The Sheep Continued "The Separation" (Journal Entry 3.2.05)
Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They were saying, 'Is not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'? Jesus answered and said to 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 in the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD' Everyone who has heard and learned of the Father, comes to Me.
Later Jesus tells them that they have to "eat his flesh and drink His blood." John 6:46-51
Jesus continues:
No that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; He has seen the father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.
This statement caused many to "question" Him and His validity and the meaning of His words. John 6:52-58
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" So 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 yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.
Why did Jesus make things worse? They were confused to whether he meant the actual eating of the flesh and blood of Jesus. Instead of "clearing it up" as WE would do in our world, Jesus just takes them deeper into their own darkness which was being exposed in them, their own unbelief.
(Continued in John 6:59-71)
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 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 it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
Notice what happens now that Jesus has not "cleared" things up. John 6:66-71
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of your is a devil? Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Jesus does not nurture the unbelieving back to Him. He lets them go and then exposes the hearts of those who did not leave, the 12, they wanted eternal life, and knew that He was the only one who had it. They did not find the information for themselves, but just like verse 45 said, "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." God, their Father, gave it to their hearts because He knew they wanted Him over all else.
Later Jesus tells them that they have to "eat his flesh and drink His blood." John 6:46-51
Jesus continues:
No that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; He has seen the father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.
This statement caused many to "question" Him and His validity and the meaning of His words. John 6:52-58
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" So 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 yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.
Why did Jesus make things worse? They were confused to whether he meant the actual eating of the flesh and blood of Jesus. Instead of "clearing it up" as WE would do in our world, Jesus just takes them deeper into their own darkness which was being exposed in them, their own unbelief.
(Continued in John 6:59-71)
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 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 it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
Notice what happens now that Jesus has not "cleared" things up. John 6:66-71
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of your is a devil? Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Jesus does not nurture the unbelieving back to Him. He lets them go and then exposes the hearts of those who did not leave, the 12, they wanted eternal life, and knew that He was the only one who had it. They did not find the information for themselves, but just like verse 45 said, "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." God, their Father, gave it to their hearts because He knew they wanted Him over all else.
posted by Ryan at 8:24 AM
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