← Back to sermon library

We are in John chapter six. Our 
focus this morning will be verses 22 to 34, but I wanna read beginning 
at verse 22 to the end of the chapter. This is called the bread 
of life discourse. It's not just discourse, however, 
it's not Jesus engaged in monologue, simply teaching, and they are 
a willing audience. You'll notice along the way that 
he is challenged. It may not come across as a challenge, 
but it's certainly a challenge to our Lord and his authority. You'll see that specifically 
in verses 28, 30 to 31, 34, and then 41 and 42, essentially whenever 
they talk. So I'll read beginning in verse 
22. However, other boats came from 
Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord 
had given thanks. When the people therefore saw 
that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they also got 
into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they 
found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, 
when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said, 
Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw 
the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which 
endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give 
you, because God the Father has set his seal on him. Then they 
said to Him, What shall we do that we may work the works of 
God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of 
God, that you believe in Him whom He sent. Therefore they 
said to Him, What sign will you perform then, that we may see 
it and believe you? What work will you do? Our fathers 
ate the manna in the desert. As it is written, He gave them 
bread from heaven to eat. And Jesus said to them, most 
assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from 
heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For 
the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life 
to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, 
give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am 
the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never 
hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I 
said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All 
that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes 
to me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from 
heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent 
me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has 
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the 
last day. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone 
who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life, 
and I will raise Him up at the last day. The Jews then complained 
about him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from 
heaven. And they said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, 
whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, 
I have come down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and 
said to them, do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to 
me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise 
him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 
and they shall all be taught by God. Therefore, everyone who 
has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that 
anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen 
the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, 
he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in 
the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes 
down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the 
living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of 
this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give 
is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The 
Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this 
man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Most 
assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son 
of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever 
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will 
raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, 
and my blood is drink indeed. 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 feeds on me 
will live because of me. This is the bread which came 
down from heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and are 
dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. 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 hard 
saying. Who can understand it? When Jesus 
knew in himself that his disciples complained about this, he said 
to them, Does this offend you? What then, if you should see 
the Son of Man ascend where he was before? It is the Spirit 
who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The 
words that I speak to you are spirit, and they 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 would 
betray him. And he said, Therefore I have 
said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted 
to him by my Father. From that time many of his disciples 
went back and walked with him no more. Then Jesus said to the 
twelve, Do you also want to go away? But Simon Peter answered 
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, 
the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, did I not 
choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of 
Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray 
him, being one of the twelve. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the Word 
incarnate, even our Lord Jesus Christ, the One introduced in 
John 1, 1 as the Word, who was with God, the One who was God 
Himself, that One who became flesh and dwelt among us, and 
we beheld His glory. Lord God, we pray that as He 
teaches in this passage, we would have ears to hear and hearts 
to receive these things, that we would see the blessedness 
of God Most High in the sending of His Son in order to save His 
people from their sins. Again, encourage and strengthen 
our hearts, call sinners out of darkness into marvelous light, 
fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and again, forgive us for all 
of our sin and our transgression. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as I said, this has been 
called the bread of life discourse. And basically what we have seen 
thus far in chapter 6 is that the miracle that begins the chapter 
sets the stage for the discourse. In other words, Jesus fed the 
5,000. He had five loaves, he had two fish, He multiplied that 
and he fed it to 5,000 men. According to the parallel passage, 
it was besides women and children. So upwards of 10,000 people ate 
these loaves and ate this fish as a result of the power of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that at the end of that 
particular miracle in chapter 15, Jesus understood that they 
wanted to take him by force and make him a king. Well, why would 
they want to take him by force and make him a king? If he had 
the power and the authority to multiply bread and fish in such 
a manner, then certainly he had the power and the authority to 
subjugate the Roman Empire, to bring the Jews into some sort 
of a geopolitical prestige, to make them the power and make 
the Romans subject to them. So Jesus evades that. In the 
first coming, he doesn't come in order to do that. In the first 
coming, he comes to save his people from their sins. Now when 
he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead, it will 
be not only to vindicate his bride, but to smash his enemies 
to pieces. And the Bible teaches that very 
clearly. So on the heels of that feeding 
miracle, now we have this bread of life discourse. Notice that 
he teaches in Capernaum, according to verse 59. He's in a synagogue 
in Capernaum, having traveled there, first by walking on the 
water, and then getting into the boat with the disciples. 
So there are three things that we ought to notice in this section. 
Again, verses 22 to 34. First, the motive of the people, 
verses 22 to 26. Secondly, the exhortation of 
the Savior in verses 27 to 29. And then finally, the demand 
for a sign in verses 30 to 34. So those are the three sections 
in this small passage or this brief section that I want to 
look at. Notice first of all, the location. Verses 22 to 23 
are a bit confusing to try to make heads or tails out of. Essentially, 
on the morning after the feeding of the 5,000, the people were 
looking for him. If according to verse 15, they 
were looking for him to try and take him by force and make him 
a king, they were certainly going to continue to do that on the 
following morning. Remember, he evaded that, he 
goes to the mountain, he seeks solitude so that he can spend 
time with his father. But the people who had witnessed 
the miracle were looking for Jesus and they knew that Jesus 
had not gotten into the boat with the disciples. I think they 
evidence as well that they did not know that Jesus walked on 
the water. Some commentators seem to think 
that they did know that. I'm not sure that they did because 
they're confused. Where is Jesus? He didn't get 
into the boat with his disciples. They've gone to the other side 
of the sea and they are now looking for Jesus. Now from Tiberias, 
other boats had come up to the Capernaum region, no doubt because 
his fame had been spreading, and persons wanted to hear this 
man, who not only spoke from God, at least allegedly at this 
point in their minds, but actually manifested some power. He multiplied 
the loaves, he multiplied the fish, so people are trying to 
come, so that they may see him, that they may hear him, and that 
they may get from him those things that they are after. And I think 
that is what is clear in this section. So the location, Jesus 
and the disciples are in Capernaum. Jesus is in a synagogue in Capernaum. And now notice in verse 24, when 
the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his 
disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking 
Jesus. Now, if we just read that, seeking 
Jesus, that's encouraging. We want people to seek Jesus. 
We want people to come after Jesus. We evangelize so that 
persons will say, where is your beloved that we might find him 
too? Like the bride or the friends 
of the bride in the Song of Solomon. She describes him in such glowing 
terms that the daughters of Jerusalem say, where is he? We want him 
too. But the rest of the narrative 
shows that their seeking of Jesus is for the physical and the temporal. 
They're not concerned about the spiritual and the eternal. In 
many respects, they mirror or they image or they parallel or 
prefigure the various types of people that we encounter in our 
own generation. People want help. It's been a 
miserable past two years, being locked down, being bossed around, 
being initially treated like children and now treated like 
enemies. That is a tough sort of a thing 
to try and process. Persons want something outside 
of this present condition and they want some sort of a relief. 
Well, we want to bring relief. We want to bring the pleasantness 
of the gospel. We want to bring the joy of the 
Lord. We want to bring the forgiveness of sins and a righteousness that 
avails with God. But persons don't always process 
it that way. They just want immediate relief 
from all of their woes and all of their problems as they perceive 
them in this present world. So the context makes it clear 
that they're not seeking Jesus because he's altogether lovely 
and chief among 10,000. They're not seeking Jesus for 
the forgiveness of sins and for a righteousness such that they 
can enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are seeking Jesus 
because he made bread and because he made fish and because he fed 
their bellies. And Jesus points that out. Jesus 
doesn't shrink back from pointing out the bad conduct, or rather 
the bad motive, of these particular people. But notice as well, verse 
24, they're seeking Jesus, and then verse 25, and when they 
found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, 
when did you come here? Interestingly, both of these 
things, or these statements that just lead up to this confrontation 
between Jesus and these people, demonstrates the validity of 
the two previous miracles. There is that allusion that they 
ate, or he was where they ate bread, where he'd given thanks 
and ate bread, and then their confusion about how he got to 
Capernaum if he didn't get into the boat with the disciples. 
He walked on the water! What we find in the previous 
section is absolutely true and valid. It is confirmed, even 
in this narratival sort of depiction of the location. Now notice the 
response of Jesus when they asked the question in verse 25, Rabbi, 
when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said, 
most assuredly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw 
the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 
Notice what Jesus doesn't do. Well, you know, I walked on the 
water, I came to the disciples, they received me into the boat, 
and we ended up here in Capernaum. No, like he does with Nicodemus. 
Jesus isn't about small talk. Jesus has serious business to 
conduct. Jesus doesn't get into the interesting 
exchange about how they got where they're at. Jesus goes right 
for the heart, just like Nicodemus. Remember, Nicodemus comes to 
him by night. He's sent by the Sanhedrin as 
an official delegate. And Jesus' first statement is, 
unless a man is born again, he shall not enter the kingdom of 
heaven. I'm not suggesting we don't ever engage in small talk, 
but I am suggesting we imitate the Savior and understand what 
the real issue is that is facing mankind today. It isn't pandemics. It isn't lawless government. 
It isn't the tyranny that has been sort of pushed over the 
last couple of years. It is the sin and rebellion that 
is in the hearts of sinners everywhere, wherein they are liable to God's 
wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. 
Jesus gets right to the point and Jesus rebukes them right 
at the point. Notice, most assuredly I say 
to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs. Signs in John's 
gospel function in this way. They see the signs and it leads 
them to embrace the Savior. They see the signs and it leads 
them to appreciate who the Savior is. And when they see those signs 
and believe on the Savior, then by grace they are saved. But 
Jesus alerts them. Seek me not because you saw the 
signs. You seek me not because I've 
done these things as the one who has been sent by my father. 
Notice the real motive that he addresses. You seek me not because 
you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were 
filled. The reason they are seeking Jesus, 
again, it's the physical and the temporal. And brethren, it's 
okay to be concerned about the physical and the temporal. You 
don't just sit in your living room and watch each other starve 
to death or die of dehydration. You don't wander around the city 
streets naked. You don't not work. There is 
an emphasis on the physical and the temporal. That's not the 
issue. The issue is the emphasis on 
the physical and the temporal to the neglect of the spiritual 
and the internal. Again, it's very common today. 
Persons want God or they want Jesus or they want some divine 
power to simply help them in their current situation. Now, 
I'm not suggesting Christ doesn't help us in our current situation. 
I'm not suggesting he doesn't cheer the soul. He doesn't encourage 
our hearts. He doesn't build us up in our 
most holy faith. He doesn't give us the graces necessary to persevere. 
He doesn't give us the ability to deal with the various oppression 
and persecution that we face. Of course he does, but it's a 
matter of emphasis. What is most important to us? 
Is it the physical? Is it the temporal? to the neglect 
of the spiritual and the eternal. That's the obvious point that 
Jesus is drawing their attention to. The people are not concerned 
for the benefit that he has come to deliver to everyone who believes 
in him. The Lord confronts them directly 
and tells them that their concern is for their bellies and not 
for their souls. Now again, brethren, he'd have 
been kicked out of churches, he'd have been kicked out of 
the city square, he'd have been kicked out of any place where 
there are triggered, delicate snowflakes today. How dare you 
ever surmise that you understand what my motivation is? Well, as the Word became flesh, 
according to his divinity, he knew their motivation. But the 
word became flesh, and according to his humanity, it wasn't difficult 
to spot the motive. It isn't difficult when you see 
those health, wealth, and prosperity preachers preach what their motivation 
is. It's more about big houses. It's 
more about big cars. It's more about big accounts. 
It's more about all of the earthly blessings that God gives to his 
faithful and obedient children. Wherein is the righteousness 
of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone? Where is forgiveness? I'd rather be a forgiven sinner, 
heaven-bound, than have the boats, than have the houses, than have 
the bank accounts. Gary North was once famously 
asked, would you rather have gold or Jesus? He said, I'd rather 
have gold and Jesus, but I'm sure he would have qualified 
that and said, if I only had one or the other, give me Jesus. See, brethren, it's not wrong 
to be concerned about feeding your kids. It's wrong to be concerned 
about not feeding your kids. Jesus comes for the particular 
purpose to set these people straight. Their motivation is backward. 
John Gill says, they regarded their own bellies more than the 
honor and glory of Christ and even then the good of their immortal 
souls and the spiritual and eternal salvation of them. And this is 
something that we see very often. Persons today are captivated 
by planning. Persons today are captivated 
by the schedule on their phone. Persons today are captivated 
by their meeting next week, or by the school that their kids 
are going to go to, or to the job transfer they're working 
for. But they don't give any concern for that eternal state. They don't give any concern for 
what will you do when you die? What's going to happen when you 
breathe your last? when we, in the language of Moses, fly away 
and we stand before the judgment throne of God Most High? What's 
all the houses and the boats and the good food and all of 
that going to avail on that particular day? Jesus speaks to that. What 
shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his 
soul? Brethren, the persons that witnessed 
his ministry wanted to seize him by force and make him a king. Not because he is God Most High, 
not because he's glorious, not because he is the Savior, but 
because they wanted food. And they didn't want those pesky 
Romans bothering them in their day-to-day lives. So Jesus puts 
his finger on the pulse of their particular problem. Now notice, 
secondly, on the heels of that, the exhortation of the Savior 
in verses 27 to 29. First he instructs, verse 27, 
and then he exhorts in verses 28 and 29. Notice he gives them 
a caution or prohibition in verse 27. Do not labor for the food 
which perishes. Again, he's not undoing the fourth 
commandment. The fourth commandment enjoins 
upon the creature, rest. But the fourth commandment also 
enjoins upon the creature, work. Six days you shall labor and 
do all your work. Jesus is not upbraiding. The 
eighth commandment, you shall not steal. He's not saying don't 
work for the food which perishes. He's not saying just go ahead 
and beg or just go ahead and starve. Just go ahead and watch 
your children pine away. No, that's not what he's suggesting. 
He deals with the same sort of thing in Matthew chapter 6. He 
doesn't denigrate work. He points to the lilies of the 
field, he points to the birds of the air, simply to alleviate 
them from their carnal anxiety. Don't be all whacked out or stressed 
out. If God cares for the birds and He cares for the lilies, 
certainly He cares for His own elect. And then the same sort 
of thing we see in 2 Thessalonians 3. What does Paul say about the 
man who does not work? He says, then neither let him 
eat. What's happening in Thessalonica? They're waiting for Jesus. It's 
good to wait for Jesus. We should all wait for Jesus 
while we're at work, while we're gainfully employed, while we're 
obeying the fourth and eighth commandments, while we're not 
leeching off society. But they were waiting for Jesus, 
probably on their rooftops, because he's going to come at any moment. 
So Paul says, if those guys come to your luncheon, don't feed 
them. They ought to go work and bring a loaf next time, and then 
they can participate in that common meal. Jesus is not upbraiding 
the ethics of work. Notice, do not labor for the 
food which perishes. And when he uses that language, 
labor for the food which perishes, they pick it up, to be sure, 
because they understand labor for the food that endures. He's 
not teaching work salvation. He's dealing again with bread 
and the acquisition therein. It's similar to what we read 
in the prophet Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 1. Come, buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without 
money and without price. There's a particular means by 
which you get these items. It just so happens that God gives 
you the grace to achieve those items. And Jesus makes that clear. 
Notice at the end of verse 27, which the Son of Man will give 
you. Internal life is not something 
that you labor for. It's not something that you work 
for. But then notice in verse 29, 
two ways that we can read verse 29. I'll deal with that when 
we get there. But notice, this is the work 
of God, that you believe in him whom he sent. This is God's purpose, 
by which sinners come to the Lord Jesus Christ. The way that 
you receive him is by faith, looking to him in faith, in belief. It's God who gives that to you, 
such that you can close with Christ. So he's not emphasizing 
salvation or the acquisition of this bread. by labor, he's 
using language consistent with the metaphor of pursuing bread. You go out, you work, you get 
paid, and then you go buy the bread. So he's using that in 
the common way that persons speak. So verse 27, do not labor for 
the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to 
everlasting life. Again, here's the emphasis. Pursue 
the food that endures. What shall it profit a man if 
he gains the whole world but loses his soul? Brethren, this 
is a good time for introspection. What is it that most captivates 
us? Yes, we're supposed to work hard, 
but we're not supposed to work so hard that we neglect our God. Yes, we're supposed to try to 
acquire bread and water and those things that are necessary for 
life. But when we become consumed with those things, when those 
become the primary object of our affection, C.S. Lewis made 
the observation once, and he said that oftentimes a young 
man working hard in the world says, you know, I'm just trying 
to make my way in the world. Well, that young man doesn't 
always recognize that it's the world making its way into his 
own heart. Now again, brethren, I'm all 
for hard work. Laziness is to be denounced. Laziness is to be rejected. But 
if your work comes before Christ, please listen to Christ. If your 
family comes before Christ, if your anything comes before Christ, 
listen to what Christ says. Labor for the food which endures. Notice back in chapter 4, same 
sort of an emphasis with the Samaritan woman. Notice at 4.13, 
Jesus answered and said to her, whoever drinks of this water 
will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water 
that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I 
shall give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing 
up into everlasting life. He's leading them in that same 
manner. He's trying to educate them. He's trying to instruct 
them. He's trying to elevate their thoughts above the physical 
and the temporal to the spiritual and the eternal. He wants them 
to understand there's something outside of that loaf of bread 
that you buy at the store. There's something outside of 
that immediate gratification that comes by the alleviation 
of hunger. There's something beyond this 
world, brethren, and it's most glorious. It's what we were created 
for. That's why this materialistic 
bent that affects so many in North America is horrific and 
horrendous. We only judge things by based 
on what we see, what we can touch, what we can feel. We don't ponder 
the eternal state. We don't ponder the age to come. We don't ponder life after death. And dare I say, media, government, 
celebrity, all of this culture is fighting against the reality 
that there's something above us. There's something transcendent. 
There's something other. There's God. There's the Most 
High, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So Jesus is taking them by the 
hand, as it were, and trying to encourage them that there's 
something far beyond the bread and the fish that you've eaten. 
Notice the source of the food that endures. Do not labor for 
the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to 
everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you. He's saying 
there, saying, I don't only have the power to make bread and fish. I have the power to convey life 
eternal. I have the power to bring forgiveness. 
I have the power to give you a righteousness by which one 
day you'll enter into the kingdom of God Most High. And then notice 
the authority is his because God the Father has set his seal 
on him. Notice, because God the Father. 
God the Father is curious language, and would be nonsensical outside 
of a Trinitarian context. There's only God the Father because 
there's God the Son, and there's God the Spirit. In this divine 
and infinite being, there are three subsistences, or persons. The Father, the Word, or Son, 
and the Holy Spirit. So Jesus says and highlights 
his connection to the Father and his origin from the Father 
when he says, because God the Father has set his seal on him. What does that mean? He set his 
seal on the Son. The language means to mark with 
a seal as a means of identification. The meaning is consistent with 
his role as mediator. Remember, he comes in the fullness 
of the time set by God, born of a woman, born of the law, 
under the law to redeem those who are under the law. So he 
takes on our humanity, he functions as our mediator, he is the prophet, 
priest, and king, and as a result he is sealed by God the Father 
for this particular task and purpose. So he encourages them, 
seek this food. That food comes from himself, 
and that one is affirmed by God the Father. Now notice, he then 
moves it up a notch. Verse 28, then they said to him, 
what shall we do that we may work the works of God? Think 
about this, they completely ignore his identity. They completely 
ignore everything about him. I kind of maybe ask the question, 
what do you mean the father set his seal on you? What do you 
mean you come from the father? See, they give evidence to the 
fact that the only thing that occupies them is their belly. The only thing that concerns 
them is what they're going to consume at the next meal. The 
only thing that matters as far as they are concerned is matter. And Jesus has to deal with this. So notice, what shall we do that 
we may work the works of God? They underscore what is primary 
in their thoughts. We want to do enough. We want 
to do that. We want to have a list, as it 
were, to simply do what we can do in order to get this bread. 
In this, they're very much like that rich young ruler. Remember, 
he comes to the Lord Jesus and he asks the question, what good 
thing should I do that I may enter into eternal life? Jesus says, you know the commandments. 
And then Jesus rattles off the second table, except for the 
10th. And what does that man say? He 
says, all these things I've kept from my youth, what thing do 
I lack? So Jesus brings the tent to bear 
upon him. Go, sell everything you have, 
give it to the poor, and follow me. What happens to the guy? He goes away disappointed. He 
goes away sorrowful. He had much possession. He didn't 
want to part with it. But his initial attitude was 
specified to me, that one thing that I need to do in order to 
enter into heaven. See, that's the grand paradox. 
There are those out there that never think about heaven, but 
when they are confronted by the thought of heaven, they always 
assume there's something they can do to enter in. They always 
assume, like the Arminian, like the Pelagian, like the Papists, 
that there is a means by which they can work their way into 
the favor of God. They have no concept whatsoever 
of God's law. They have no concept whatsoever 
that it penetrates to the very heart of a man. They have no 
concept whatsoever of their lawlessness before a holy God and the whole 
reason why the father sent his son and set his seal upon him. They just respond in that default 
way. Give me what I need to do such 
that I can get what you are promising. It is a legalistic mindset. It is a legal spirit. It is the 
spirit of the brothers in the parable of the prodigal son. 
What does the one brother do? The ones who's out, you know, 
coveting what the pigs are eating. He says, I know what I'll do. 
I'll go back and I'll cast myself upon my father's mercy. And I'll 
just ask him to take me on as a hired hand. People see him 
as converted there. He's not converted there. He 
is not converted until the father falls on him, until the father 
clothes him with the robe, until the father receives him unto 
himself. He's thinking like a legalist. I know what I'll do. I'll just 
go be a hired servant just to get the portion that they get. 
And of course, the other brother, whom the story is actually about, 
is definitely a legalist. What's his attitude? I've been 
with you all these years. I've always done what you've 
said. Legalists are very proud. I've always done what you've 
said. The rich young ruler, all these I've kept from my youth. 
Legalism and pride go hand in hand, brethren. Never forget 
that. A legalistic spirit is an arrogantly 
proud spirit. It is the Spirit of Christ that 
humbles man to see their sin before a holy God, to see their 
destitution of anything good in them, and their absolute need 
of the Savior. It is grace that taught my heart 
to fear, John Newton wrote for the church. And that's the reality, 
that the prodigal didn't have but God, that the prodigal's 
brother certainly didn't have, and that the rich young ruler, 
I hope, ended up with it. Some suspect that was the apostle 
Paul. I think that there's some merit 
to that particular argument, though I wouldn't wage my life 
on it. But back to the particular passage, 
notice their mindset. What shall we do that we may 
work the works of God? Look at Jesus' response. Verse 
29, Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God 
that you believe in him whom he sent. This is the work of 
God, that you believe in him whom he sent. Now, there's a 
couple of ways to take that. The first is what I mentioned 
earlier, that faith is a gift from God. We could read it that 
way. This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom 
he sent. God gives grace to needy sinners in order that they believe 
the gospel. We see that in verse 44. We see 
that in verse 63. No one can come to me. unless 
the Father who sent me draws him. There is total depravity. There is total inability. Notice 
he doesn't say, well, here's five works you can do. Once you've 
polished those off, then I'll give you your bread. Here's a 
list of expectations. Here's a checklist of morality. 
You just perform, and you perform well, and then I'll visit you 
with this bread. He doesn't do that. This is the 
work of God that you both leave in him whom he sent. Well, does 
the Bible teach that faith is a gift? It does in Ephesians 
chapter two, that verses eight and nine. It teaches it in Philippians 
chapter one and in verse 29, but it's already been taught 
in John three. What comes before for God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever 
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. What 
precedes that in the narrative? his dealings with Nicodemus. 
You must be born again. You are dead in your trespasses 
and sins. There is no good in carnal man. The only way for help and hope 
is in God most high. So that is certainly a way we 
can interpret that. This is the work of God that 
you believe in him whom he sent. But it could also mean this is 
the work of God that you believe in whom he sent, that faith is 
the instrument by which sinners close with Christ. That's an 
emphasis throughout John's gospel. We've seen it in the prologue, 
chapter one, verse seven. You see it in John 3, 16, whoever 
believes in him. You see it in John 3, 36. He 
who believes the son has everlasting life. He who does not believe 
the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. 
You see it in chapter 4, verse 41. The Samaritans believe, not 
because of the word of the woman, but because of what they've seen 
and heard with reference to Jesus. You see it here in 629. You'll 
see it again in 640. 737-38, when Jesus offers the 
living water to sinners, it's by faith that sinners close with 
him. And then, of course, John ends 
the book on 20, 30, and 31. These are written that you may 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, what, 
believing in his name, you may have everlasting life. So what 
is Jesus saying? He is saying it's not by works 
that you do that will achieve this bread. It's not by the labors 
of your hands by which you get the food that endures. The means 
by which sinners come into communion with God is through faith in 
our Lord Jesus Christ. The emphasis throughout the gospel, 
the emphasis throughout the Bible is not that bad, evil, vile, 
wicked sinners are handed a checklist from heaven, they accomplish 
the few things that are specific for them, and then they earn 
their way into heaven. No, Abraham believed God and 
it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Salvation has 
always been by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. But notice that Jesus doesn't 
stop there. Notice what Jesus says is the 
object of faith. It's not just this vague general 
conception that there's a God out there. It's not the sort 
of mindset that I've condemned before as we've worked through 
John's Gospel with the religious people out there. Well, I'm Spiritual. I don't need Jesus. I have a 
relationship with God in a way that I understand. Well, the 
way that you understand is going to land you in hell. You need 
to understand the way, the truth, the life, who is Jesus Christ 
our Lord, and come to the Father through Him. So it's not this 
vague, undefined, nebulous faith in something out there. But notice, 
this is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent. Again, Jesus uses the language 
of having been sent by the Father for the particular task of redemption. He is the object of faith. It's 
not Allah. It's not, you know, a light bulb. It's not, you know, your own 
labors. It is faith in the Son of God. That's why John ends the way 
he does. These are written, so that you 
may believe. So Christ underscores for these 
people what is crucial, what is absolutely essential, what 
is the one thing needful. This is the work of God, that 
you believe in Him whom He sent. Hebrews 11, 6 says, Without faith 
it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must 
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that 
diligently seek Him. Christ underscores that lesson. 
The means by which you receive this bread, which endures for 
everlasting life, are not in yourself. It's not in you. You don't have the ability or 
wherewithal to work for this bread. Christ condemns that notion. Christ shuts down that notion. And interestingly, brethren, 
so did they. Because when Jesus continues 
to press, when Jesus continues to highlight the necessity of 
coming to Jesus, and kids, that's section 53 to 58, Jesus is not 
actually saying we have to physically digest his body and drink his 
blood. He's speaking metaphorically, 
again in light of the fact that he is the true bread which comes 
down out of heaven. The one sent by the Father, the 
means of acquisition, the means of appropriation, the means by 
which we are connected to Him is faith. It's not eating Him 
physically. It's not drinking His blood physically. That is a metaphor. Jesus used 
that kind of language to teach spiritual truth. And that's what 
he does in the latter part of the chapter. Now that brings 
us thirdly and finally to consider this demand for a sign. Look 
at verses 30 to 34. So he says all this, he shuts 
down this whole idea that they can work their way to heaven. 
This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. 
You know what the right response there is right now if you're 
not a believer? Believe, okay? This is most important. This is absolutely crucial. Don't demand signs. Don't ask 
for more. Don't try to say that Moses did 
far more than you. Aren't you gonna pony up a bit 
more so that then we have the wherewithal to believe in you? 
That's not our job to place conditions on God Most High. That is not 
our task to demand more from the God who has manifested Himself 
so clearly that He has left men without excuse for the day of 
judgment. Romans 1 tells us that God's majesty shines through 
the created order. Man knows God exists. That's 
not his problem. Man suppresses that truth and 
unrighteousness. He sees God and he says, no God. Edwards interpreted Psalm 14 
one that way. Remember, we just celebrated 
atheist holiday on April 1st. The fool has said in his heart, 
there is no God. Edward says, the fool says in 
his heart, no God, I want nothing to do with you. Paul highlights 
that in Romans 1. That is the bad response, no 
God. Christ most high says, believe 
in him for everlasting life. If you're not a believer here, 
may I just encourage you to believe. We don't have an altar call, 
there's no card for you to sign, there's no hand to raise up. 
It is simply believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and 
you shall be saved. It is most blessed, it is most 
glorious. But notice, he says what he says, 
this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. 
Now they demand a sign, verse 30, therefore they said to him, 
What sign will you perform that, that we may see it and believe 
you? What work will you do? They put the onus on him. What 
are you going to do? Perform for us. If you perform 
in an adequate manner, well, then I guess we'll believe on 
you. Isn't this man's problem now, too? You've got these people 
who say, well, if God just put in an appearance, or God just 
showed himself, or if God just did this, that, or the other, 
God has put in an appearance. Again, according to Romans 1. 
The problem isn't that he hasn't put in an appearance. The problem 
is your carnal, wicked heart has rejected that. It has resisted 
that. It has run from that. It has 
violated and transgressed every one of his laws, and it is actually 
raising its fist at him. Notice what they then invoke, 
or their argument. Look at verse 31. Our fathers 
ate the manna in the desert. As it is written, he gave them 
bread from heaven to eat. So the appeal to the provision 
of manna in the wilderness, Exodus 16, Numbers 11, it's alluded 
to in Psalm 78, and then in 1 Corinthians 10. What is it that they're doing? Well, the way that Jesus responds 
seems to indicate that they're trying to pit Moses and Jesus 
against each other. You know, Jesus, You did a good 
thing. You fed 5,000 upwards to 10,000 
people with five barley loaves and two fish. But that was a 
one-off. In the wilderness, under Moses, 
we were fed for 40 years. When we set foot in that land 
of Canaan was the last time we enjoyed, well, they didn't enjoy 
it, did they? All they ever did was grumble 
and complain and whine. There is nothing new under the 
sun, brethren. But they had it for 40 years, 
this manna. What are they doing? You outperform 
Moses, you jump through our hoops, you do what we demand, and then, 
and only then, we will believe. See, that approach to signs is 
condemned in John's gospel. The signs are supposed to lead 
you to the Savior. Remember Thomas in John 20? He 
says to the apostles, unless my eyes see him, unless my hands 
touch him, I will certainly not believe. What does Jesus do? 
Jesus rebukes him. He doesn't cut him off. He doesn't 
send him to hell. He doesn't brand him as an apostate. 
But he says, blessed are those who believe who haven't seen. 
They don't demand all of these miracles. They don't demand that 
God perform for them. They don't demand things like 
I did when I was a kid. I was drowning at Seal Beach 
and I was under a rubber raft. And I remember thinking consciously 
and probably calling it out, God, if you get me out of here, 
I'll go to church happily every Sunday. People barter with God. People try to truck with God. 
People try to entertain that there's a transaction approach 
to God. What then will you show us so that we may believe? They 
invoke Moses and his ability in the wilderness to which Jesus 
responds. Notice in verses 32 to 34. Jesus said to them, most assuredly 
I say to you, Moses did not give you this bread from heaven. He 
understands what they're saying. He understands the comparison 
that's being made. That's why I'm suggesting, this 
isn't simply monologue, Jesus giving them good instruction, 
and then at the end, they all come forward and they believe 
on him. No, they're fighting every step of the way. They're 
fighting him lock and barrel. They are just resisting everything 
he has to say. And he knows that. So again, 
he addresses that. It's not Moses that made the 
manna magically appear. In fact, Moses himself in Exodus 
16, 15 said, this is the bread which Yahweh has given you to 
eat. So you see, they invoke Moses 
as a superior sign performer. And if Jesus doesn't outperform 
him, then they're not going to believe. And Jesus responds this 
way. He says, most assuredly I say 
to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my 
father gives you the true bread from heaven. The source of the 
bread from heaven that they're talking about. Now, certainly 
the manna was typical and prefigured the coming of Christ. Paul calls 
it spiritual food in 1 Corinthians 10, three. I think that's the 
level at which he is treating. That manna in the wilderness 
was the provision of God such that people would understand 
their dependence upon God. Christ is parallel in the way 
of manna. He is provided by the Father, 
not just the Father. Notice again, Jesus' intimacy. He says, my Father. Remember 
that was the debate in chapter five. This man makes himself 
equal with God. Who could possibly do that? Well, 
Jesus can, because the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And 
it's in that vein, according to his humanity, he refers to, 
or according to his divinity, to my father. So my father gives 
you the true bread from heaven. And then notice the identification 
of this bread in verse 33. For the bread of God, it's gone 
from the bread which perishes or the bread that endures to 
now the bread of God. Who or what is the bread of God? It is a who. Notice in verse 
33, for the bread of God is he. He, who comes down from heaven 
and gives life to the world. The bread of God is He. Now this 
serves as the background for 53 to 58. When he says, eat my 
flesh and drink my blood, he's operating in accordance with 
the metaphor. Augustine himself, who fed Roman 
Catholic sacramentology 1,000 years later, says to eat him 
means to believe in him. That's the point that is underscored 
throughout this particular section. But in verse 33, he says, the 
bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life 
to the world. So he refers to his incarnation. 
This bread is the one who comes down from heaven. Again, John 
1.14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. But notice, if 
you're taking notes and you're making comparisons, who was it 
that allegedly Moses fed in the wilderness for those 40 years? 
It wasn't the Hittites, it wasn't the Hivites, it wasn't the Jebusites, 
it was the Israelites. So what do we find with reference 
to Christ and His coming down from heaven in order to feed 
the world? For the bread of God is he who 
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. John has an 
emphasis in his gospel on what I like to call biblical globalism. God so loved the world. The Samaritans confess in John 
4.42, he is the savior of the world. This bread that comes 
down from heaven, this bread of God, it's not just for Israel. It's not just for those 12 tribes. It is for the Gentiles. It is 
for every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. It is for anyone 
and everyone who looks on to the Lord Jesus Christ and believes 
in Him. This is Christ's emphasis. He far outshines Moses if you're 
going to use that comparison, but that comparison is faulty 
at the bottom point because it's God who provided in both the 
old covenant setting and in this new covenant setting. Christ 
comes down from heaven in the incarnation in order to give 
life to the world. And that language, and this is 
where we end the exposition, I mean, we'll move quick through 
34, but listen to that language. He gives life. What does bread 
do? Bread gives life, but if you 
don't eat more bread, you die. I'm not a biologist, as somebody 
famously quipped recently, but I know this much. that if you 
don't put bread down your gullet on a regular basis, you will 
die. You actually have a lot more 
time with not putting bread down your gullet than you do with 
not drinking water. So make sure you have your water. 
There's my government service message for the brethren out 
there. He gives life to the world. from every tribe, tongue, people, 
and nation. Messed up people, remember that. For God so loved the world, not 
because the world is lovely. In spite of its unloveliness, 
he loves it. In spite of its horror, in spite 
of its wickedness, in spite of its depravity, in spite of its 
rebellion, in spite of its sin against a holy God, he gives 
life to the world. Brethren, when we preach the 
gospel, we are preaching the true bread that comes down from 
heaven with the expressed purpose of saving sinners from every 
walk of life, from every stripe, from every people group, from 
every age, from every social caste, whoever you are. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're in the world of men, 
you by grace can believe the gospel of our salvation and know 
the joy of being found in him. Now, brethren, how do they respond? Verse 34, they said to him, Lord, 
give us this bread always. Again, as you move through the 
context, you'll notice they didn't mean business. When he starts 
preaching to them hard truths, when he starts to talk to them 
about sovereignty, when he starts to talk to them about their own 
depravity, when he starts to talk about the exclusivity of 
him alone for salvation, well, they don't like that. Again, 
they're very much like sinners today. The vague nebulous God 
is only there to ever do you good. generally acceptable to 
most people, right? But the sovereign God of Ephesians 
1, 4 and 5, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the 
world in love, having predestined us unto adoption as sons. People 
hear that language. He chose, He predestined. What 
kind of a God do you think this is? This is not fair. This isn't 
right. So when Jesus presses that truth, 
what do they do? They grumble, they whine, they 
complain. And when John calls them disciples, 
brethren, that doesn't mean necessarily they were saved and they lost 
it. It can be loosely seen as followers. All of the philosophers had their 
disciples. The religious teachers had their 
disciples. It was a common way to identify 
people that were following a particular teacher. So when they, the disciples, 
no longer followed him, you're not to conclude that they were 
saved and lost it. They were never saved. And what 
they tripped over was the doctrine of God's comprehensive sovereignty. That's what bugged them. Now, in conclusion, just a list 
of things in terms of the miserable condition of man. We need to 
understand that what we find here in Capernaum, in that synagogue, 
in the first century, is not unique to that situation. We're 
dealing with these people all the time. We're dealing with 
these people all the time. First of all, people seek Jesus 
for what they can get. Again, if we're seeking Jesus 
for forgiveness and righteousness, that's good. But typically the 
focus of the seeking of Jesus for what they can get is the 
temporal and it is the physical. It is the here and it is the 
now. And we need to appreciate that 
and we need to make sure that we press upon sinners what Jesus 
does. Your motives are wrong here. 
If all you want is a happy, healthy life in the here and now, well, 
you know, Jesus is not your answer. But if you want life eternal, 
you want righteousness, you want forgiveness of sin, come to the 
Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not sure I'd say it just 
like that, but you get the drift. As well, he seeks Jesus simply 
for carnal security. 615, they seized him or wanted 
to seize him by force to make him king. Why? They didn't like 
the Romans. And brethren, I enter in. If 
there was the opportunity to put a king up that would subjugate 
all of our enemies right now and make sure everything was 
hunky-dory, okay, I'd be for that. I'd vote for him. That 
would be one that I'd try to seize, hopefully not by force. 
I mean, I get it at some certain level, but Jesus is telling them, 
that's not what I'm about. That's not what I've come for 
in the first advent. Again, when he comes again in 
glory to judge the living and the dead, it will be in the glory 
of his father with all of his holy angels and he'll be taking 
vengeance on them. who know not God and those who 
do not obey the gospel. As well, he fools himself into 
thinking he can work the works of God. If you're under that 
delusion, can I disavow you of that? You cannot work the works 
of God in order to get to heaven. You cannot do enough, you cannot 
go far enough in order to obliterate your sin problem, do enough good 
so that God will accept you. Our confession, I think, captures 
what is required in terms of God's law. God gave to Adam a 
law of universal obedience written in his heart, and a particular 
precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge 
of good and evil, by which he bound him and all his posterity 
to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience. That's the 
demand of the law. We have to do all things that 
are commanded in it, not a pick and choose, not a smorgasbord. 
Well, I like that 8th commandment, but I don't like that 7th commandment. 
So I'm going to do the 8th, and hopefully God grades on a curve, 
and I'll go ahead and slide in. That is to completely miss the 
point of God's holy word. He places demands on God before 
he will believe, and he continuously misunderstands truth until the 
Holy Spirit opens his heart. Now, if that defines you or describes 
you, it may not be the case that you fit all those blocks, but 
if you're not a Christian, if you're not a believer, you fit 
some of those blocks. You've got big problems, far 
bigger than a pandemic, far bigger than a maverick government, far 
bigger than the World Economic Forum, and those are problems. 
The biggest problem is estrangement from a holy God. The biggest 
problem is being liable to God's wrath and curse, both in this 
life and that which is to come. Don't put demands upon Jesus, 
rather look to Jesus in faith. And then we see in this section, 
just this brief section, the glorious person of Jesus Christ 
our Lord. He knows what's in man. Yes, 
he's God, he knows what's in man, but he's man. He knows what's 
in man. It's not hard to read. It's not 
hard to mistake. It's not hard to misjudge when 
persons are preoccupied with the physical and the temporal 
and care not one bit about the spiritual and eternal. He has 
no problem with rebuking man. Remember, no niceties. No, well, 
you know, I walked half the way on the water and then I got in 
the boat. No, he just gets right to the point. You guys have problems. You've got issues. You need help. And Jesus doesn't shrink back 
from doing that. He graciously instructs man. What are the works 
of God? He goes down that path. This 
is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent. 
He is gracious in terms of instructing sinners. He emphasizes as well 
His equality with the Father. He refers to Him as Him who sent 
me. He refers to Him as my Father. 
And then he underscores the blessed purpose of his mission. We mustn't 
ever forget this. They forgot this. They didn't 
see this. They never appropriated this. As far as they were concerned, 
bread in the stomach is all that we want from Jesus. Jesus says, 
I am the bread of God that's come down out of heaven to give 
life to the world. That's the purpose for which 
the Son of God came in the first advent. It is to give life to 
the world. And by God's grace, he has given 
us eyes to see. He's given us hearts to receive 
this truth. He's given us faith and repentance 
to close with the Savior. We ought to praise him. We ought 
to glorify him. We ought to express that gratitude, 
not just on the Lord's day, but each and every day. Listen to 
Machen as he talks about faith as the instrument that brings 
us to Christ. He says, faith is not a meritorious 
work. The New Testament never says 
that a man is saved on account of his faith, but always that 
he is saved through his faith. Faith is the means which the 
Holy Spirit uses to apply to the individual soul the benefits 
of Christ's death. And faith is a very simple thing. 
It simply means receiving of a gift. It simply means that 
abandoning the vain effort of earning our way into God's presence, 
we accept the gift of salvation, which Christ offers so full and 
free. That's how we started worship 
today, Isaiah 55. Everything you need, God supplies. That's where we're gonna end 
this morning. Everything you need, sinner, for peace with 
God, He graciously supplies. Look unto the Lord Jesus Christ 
in faith, believe on Him, and you will have everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for this section of Holy Scripture. We thank you 
for the grace that you have given to us to see the glory of Christ. 
And we pray that you would help us to grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of him. And as well, Father, we pray 
that you'd open hearts here for any who are dead in their trespasses 
and sins and make them alive together with Christ. Give them 
faith and repentance that they may believe on the Savior and 
know the joy of being found in him. And we pray in his most 
blessed name, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.