We are in John 6 and it’s a big, or better said, momentus chapter. In it, Jesus fed a great many with just a few loaves and fishes, (vv. 10-11) He then walked on water (v. 19) and when the people finally caught up with Him, He told them they were following Him for the wrong reasons. (v. 26) Because the ancient Jews are like us, quite clueless and are never satisfied, they impertinently ask Him for a sign to show them who He really was. (v. 30) I don’t know that any of them were thinking beyond the end of their noses, because they had just seen Him do signs and wonders and the only other guy in the neighborhood that had been directly asked if he was the Christ, this being John the Baptist, did no signs and wonders, (John 10:41) only demand they repent get ready for the Christ. Before that, there were no miracles or prophets for a very long time.
In this dialog between Creator and created, He who created all (John 1:3) informs the created that He is the Bread of Life. This did not sit well with the created, they grumbled amongst themselves, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (John 6: 41-42)
In Jeremiah 18 we find something that explains what’s happening here. The Potter forms the clay and decides what and where it will be used. At no point does the clay have any input, it will be what the Potter makes it to be. It is a very interesting story and one that is very pertinent to our present time, but where Jesus says He is the Bread of Life, the clay disputes this, claiming the voice of their father, satan, that this cannot be. Jesus, the Light (John 1:4-5, 9) knew their hearts and answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (vv. 44-45) I want you to ponder this, verse 44. The Father draws you. In the Old Testament, people knew God and through Moses, were told to obey God. When you were in obedience to Him, He fought your battles, (Deuteronomy 20:1-9) righted your wrongs.
Think of Egypt (Exodus 14) and how God by His hand defeated all who opposed His people. (2 Kings 6:15-17) Those who followed His law given to them by Moses (Exodus 20) knew God to be their creator and protector. That knowledge is written into all our hearts, (Romans 2:15) the right and wrong of things, and God Himself. Notice there was a qualifier in there, that being “those”. While everybody’s heart had knowledge written into it, not everyone chose to acknowledge that. Of those that were drawn out of Egypt, a generation was lost and by saying lost (Deuteronomy 1:35) I mean that when they died, they went to eternal darkness and torment. The reason that happened is they constantly grumbled and chose not to trust or follow God. (Numbers 14:27)
The very same thing can and will happen to us if we choose not to repent, obey, trust and follow Christ. You will be lost, rather than gather with the saints, into eternal life with our Savior, Christ. So I ask, have you been drawn by the Father? For those of you that don’t know, is it too hard for you to pray to God and repent your sins? It’s not like HE doesn’t already know what they are. If you are interested in God, He has already had an interest in you. (John 2:31-31) And He will accept all who come to him, regardless of what kind of life you have lived. You are not too bad that God will not accept you, (Luke 23:39-43) He loved you before you loved him. (1 John 4:19) Repent and turn to your Lord! However, once you have submitted to your Lord, do not expect to remain in your sins. This is where Mercy comes into play. From MacArthur’s Devotionals: “The truth is God does not show mercy without punishing sin. For Him to offer mercy without punishment would negate His justice. Mercy that ignores sin is false mercy and is all too common today. Some think it is unloving and unkind to hold people responsible for their sins. That is what is known as cheap grace—which is neither merciful nor just, nor does it offer punishment or pardon for sin. Because it overlooks sin, it leaves sin untouched and unforgiven. The one who relies on this sort of mercy is left in his sin.”
This is where those creatures were, who followed Jesus around, oohing and aahing at what He did and then when He tells them that they must believe in Him, they ask for a sign so they would know. I say creatures because they speak with the voice of their lord, which again is satan, and are not children of the Light. They did not submit to their Lord.
Continuing with the words of Jesus…
It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ (v. 45) Here is where it is written: Isaiah 54:13, and a raft of other scripture references; OpenBible.info
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
(vv. 45-51)
This is a complete salvation package. Jesus was offering them the Grace of saving Faith and we would do well to pay attention to it in this modern day. They heard it from the Son of Man Himself and they weren’t having it. Darkness cannot perceive the Light. (John 1:5)
So they again started grumbling. Do we see a pattern here? A pattern that has lasted for millenia? We are no different than these ancient Jews. We mock what we don’t understand and hate what convicts us. Look at what’s happening in our government. A lust for power and pride and a depraved mind. Punishing good and rewarding evil. Here is a snippet from Wretched Radio where you will hear what’s going on in Congress and the culture at large:
I am not sure, but I think the Florida Congressman was Greg Steube. Congressman Jerry Nadler was the one speaking in his father’s voice, satan. Jesus, in talking to the Pharisees, when they had said His authority and power come from satan: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37
Here is the whole audio of Wretched Radio for 3-1-21, it is very instructive:
Todd Friel is voice of Wretched Radio and one I listen to frequently.
It’s like we are living in the days of Ahab, which is found in 1 Kings 16:29. Take a read through that and compare it to our days. Then jump on over to Romans 1 and you can read the whole thing, but the pertinent part starts at verse 18. It seems as if many of our legislators would like to write into law the sins of Romans 1:18-32 and punish those of us who follow Christ.
You may wonder how the righteous lived in those days. In obedience and faith, following the laws of God and staying away from evil. It is what we can do today. Keep God at the forefront of your mind and give Him honor and praise in all things. God expects you to rely on Him, so do so. Read the Bible and worship with the saints, which is a biblical way of saying “Go to Church.” Corporate worship is asked for in the Bible. (Hebrews 10:25) Place not your hope in man but Christ. You’ve been offered a free gift of salvation. Are you going to grumble about it or accept it?