Jesus, Our Only Lifeline (John 6:1-71)
I used to compete in the cross country race as a student. Although it is much shorter than the marathon but it still requires much endurance. Often the most challenging part of the race was the final leg. It is when your legs begin to feel like jelly and your lungs about to burst. The temptation to stop is extremely enticing. But somehow I always found the strength and energy to just give my final burst to reach the finishing line. What was the impetus that drove me to push on when I was on the verge of collapsing? One word, hope. The hope of victory, the hope of glory standing on the podium to receive my medal.
Hope is what drives people on. Hope is what a man in misery needs. Hope is the one thing that enables us to press on when things are not going our way.
But what happens when our hope is realized?
When I finished my race and stood at the podium to receive my medal, the joy of victory only lasted for a short while. Today, I no longer derive satisfaction from that victory decades ago and I no longer crave for that podium because I cannot even run let alone compete because of my knee.
Likewise, a man may despair over his poverty but when his hope of prosperity is realized, will he say to himself now I am fully contented, unlikely, there are other things that can make him miserable, other situations that drives him to hope for a better day.
The point is this, the satisfaction that we derive from our realized hope often will not last. This is because we are all fallen beings, we are under the bondage of sin and we are all condemned for all eternity whether we accept it or not.
We were created for the glory of God and we can only be truly satisfied when our life magnifies the glory of God. However, because our fallen condition we can never find true satisfaction because we cannot live the life that magnifies God’s glory.
But friends, we are not without hope. There is hope but only one hope that can truly satisfy, that hope is Jesus Christ. Jesus the Son of God became man to live the life we were supposed to live and die the death we were supposed to die to give us a renewed hope of life that can be lived for the glory of God
Our passage this morning testifies to the fact in Jesus Christ alone can we find that hope to live the life that glorifies God, a life that can truly satisfy. We will see that Jesus is our only lifeline.
In our passage this morning we see Jesus offering the message of hope by identifying Himself as the true Redeemer who alone is able to give us life.
The passage can be divided into three sections. The first section in John 6:1-21 covers the two great miracles, the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on water. The aim of John in narrating these miracles is to point his readers to the divine nature of Jesus and to know that He is the Lord of Life.
The second section (John 6:22-59) is presented through Jesus’s own teaching that He is the bread of life helping the people to see that Jesus alone is the giver of life
The final section (John 6:60-71) focus on Jesus the word of life and it demands a response from us.
The big idea of our sermon this morning is: In Jesus there is life and in Him alone is our eternal Hope.
Jesus the Lord of Life (Jn 6:1-21)
It was some time after the event in John 5 when we now find Jesus at the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Large crowd of people were following Him.
John reveals to us in John 6:1-2 that they were following because of the signs they saw He was doing on the sick. And they were hoping to see more miraculous signs.
With the crowd following Him. Jesus went up to the mountain with His disciples. Let us look at the account found in John 6:3-15.
We were told that the Passover was at hand. The Passover is a Jewish festival celebrating the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ freedom from slavery to the Egyptians. According to the Jewish Calendar, the Passover is the second most important holy day of the Jewish year.
With the Passover at hand and seeing the crowd moving towards him, Jesus asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Now we know from John that He said this to test Philip. Philip replied the Lord saying that the money they had with them was not sufficient to feed the people. Then came Andrew who brought a boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus, but he was not expecting a miracle from Jesus, he shared the same sentiments as Philip, that they do not have enough to feed the crowd. Both Philip and Andrew failed the test but Jesus did not reprimand them for their lack of faith.
Instead He instructed them to sit the people down and without any fanfare or theatrics, Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated. All present were fed that day. At the end of the meal there were twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
Upon seeing Jesus providing so much bread, it led the people to conclude that Jesus is the prophet like Moses who provided for their forefathers’ manna from heaven in the wilderness. Jesus knew they wanted to make Him king. For in their mind they were probably thinking if Moses had led the people out of Egyptian slavery, surely this prophet like Moses would help them escape Roman servitude. However, Jesus knowing what was in the mind of the people withdrew Himself from them and went into the mountains.
Jesus did not come to deliver them from Roman servitude, He came to deliver them from a much greater bondage, the bondage of their sin. He came to deliver us from the bondage of our sins. Sadly, that is not what they saw in Jesus. The people saw Jesus as someone who can deliver them out of their present predicament.
I wonder if before they tried to make Jesus king, did they pause to consider what they have just experienced? Did they even pause to marvel and wonder who is this Jesus who can feed the masses just like that? Did they see in Jesus a hope beyond their physical satisfaction or present condition? Sadly, from John’s account we know they did not. Their tunnel vision only allowed them to see Jesus as a great miracle worker who can deliver them from their present oppression.
What do we see? Do we also see Jesus as the great miracle worker? Well He is a great miracle worker, no doubt about it. He was not performing some magic tricks. He was performing a miracle that no magician can conjure. But Jesus did not come to reveal Himself to us as the great miracle worker.
What does the lordship of Jesus over life itself means for us?
We must not make the same mistake as the crowd, what we must not missed out in the feeding of the five thousand is in seeing Jesus as the Lord over life itself. How do we see that? He was not hindered by the constraints of life. He was not hindered by money or the lack of provision. The bread and the fish just simply multiplied to feed the five thousand and more if you count the women and children. He was not hindered by any constraints that life throws at us because He is Lord over all of life. The question we should be asking this morning is what does the lordship of Jesus over life itself means for us?
Consider with me a second miracle, recorded for us in John 6:16-21, one that occurred on water and involved only his disciples. I want us to listen to how John narrate the whole sequence.
Two amazing things happened within a short span of time, the first was Jesus walking on water and the second was how the boat was immediately on the land when Jesus came on board.
The power on display is plain and simple and it could only point to the divine nature of Christ. Jesus feeding the five thousand, Jesus walking on water and the boat immediately reaching the land simply points us to the sovereignty of Christ over land, sea and space.
What does John want us to see?
It confirms for us the divinity of Jesus. It once again affirms for us the fact that Jesus is Lord over life itself. Friends, Jesus our Saviour is beyond the boundaries of land, sea and space. He is not bound by the produce of the land and He shows that when He fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. How did that even happen?
He is not bound by the laws of the sea, the raging storm cannot devour Him, the water cannot deter Him from getting onto the boat in the middle of the sea. He is certainly not limited bythe constraint of space, no science can explain how the boat move from sea to land in an instant. Friends He is our Saviour and our Saviour is sovereign over all of life, He is in control over all things.
We must learn to not see King Jesus as just a miracle worker whom we expect to deliver us out of our present predicament. What we must learn about Jesus is He is Lord over life itself …
What does that mean for us? It means we must learn to not see King Jesus as just a miracle worker whom we expect to deliver us out of our present predicament. What we must learn about Jesus is He is Lord over life itself and that include your life and my life. He is in absolute control.
How does that look like?
As we navigate through the challenges in life, when we face oppositions or when we struggle in life, let not our fear overwhelmed us to the extent that we fail to see Jesus. When I first discovered that I may have liver cirrhosis, I was fearful. I began to check the internet to see what I can and cannot eat. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride. My ultra sound shows signs of liver cirrhosis, my fibro scan and biopsy shows no sign of cirrhosis and till today my condition is uncertain. But I am learning how to deal with it. I still am careful of what I eat but I am learning how to cast my anxieties unto the Lord believing He is in control.
As I am preaching to us this morning, I am also ministering to myself. As I exhort us to keep our eyeson Jesus I am also learning to do just that and that is how I cast my anxieties unto Him by keeping my focus on Him. There will still be days of anxieties, in my fallen state my faith is weak but I am not dependent upon my faith, I depend on Jesus. What that means is that when my faith fails me, when my fears overwhelms I turn my eyes upon Jesus, I look to His word of assurance, I remind myself of the sermons I heard and the sermons I have preached. I allow others to speak truth into my life and I speak truths into my own life. Learning day by day to look beyond my circumstances and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and finding hope in future glory. If Jesus is the Lord of Life, friends, death can take away our earthly imperfect bodies but it cannot take away the life we have in Christ. But friends to have life in Christ we must come to Jesus for He alone is the Giver of life.
The Giver of Life (John 6:22-59)
Dear ones we who put our trust in Jesus, the Lord of life, let us learn to find our assurance in Jesus who is the giver of Life.
When the crowd first came to Jesus at the mountain it was because of the signs they saw Him perform on the sick but now they themselves experience the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Needless to say, it produced a frantic interest from many of the people, trying to search for Him after He withdrew from them and went into the mountains. Jesus was not with the disciple when they cross the sea to Capernaum. So when the people found Jesus there, they were surprised.
As we unpack the second section of the text found in John 6:22-59, let us begin by first looking at John 6:25-40. Walk with me through this, I want us to focus on the conversation that took place.
The crowd were curious as to how Jesus got to Capernaum. But Jesus did not satisfy them with an answer. Instead He exposed the poverty of their spiritual condition by exposing their true intent in seeking Him. They were seeking Jesus the miracle worker for their own physical satisfaction. They had a good meal and they seek Jesus because they hope to keep on being fed.
But Jesus wants them to see that He not just the provider of bread but Himself is the food, the food that endures and the life it sustains goes on into eternity.
But clearly they did not understand. In John 6:28, “Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’'“ They were still thinking in a worldly manner, focusing on what they must do to achieve what they desire. They fail to understand that what Jesus offer is not something they can work towards.
Their answer exposes the spiritual blindness of the people. For in response to their question Jesus gave a plain and simple answer. Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. (John 6:29)”
For a people who lives under the law, this is a difficult truth to accept and hence their response in John 6:30-34. They have just experienced an amazing miracle. Not only were more than 5000 fed with 5 loaves and two fish but there were plenty of leftovers. What did they ask Jesus? For a sign, asking what work did you perform. This very people who came to Jesus hoping to have more of what He has given is asking Him for a sign. Was the feeding of the 5 thousand not “sign” enough. Are they really so dull in mind?
But friends, the problem is not their dullness but the reality is their unbelief. They were making a comparison. They were alright with Jesus feeding them but the call to believe Jesus as the giver of life is not something they are prepared for? They need more proof. The bread they had was the result of the multiplication of the five loaves, now they are saying to Jesus, show me the bread that came from heaven, like the manna that their forefathers received in the wilderness. They completely fail to see Jesus as the Giver of Life.
Why is it so hard to believe? Friends, the reality is it is often hard for us to believe as well. Hear me out.
Jesus died on the cross for our sin, He saved us from eternal condemnation. He gave us a new life in Christ. None of which we deserve. Is that not enough for us to put our faith in Him? Or do we ask Him for more signs? Signs of prosperity, signs of health, signs of success etc. There are many who have fallen away from the faith because they felt that God has failed them. We pray and our prayers are not answered, we reject God. We believed we have being faithful to God and we have sacrificed for Him but yet our life situation seems much worst than that brother whom we deemed as nominal at best. And we wonder what is the point of us believing in Jesus. Do not see Jesus as the miracle worker but we must learn to see Him as the Son of God, the Lord of Life, the Giver of life , our Saviour.
The crowd never learnt from the failure of their forefathers. They still cannot see beyond their physical desires. They only see Jesus as the provider of their physical needs, they are unable to see or understand that He is the giver of life. In response to them asking for a sign, Jesus replies in John 6:35-40.
“I am the Bread of Life” do you hear it? Do you understand what the means? When you come to Jesus, you will never hunger again. When you come to Jesus, you will never thirst again.
Jesus is the Bread of Life, He is the very source of life. What sign do the people want, Jesus is the sign. Do you see Jesus? Do you believe in Jesus?
In Jesus alone is our eternal security, He will never cast out those who come to Him. No matter what this life throws at us, even if death takes away our body, it cannot take away our soul. Even when our temporal body is buried or burnt, we who believe in Christ will be raised up with a new glorified body. Do you believe in Jesus? We who believe in Him will have eternal life.
The people fail to see Jesus for who He really is. They cannot see and they cannot understand? This is evident in John 6:41-59. They totally fail to understand that He is the bread of life. They never saw past the physical manna. So when Jesus says He is the Bread of Life, they were taking it literally, hence their question, ““How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
To which Jesus replies in John 6:53-58. The answer Jesus gave cannot and must not be taken literally. When He speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. He is speaking to them in physical term to help them understand a spiritual truth. Let me try to unpack it for us.
Let me borrow the term partake to illustrate my point. The word partake could mean taking part in something and it could also mean to eat and drink. I can say for example I am partaking in your burger and it is just a fancy way of saying I am eating your burger. When Jesus exhorts us to eat His flesh and drink His blood, He is telling us to spiritually partake in Him. What does that mean? It is to share in His suffering by identifying with His death and to share in His glory by holding on to the hope of His resurrection. That spiritual reality is as real as the literal bread and water. Jesus is to be so real to us spiritually as something we can taste or handle.
Now let us be clear of one thing, Jesus is not talking about the Lord’s Supper here. I know there are erroneous beliefs that when we eat the bread and drink the cup during our Lord’s Supper, the bread literally turns into flesh of Christ and the cup literally turns into the blood of Christ as we consume the elements. But the passage is not talking about the Lord’s supper. The passage is addressing a bunch of spiritually blind people who fail to grasp the reality of who Jesus is even though He was present with them.
As bread and water are for the sustenance of all of us in this fallen world. Jesus is the bread of life and we must come to Him to receive the life of eternity that only He can offer.
As bread and water are for the sustenance of all of us in this fallen world. Jesus is the Bread of life and we must come to Him to receive the life of eternity that only He can offer. And we must “partake” in Christ as we navigate through this sinful world. Christ must be as real as the bread and the drink we can consume.
Friends, Jesus is real, He is as real as the food and drink we consume. Although we cannot physically touch Him but He is as real as the person sitting beside you whom you can touch.
The people were asking for sign like the manna from heaven and this is Jesus answer to them, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven. The manna from heaven was given as sustenance for the people in the wilderness, the Bread of Life from heaven gives everlasting life. Jesus the Bread of Life is the giver of life.
Upon hearing the answer from Jesus, how did the people respond?
The Word of Life (John 6:71)
Let us unpack the rest of the chapter and focus on the response of the people to Jesus the word of life.
Let us begin the section by observing the response of many of His disciples, these were probably the early disciples who were not genuine, perhaps followers who followed Him for the benefits they hope to gain from the great miracle Worker. They found what Jesus said difficult to listen to. This was not due to a lack of understanding but rather they were unable to accept it. They cannot accept Jesus the Lord of life, they only wanted Him to be the miracle worker to give sustenance, they only want Him to be their king so that He could serve their needs. They could not accept Him as Lord over their life.
They see Jesus only as the supplier of food and not the Giver of Life. they could only see Jesus as the son of Joseph and Mary. They cannot accept Him as the Son of God. It is offensive to them and we know from the others gospels they consider what Jesus said as a blasphemy.
Even today, people can accept Jesus as a prophet, they can accept Him as a great religious teacher, they can even accept Him as a miracle worker but not Jesus the Son of God. They can accept His humanity but not His divinity.
Secondly, they cannot accept the substitutionary atonement of Jesus, Jesus taking the place of sinners, paying the penalty for their sins. This truth lies in John 6:51, which says, “And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” How hard this is to accept and truly understand! Those who heard Christ might have argued that they could understand how a person should pay for his own sin, even die for it if the crime were great enough. They could understand how salvation might be earned. But to think that Jesus Christ had to earn salvation for them and that they would therefore have to receive it as a free gift from Him or not receive it at all — this they found objectionable.
This is the primary difficulty that most of our contemporaries have in accepting Christianity. To put our salvation in the hands of someone else is often a difficult pill to swallow, for it reveals our total depravity, it reveals our total hopelessness, our totally fallen condition, every part of us — our mind, will, emotions and flesh — have been totally corrupted by sin. That is offensive because we believe there is some good in everyone. But there is nothing good in us there is only sin in us. Do not be offended by the word of God — we are the ones who have offended God.
There is a third reason why they could not accept. Just before most of the so called disciples left Him, Jesus told them no one can come to Him unless God has granted it. What this implies is no one can come to faith in Christ without God giving the person the faith to believe.
This is one of the most difficult truth to accept even today. What we are talking about here is the electing grace of salvation. Meaning it was God who chose to save us, and God is the one who enables us to come to Jesus. There is not a single effort on our part, even our ability to accept and believe Jesus as our Lord and Saviour is enabled by God.
Our sinful nature is still inclined to think even when it comes to our salvation we have control over it. Meaning we can choose to believe or not to believe.
Your very salvation is a gift from God. It is your greatest treasure in life and in all eternity.
But Jesus has made it very clear “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Dear ones, your very salvation is a gift from God. It is your greatest treasure in life and in all eternity.
To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. You are the chosen of God, He has secured your salvation. Do not stop clinging on to Jesus. Even when your life circumstance is horrible and even when life seems unfair. You have a Saviour who understand what is unfair. He died on the cross as an innocent man for the sake of sinners like us who are guilty to the core. Do not stop believing in Jesus, do not lose your sight of Him. He is your only lifeline and your only hope. If you have fallen from your faith, what God ask of you is to confess your sins and He will forgive.
To our non-Christian friends who are here with this morning, may you find comfort in knowing that your salvation is dependent on God and not on your own merits what that implies is that no matter how you have lived your life, you are not beyond salvation, you can come to Christ for salvation. If you believe in Jesus and are willing confess your sins and commit your life to Him, you will be saved.
I invite you to come to Jesus, He is the Lord of Life.
Come to Jesus for only He is the giver of Life.
Listen to the word of Jesus for He is our hope both in life and in death.
Let us read on in John 6:68-69. When the crowd left Jesus because they could not accept what He said, He turned to the twelve and asked, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Friends, to whom do we turn to if not Jesus. He alone has the words of eternal life. Do you believe?