal life!

But churches should also speak the words of Jesus to those who come seeking only earthly food and temporal goods. They should urge those who come to seek the food that will nourish their starving souls and give them eternal life.

Churches should speak the warning words of Jesus: “Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give to you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for providing me with food, clothing, and all my earthly needs. But, above all, thank You for providing for me in my greatest need by Your death on the cross for my sins and Your glorious resurrection. Move me to look to You in faith for pardon, forgiveness, and everlasting life in Your eternal kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Webster Version of the Bible, a Bible version in the King James tradition.]