The Gospel of John (1-06-2013)
Lesson 18 – John 6:37-47
In the next few verses He reveals further mysteries of the
Kingdom telling them in essence that their rejecting His offer is not a total
loss telling them that the Father is fully involved in the process bringing
those who were to come to Jesus. This will be a recurring theme in John’s
Gospel (Jn. 1:12-3, 17:6-9). In v. 38 Jesus tells them that He is fully content
with the Father’s plan and His outcome saying that He did not have His own
agenda, but was on a mission to accomplish the exact will of the Father and only
that.
In v. 37 Jesus makes an interesting statement. He tells them
that He did not have unrealistic expectations. He was not looking for everyone
to come and to agree with His offer telling them that He was only looking for
the ones that the Father would send to Him. This is often a point of conjecture
and debate as to man’s free will vs. God’s sovereignty in the affairs of man
often called the debate over grace vs. election. The answer to this age old
question is impossible to agree on depending upon the perspective one
approaches this question with, much like the question ‘is the glass half empty
or is it half full’. Both answers could be seen as right depending upon how one
phrases the question and their varying perspective or point of view. However,
one answer may be more right than the other, but let’s not go there.
There is no doubt that man has a choice in the matter for
that perspective is born out in the pages of Scripture in the many encounters
that we have recorded concerning man’s encounter with the Truth, man not always
choosing that which is right. However, in passages such as this one it does
appear that our final decisions and even the process may be tempered and even
influenced by a sovereign God. It is clearly stated in the Scriptures that we
will be judged by our deeds and actions…the choices that we make. Judas chose
to betray Christ and in the end will be judged for his choice and his actions.
But, one cannot deny passages like this either clearly
saying that God is involved in the process. This is a great mystery. And, one
that I am not sure that man has the ability to adequately explain, but we can
be sure that God understands it perfectly. There is much more that can be said
on this topic from both perspectives, however, for the purpose of this study it
is important to recognize that Jesus did make such statements as those found in
the beginning of v. 37 and v. 44 of chapter 6 and it would be difficult or
relatively impossible to make them mean anything other than the Father being
intimately involved in the process of those who ultimately believe in Jesus. It
is also important to recognize that the end of v. 37 makes it clear that anyone
who does believe choosing to come to Jesus on His terms will be received and
will not be cast out or have the door closed on them. In essence the door is
open to any and all who would chose to come.
Again, v. 38 states that He had come to do the Father’s will
stating in v. 39 what that will was and is which was/is to gather all that the
Father had given Him loosing no one,
even those that have passed from this earthly scene raising them up presenting
them to God on the last day. In v. 40 He sums up the last few verses making it
perfectly clear what he came to do and to accomplish telling them that His
focus was to do the Father’s will receiving anyone that believed on Him giving
them everlasting life, even life that extended past death.
In vs. 41 and 42 they could not get past His humanity which
one would have to admit is a difficult concept when you are thinking on an
earthly or human level when considering God. Realizing the reality of the
God-man was not in their realm of possibility. They had seen Him as a boy
knowing His parents and His siblings. Rightly so we would question someone
coming to us making the same claims. After all from what they saw He came as
other humans do being born from His mother’s womb even though he was not a
product of man’s seed having been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
One might think that they might have had an easier time
believing if God the Father had dropped Him off directly on the earth having
seen His arrival. But, God had given them proof by the four witnesses stated in
the last part of chapter 5. They forget that God did show up from heaven in the
past and it frightened them, frightened them so much that they were afraid to
come anywhere near to Him. This is what this encounter with the God-man was all
about. Jesus came to identify with man coming through the seed of man a
mediator between God and man helping man to come close to God having fellowship
with Him. After all, John the Apostle would give us a good example of how close
he felt to God leaning his head on His, Christ’s breast, at the supper
table…the Last Supper.
It appears from Jesus’ comment in v. 43 that they did not
confront Him openly with their comments appearing to murmur and grumble to each
other instead of confronting Him directly. But, Jesus still heard every word
they said and confronted them instead. It is wise to be careful what we
say…Jesus knows and hears every word, or thought for that matter, and will have
a discussion with us at sometime in the future about the content of out speech.
He appears to tell them in v. 44 that it is not even
possible for someone to come to Jesus and agree with His message unless the
Father draws them to the Truth. In the next few verses He will again restate
the narrow way to God the Father taking center stage claiming that all roads to
the Father must pass through Him. In v. 45 He states that it is clearly written
in the account of the prophets that any who will seek the truth will end up at
Him before reaching the Father as their destination.
In v. 46 He says that no one else knows the way to the
Father and again in essence that no one else can take them there. He will
restate this again in John chapter 10 making it clear that man has no other
options. God made it simple for us. In v. 47, Jesus the Giver of Life says that
the payoff is big for believing and receiving His message telling them that it
is an all or nothing proposition. If you believe you get it all, if you don’t
you lose it all getting nothing.
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