2018.12.07 Hopewell @Home ▫ John 6:41-51

Read John 6:41-51

Questions for Littles: About whom were the Jews complaining in v41? Why did they complain about Him? Whom did they say Jesus is (v42)? From where did they think that Jesus could not have come? What does Jesus tell them not to do in v43? What does Jesus tell them they can’t do in v44? What is the only way that someone can come to Him? What will Jesus do for that person? When? Who else said that God Himself would enable people to come to Him (v45)? Who has seen the Father (v46)? Who has everlasting life (v47)? What does Jesus call Himself in v48? What happened to those who ate manna (v49)? What will happen with those who “eat” Jesus (v50)? What bread did the Father give (v51a)? What bread does Jesus give (v51b)? 

In the Gospel reading this week, we learned how dangerous complaining and murmuring are. It may not appear, at first, what a big deal these words are in v41 and v43. The key is in v47, “he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”

Complaining and murmuring are the opposite of faith. When we complain, we refuse to accept Jesus’s words and trust instead in what we think we know. They thought they knew where Jesus came from. When we worry, we think we know that God is dropping the ball in our lives. How terrible!

But that’s our sinful nature. Terrible. Wicked. Unbelieving. Refusing to come to the Lord Jesus unless the Father drags us to Him, hand over hand (v44). Thankfully, God does draw people to Christ. He does teach and train our hearts to receive Him by faith, to feed upon Him by faith.

We needed Jesus to come be the perfect flesh-and-blood man, so that by believing in Him, we could become part of His new humanity and live forever (v51).

But the Jews don’t want to be freed from sin. They just want full stomachs. The Father’s precious gift—His own Son as living bread!!—is standing right in front of them. And all they can do is complain about how they want a nice loaf of mostly carbohydrates.

Don’t we get caught up in desiring those earthly things too? Let us ask our Heavenly Father to train our hearts so that we might look to Jesus Himself with faith and receive Him as the source of our true and eternal life!

Where does Jesus invite us to feed (by faith not food) upon Him for our life? 

Suggested songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH202 “Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”