Jesus Interaction With The People

John 6:26-40

There are several truths in this passage that Jesus shares with the people that are important. Notice in v. 27 He urges them to make a priority of concentrating on things that matter eternally. In America today there is a tremendous temptation to value the material more than the eternal. We tend to concentrate on gaining wealth, enjoying daily pleasures, and neglect our spiritual lives. Our priorities are reversed.

Secondly Jesus again tells the people that the most important thing we can do is to “believe in Him whom He has sent” (v. 29). The people mistakenly believed they could work their way to heaven, as so many do today. They mistakenly thought obedience to the law was required to gain eternal life.

He also shares in v. 37-39 that He and the Father are sovereign. Notice He says “all that the Father gives Me shall come to me”. He and the Father know who will trust Him as their Savior. That speaks to the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that draws us to Himself. Notice He says in v. 39 “of all that He has given Me I lose nothing”. Later, in John 10:28, He says “no one shall snatch them out of My hand”. Once we have made the decision to accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior we are eternally secure in Him.

Finally, He assures all Christians that although we may die physically He will raise us up to spend eternity with Him. For that reason the Christian has a different perspective of death than the non-Christian. When we die we simply pass into a greater eternal relationship with our God. The psalmist says in Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” I think that’s why Psalm 23:4 talks about death as a shadow. God looks at death very differently than we do. Although it is difficult to leave our loved ones here on earth, we look forward to that enhanced relationship with our heavenly Father.

These thoughts have been of great comfort to me as I’ve worked through the death of my parents and others I love. I pray that they may comfort you also.

Feeding of the Five Thousand

John 6:1-14

This miracle is one of the few that is recorded in all four gospels. There is much we can learn from it. First of all we are reminded of the need for rest. When Mark (6:32) records this miracle he explains that Jesus and His disciples went to a “lonely place” to rest. Our lives are so busy that often we don’t get adequate physical, mental, or spiritual rest. That causes us to be less than maximally effective in many areas of our life.

We also see that Jesus was sensitive to the needs around Him and was willing to change His plans to accommodate those needs. He saw a great multitude that needed to be taught and that needed to be fed. He also saw this as another opportunity to teach His disciples that He would provide for them. It is interesting to note in Mark 6:7-12 that when He sent the disciples out to witness He instructed them to “take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belt” because He wanted them to learn that as they exercised their faith He would provide for them. Now they would see Him provide abundantly for the needs of the crowd.

Why do you think the Bible records that there were twelve baskets of leftovers? Notice that He says “that nothing may be lost”. I think this is a caution about being wasteful or not using God’s provision to the fullest extent. We are to value the resources God provides for us and use them wisely. Secondly, I think these leftovers are also proof of God’s abundant provision. We can always trust Him to take care of our needs.

Notice that the people really did not understand; they tried to force Him to become their king so that He could always provide for them. As we read this account in the book of Mark, we see that the disciples even missed the miracle. Mark 6:51-52 explains that shortly after this miracle they were out on the sea of Galilee when the wind came up and He came to them and calmed the water the disciples were “greatly astonished” because “they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” We need to be alert for the lessons God is teaching us as we go about our lives.

Witnesses

John 5:31-47

Read this passage and count the number of times you find the word “witness” or “testimony”. Notice who and what Jesus speaks of as a witness to His authenticity. First He speaks of John. We discussed earlier John’s purpose as a witness and as a forerunner.

Next He mentions His works. A primary reason for the works He did and the miracles He preformed was to authenticate that He was indeed the Son of God. He also mentioned God the Father as a witness. Consider how the Father authenticated the Son. Remember at Jesus baptism the Father spoke from heaven saying “This is My beloved Son…” (Matt. 3:17). He spoke the same words to the disciples again at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). In John 12:28 we will see the Father responding to the Son when He is praying. Remember Nicodemus (John 3:2) said “We know you have come from God”.

Finally, Scripture (John 6:45, I John 5:-12) shares that God has written on our hearts that Jesus is His Son. As we study the Bible and the Holy Spirit works in our lives we are convicted that certainly Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus closes this passage that He is revealed even through Moses as he wrote in the Old Testament.

Even today with all these witnesses people down through the ages and today reject the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. One of our responsibilities is to share our faith with others and introduce Him to others. We do this because Christians are commanded to be witnesses by Jesus and also because of our love for Him. In Matt. 28:19 He says we should “Go therefore and make disciples”. Often we get discouraged when others don’t believe us or don’t trust Jesus as their Savior. We must constantly be reminded that our job is to share the truth; it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the heart.

We must also remember that if we are known as a Christian, we are a witness. We may be a good witness or we may be a bad witness. The lives we lead are as important a witness as the words we speak. I pray that you will be bold in your witness for the Lord Jesus.

Two Resurrections

John 5:28-29

“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds, to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

We all have a natural curiosity about the future. Here Jesus helps us understand that we are eternal beings. He explains that everyone will be raised from the dead and will stand before Him in judgment. However, there are two different judgments. Those who have trusted Him as Savior will be judged based on their works for Him. It is called a rewards judgment (bema judgment). If our works were done for His glory I Cor. 3:12 refers to them as “gold, silver, and precious stones”; but if they were done with the wrong motive they are called “wood, hay and straw”. We will be privileged to return those rewards to Jesus because of our love for Him.

Those who have not trusted Jesus as their Savior will stand before Jesus at the “Great White Throne judgment” (Rev. 19:11). The basis of that judgment will be whether their names are written in the “book of life”. The names in the “book of life” are those who trusted Jesus as Savior. Rev. 20:15 explains that “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown in to the lake of fire.”

Those of us who know the Lord Jesus have a responsibility to pray for and to share our faith with those who do not. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to convict them of their need to place their faith in our Savior. If we are faithful in sharing we have accomplished our purpose. I can share from personal experience that it is a tremendous thrill to have the privilege of leading someone to the Lord.

I encourage you to memorize Scripture that will allow you to share your faith from God’s Word. I would suggest Romans 3:23, 6:23, John 3:16; Romans 5:8, 10:9-10, I John 5:13 and John 5:24. I also suggest you write out your own personal testimony of your salvation on one page so that you may effectively share it with someone.

The Paralytic

John 5:1-15

John now shares with us another miracle Jesus performed. He had gone up to Jerusalem and noticed a man that had obviously been ill for a long time (38 years) and was in such bad physical shape that he needed help to do almost anything. Apparently, he was unable to walk. In this passage we observe Jesus performing a miracle that was independent of any act of faith by this paralytic. He simply said to the man “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk” and the man did that. We notice Jesus found him later in the temple and shared with him his spiritual need. At that time the man trusted Christ as His Savior (v. 4).

Notice in verse ten that rather than rejoice at this man being healed some of the pharisaical Jews were upset that Jesus asked the man to perform a task that violated their rules for the Sabbath. According to their law the man was not allowed to pick up his pallet and walk on the Sabbath. That was considered work. We all look at this situation and see their foolishness. Yet, many Christians live their lives legalistically in many ways. Many believe, like these Pharisees, that we achieve eternal life by obeying a set of rules and by performing good works. Yet the Bible clearly teaches that we obtain eternal life simply by confessing our sin and accepting Jesus as our Savior (John 3:16). Notice the 24th verse of this chapter. It says that “he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” We must be careful not to put other restrictions or requirements on people regarding their salvation.

After we have made the decision to trust Him as our Savior we should recognize His Lordship of our lives. That means that we should desire to live our lives in obedience to His will, not to earn our way to heaven, but to please Him. The Christian life is more than a decision about where we will spend eternity. It involves life-style changes as we study the Bible and learn His will for our lives and then constant submission to that will, realizing that He loves us and desires His very best for us.