The world is full of those who are skeptical of the truth of the Gospel.  People completely reject Jesus' claims to be the Messiah, the Christ who can save them from the penalty of their sin, and provide a way to eternal life with God.  They have replaced the gospel with a myriad of other religious dogma and rituals that better fit their sensibilities, but do not agree with the gospel message.  .Skeptics and unbelievers also reside within Christian church congregations, many of whom claim the benefits of the faith, but deny its basic truths.  Such individuals often will be greatly offended when the details of the gospel are brought to light.  When such people take offense, they will often leave the congregation, oftentimes moving from one church to another in search of the "right" church. Some congregations will fire its pastor when he starts getting too close to the gospel, or makes demands for commitment to the faith.   This lack of commitment on the part of some church members is one of the church's greatest weaknesses.  When a church is characterized by leadership that fails to be strong in their commitment to Christ, the church becomes a social club with a Christian theme.  Satan wins.

This is not a new problem.  The skepticism of people toward the truth of the gospel has been characteristic of public response to Jesus from the first days of His ministry.  Furthermore, the same arrogance towards God's law was characteristic of people throughout the Old Testament.  The scripture passage of this study might serve to reveal if our commitment to Christ is one that honors God, and if not, we have an opportunity to repent and turn to Him completely.

This lesson finds us in John's gospel, Chapter 6.  Jesus has been preaching on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to a crowd of at least five thousand people.  Some feel that this number refers to men only, and women and children may also have been in attendance.  As the day continued, people became hungry, and Jesus performed the well-known miracle of feeding the crowd by multiplying the five loaves and two fish that were brought to him by a young boy.  When the event was over, the apostles were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked on the water to them, and Peter had an opportunity to experience the same miracle.  Through these signs as well as others, Jesus validated his claim to be the Christ.  Yet, people did not believe.  They still did not believe when He was resurrected after His death on the cross.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ.  God sent Him so that we might be saved from the consequence of our sin.  As people witnessed the miracles and listened to His teaching, they were still skeptical.  We find Jesus teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum, surrounded by many men of Israel, and particularly, those of the region who were considered leaders of the faith.  This group would find Jesus' words very hard to accept.

John 6:29-31.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? ²⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. ³⁰They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?  ³¹Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 

The question asked by the people is certainly reasonable.  All of recorded history of all civilizations reveals man's search for God.  Here was a man who was leading the Jews in this search.  They wanted to know what they might "do" in order to be righteous.  A religion is a set of rituals the people must "do" in order to be righteous.  Salvation would be simple if there were a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished, or if it simply could be bought.  However, the gospel carries with it the truth that there is nothing we can "do" to inherit the kingdom of God.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:8-9.

Christianity is not a religion, but rather it is a faith.  There is nothing that any person can do in order to deserve salvation, since such a plan would only build one's own pride.  The work was done by God, not by man.  All we have to do is accept the work that He has done.  However, this concept of grace flies in the face of human logic.  Jesus declares clearly here that the only "work" that can be done is to "believe on Him whom He hath sent."  

The position of the skeptics was typical of human pride:  prove to us who you are and we will believe you.  Such a position is one of arrogance and pride.  Such a position places one in authority over Christ Himself, placing demands on Him to perform some sign.  This is not faith.  Faith is placing one's trust in Jesus Christ without needing to see a sign.  We might remember the doubts of the apostle Thomas when he was told of Jesus' resurrection.  He needed to see proof before he would believe.  When Jesus came to Thomas, He gave to Thomas a light and instructive scolding when he said, Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29.)  The people referred to Moses who proved his authority by performing miracles.  The specific miracle they were impressed with was the feeding of the people with manna while they wandered in the desert.  It is curious that the skeptics either were not aware of Jesus previous feeding of the five thousand, or dismissed the miracle.  They wanted to see for themselves.  They wanted Jesus to perform for them then and there.

Sometimes we will treat God the same way.  Our faith might be related to our ability to see God perform wonders.  Is our faith weakened in times when we do not see Him?  Is it weakened in times of stress and trouble when we need God most?  Do we make demands on God for Him to perform for us, particularly when we find ourselves in need?  We might say something like, "God if you will ____ then I will ____."  Such demands on God are certainly normal and emotional responses to crisis, but as we mature in our faith we should learn to trust God and not attempt to place demands on Him.  When the people demanded that Jesus perform a miracle for them, he used this opportunity to teach them of who he is, using the miracle of the manna as the context of his instruction.

John 6:32-35.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. ³⁴Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. ³⁵And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

In these words, Jesus makes some important claims concerning who He is.  This is one of those verses that really separate those who believe in Jesus from those who do not.  Some have said that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord and this verse forces the issue.  Here Jesus, by referring to the manna given to Israel in the wilderness, sets the context for defining Himself.  The people were asking for proof.  Jesus told them that Moses provided bread for the people in the wilderness, yet He Himself is the bread from heaven.  Jesus makes the claim that He came down from heaven to give life to the world.  This is a clear reference to the attributes of the prophesied Messiah.

It appears that the people at first did not understand Jesus' use of the metaphor of the bread from heaven when they asked for the bread.  So, Jesus clarifies His claim that He is the bread of life, and He can satiate once and for all the hunger and thirst that represents their search for peace with God   There is no doubt that Jesus is speaking of spiritual issues, and not physical hunger and thirst.  Also, based upon the people's response, they also understood that Jesus was speaking in spiritual metaphor.  By what Jesus had just said, He made a clear and uncompromised claim that He is the Messiah.  This certainly provided fuel for the skeptics to burn in their fury.  Rather than show them a miraculous sign, Jesus simply made the claim of his Messiahship without one.  

Responding to Jesus' statement without seeing the desired miracle requires faith.  It is this faith that saves.  It is the belief, not only in who Jesus is, but placing one's trust in that truth.  Jesus claims to be Lord, and if we place our trust in that claim, than we must accept Him as the Lord he claims to be.  Jesus becomes our Lord.  If we refuse to acknowledge Jesus' Lordship, we remain in our unsaved apostate state.  Note that even the demons believe in Jesus, and they tremble.  Satan knows that all Jesus says is true, but rejects Him as Lord.  (James 2:19.).  Such a position is fatal.

John 6:36-40.

But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. ³⁷All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. ³⁸For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. ³⁹And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. ⁴⁰And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Jesus can sense the disbelief in many of those around him, much as most disbelieve Him today.  Here Jesus describes his purpose and mission.  Heretofore Jesus used the metaphor of the bread, referring to Himself as the bread of life.  Now Jesus describes literally what that means.  What is the bread of life?  We eat bread to have our hunger satisfied.   As bread fulfills our need of hunger, Jesus has come to fulfill our need of salvation.  If bread is offered to a hungry man who refuses, he remains in his hunger.  Jesus offers salvation to a lost world, and if we refuse his gift, we remain in our hunger.  What is the gift that Jesus offers?  We see here that Jesus came from heaven to do the will of the Father, which is to raise up on the last day all those who will "believe on Him."  

There are several places in scripture where Jesus makes reference to the security of those who have faith in Him.  The life with God that Jesus gives is everlasting.  This is an eternal gift that is not predicated by the works of man.  We have already seen that there is no work that we can do to deserve salvation.  Works are not related to God's grace.  That is very difficult for many people to believe.  We want to do something to deserve this incredible gift.  All that God asks is for us to have faith in Him through Jesus Christ, the prophesied Messiah.  Salvation is then everlasting.  Just as it was not attained through works, it is not lost through works.  In verse 37, Jesus says that for those who believe on Him, He will "no wise cast out."  Some would argue that if we sin, we step out of God's grace.  The truth of the matter is that no person can live a sinless life, and if that were true, no person can be saved.  The good news is God offers us redemption through Jesus Christ if we will believe.  The act of saving belief carries with it the acceptance that Jesus is Lord, and if we do indeed accept Him as Lord, our desires change.  Our priorities are transformed,  By the guidance of the Holy Spirit we now see where we have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with through repentance, the act of turning from it.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to repent, and provides us with the peace and joy that comes from the knowledge of our obedience to Christ.

When the "last day," the day of final judgment arrives, all of those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus will be "lifted up."  Those who have chosen Christ will find Jesus to be their advocate before the Father who will provided a defense for the saved.  "They are mine, I died for them."  (John 10).  Again, this is an incredible gift that all who understand should accept and be profoundly grateful for, so grateful, that we will seek to turn to Jesus in love and obedience to His will.

John 6:41-43.

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. ⁴²And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? ⁴³Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

Again, the skeptics step in.  Note that among other truths, they reject the virgin birth of Jesus.  The scriptures clearly describe Mary's immaculate conception.  Joseph was an obedient bystander who took the responsibility to care for Mary, and would marry her and have other children with her after the birth of Jesus.  However, Jesus' conception was not generally known, so it was only reasonable that the skeptics would not have a basis for understanding Jesus' deity.  Fortunately, salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ, and our agreement with every doctrinal position does not take that away.  However, acceptance of the immaculate conception of Mary is very important in understanding who Jesus is.  Without it, Jesus looks like another great prophet who God can use to perform miracles, a prophet in the line of Moses or Elijah.  The physical difference is in his conception and resurrection. The spiritual difference is in His preeminence (He always existed, is eternal), his power to save, and his place of authority in judgment over all of God's creation.  This separates Jesus from every other prophet or would-be prophet who ever lived.  It is this that separates Jesus from the focal individuals of all of the world's religions and cults.  The Messiah, the Christ, came from heaven to earth in the form of a child of low esteem, experienced all of the experiences of a child, youth, and man, and then provided for God's plan of salvation.

Jesus' claims created great controversy.  Jesus told the people not to murmur among themselves.  One can probably visualize the scene, as Jesus makes the claim to be the "bread of life," or literally, the Messiah.  The people are astonished at his clams and start talking amongst themselves.  They are not words of support or agreement, they are criticisms meant to tear down his argument.  They are testimonies shared among the people that are intended to reinforce their disbelief.  The world has been murmuring about Jesus' claims for 2000 years, and that skepticism will probably continue until the final judgment when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11, Phil. 2:11).

John 6:53-59.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. ⁵⁸This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. ⁵⁹These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 

The murmuring of the people continued, and Jesus continued to explain what the meaning of the "bread of life" metaphor meant.  In this statement, Jesus really drives the message home.  The people wanted bread.  They wanted a miracle like the manna from heaven.  Jesus explains here that He is that bread from heaven, sent to meet their needs.  The parallel to bread is clear here.  To be satiated from hunger and thirst, it is necessary that we eat and drink "bread and water."  Likewise, to have our need for salvation satiated we must also completely accept the "bread and water" that Jesus provides.  If we fail to see the metaphor that Jesus is using, we come up with some form of holy cannibalism.  However, studying scripture necessitates study of the context and use of the literary forms used in it.  Certainly, Jesus' expression of the intimacy with which our belief in Him must be a belief of complete faith is expressed in very graphic terms.  This only underlies the necessity that just as we fully accept the bread and water to alleviate our physical hunger, we must fully accept the eternal life that Jesus can provide.

John 6:60-61.

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? ⁶¹When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 

We can certainly understand that the Jewish leadership would take offense at what Jesus is saying.  Their entire world view revolved around the Law.  They believed that obedience to the Law was the way of salvation, and they were particularly righteous because of their adherence to it.  This was, to them, an inviolable paradigm that they could not overcome.  We might be more surprised to see that Jesus' disciples listened to the murmuring of the Jews and were questioning whether Jesus was who He said He was. What was hard about Jesus' saying?  It was not the metaphor of the bread as many argue, since the literal interpretation of those words sounds very harsh.  It was Jesus new demand that salvation does not come from the law.  Paul writes throughout his book to the Galatians the purpose that the law serves as it exposes the sin of the lost, and our inability to keep it.  Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill its purpose.  The word for "offend" is scandalon, scandalon.   We get the word "scandal" from this.  It refers to a barrier that both reveals the truth, yet separates one from it.  One is scandalized when truth separates.  A scandal involving a respected leader separates that leader from his position.  Another word that could be used here is "stumbling block."  This one truth has the power to separate one from the receipt of God's gift, and has served to do so for thousands of years.

This is not a trivial issue for either the Jewish rabbis or for the disciples who were also trained from their youth in Jewish traditions and oral laws.  In this case, the truth of Jesus was extremely controversial, and would divide the Jewish body along clear lines.  One has to decide to follow Jesus or to reject Him.  There is no middle ground.  Likewise, today, salvation comes from Jesus Christ as it did then.  We must decide to follow Him or reject Him, and that choice has eternal consequences.  It is the greatest controversy that this earth has ever experienced.  It is this controversy that truly divides the world, and will serve to divide all men at the coming judgment.

John 6:62-65.

What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? ⁶³It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. ⁶⁵And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

What would the disciples think if they had the opportunity to see Him ascend up to where He came?  Those who would remain faithful to the end would have such an opportunity.  Jesus states that it is in the spirit of man that eternal life is found.  The physical life will come to an end, and will profit nothing to anyone.  Because Jesus is the Christ, it is through Him that salvation will be found, and through Him alone.  This was the Plan of the Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and presented to mankind in a systematic manner since his creation.  Adam knew God, yet sinned, and every person to follow also sinned.  In the Old Testament God described His plan of faith through the examples of the faithful few patriarchs that are still venerated by all of Judeo-Christian background.  God also showed through the prophets that salvation would come through a Messiah.  Those who lived in Old Testament Israel looked forward with hope to the coming Messiah.  Those Jews who rejected Jesus' claims are still waiting.

Some would argue that there are other ways to be acceptable to God.  Some believe that when the day of final judgment comes, God will accept people based upon any number of good works or sincere religions they followed.  However, God's plan as revealed in His Word never veered from the simple truth that salvation would come through faith, not by works, and that it would be through the Messiah that this faith would be expressed.  It is not Christianity that is exclusive, as some would argue.  God is exclusive in who He forgives.  God has given us His Son through which forgiveness can be found.  God gave us no others.

John 6:66.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Satan won a form of a victory that day.  The disciples were polarized by the truth, and many of them rejected it and left the fellowship.  (Note that there is no numerological reference to this being 6:66, the number in John's revelation that refers to pure and complete depravity.  Chapter and verse numbers were added during the fourth century.)  Likewise, what often happens in a church body when controversy arises?  Often Satan wins a victory by polarizing the body and splitting it apart.  People leave.  When difficult times arise, often those who are less committed to their faith and less committed to the church show their lack of commitment with their feet:  they leave to find a church that is more suitable to them.  This serves a couple of purposes.  It tends to purify the body of those who lack commitment, often empowering the body to move forward in unity and overcome the difficulty that divided them.  They end up stronger in their faith and have a strengthened love for one another.  It also serves to discourage the faith of those who are not as mature and committed.  Such division in the church destroys its testimony to the unsaved population as they appear to be faithless and prideful people who argue among themselves.  This is not the church that attracts new members.  

Because of this, we must always be vigilant to maintain unity in the body and to love one another through the difficult times when Satan would seek to destroy the church body.  Controversy should never arise except in cases of heretical teaching.  No other subject is worth polarizing the body of Christ.  No person should seek to polarize the body to attain their own prideful goals.  

John 6:67-71.

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? ⁶⁸Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? ⁷¹He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve..

Just as the tabernacle had three parts that represented levels of separation from God, Jesus' following had three parts.  The most distant were the disciples other than the twelve that Jesus had specifically chosen for His purpose.  We have no idea of how many there were who followed Jesus, but we see that sometimes the group was large.  It was certainly large enough to disrupt the marriage in Cana (John 2:1-11) only three days after He started His ministry.  The second group was the set of  twelve apostles who stayed close to Jesus throughout His ministry.  Finally, the closest group, the holy of holies, were Peter, James, and John who each demonstrated gifts of leadership, and who would serve to lead the church after Jesus' ascension.

Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if any of them could not overcome their paradigm paralysis.  Did some of them reject His claim of Messiahship, and by so doing reject the claim of faith for salvation.  One can expect that none of the twelve could fully state that they had no doubts.  We find throughout the three-year ministry that the apostles had many doubts and fears, and also seemed to understand little of what Jesus was teaching.  It was not until they were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room following Jesus' resurrection did their understanding and confidence become complete.  Later we would see the Holy Spirit come to many in the church at Pentecost, and with that event the Christian church was born.

However, despite their doubts and fears, we could always depend upon Peter's impetuosity to inspire him to lead.  As the apostles searched for an answer, Paul knew what they all had accepted, that Jesus is the Christ.  They might not have understood all that He was teaching, but they did fully accept that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, and as such they would stand by Him.  Peter's confession says much about the necessity of faith over doctrinal knowledge.  One does not have to become a theologian to come to faith in Christ.  One simply needs to turn to Jesus in faith, as Peter was doing.  If we accept Jesus' claims to be true, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then such faith is sufficient for salvation.  Then, once safely within the fold of Christ, we find ourselves in a teachable position, and our walk with Christ can be one of maturing in knowledge, maturing in understanding, and maturing in faith.  The more we know and understand, the more our faith will be strengthened against the controversies of events and doctrines.

Finally, Jesus does make a reference to one of the twelve who would serve to betray Him.  We should never think that our body of believers is free of Satan's grip.  All people in the body of Christ still carry the baggage of natural desires to sin.  It is through commitment to God, and by the power of His Holy Spirit that we can overcome sin in our own lives.  However, the pull of Satan is strong, and many times people will turn their eyes off of Jesus and find themselves following their own purposes rather the purposes of God.  When this happens in the body of the church, conflict arises.  However, God even works through conflict.  It was God's ultimate purpose that Jesus would be betrayed, for without Jesus' sacrifice, there would be no forgiveness of sin.  Still the hurt and pain of Judas' action was very real.  Judas ended up taking his own life.

In these verses we find Jesus first making his claim from within the walls of the synagogue that He is the Messiah that Israel had hoped for since the days of Abraham.  That synagogue was populated with many who would reject his message, and a few who would accept it.  It is this decision, whether to turn to Jesus or reject Him, that separates mankind from God for all eternity.  Let us be sure that we are each on the correct side of this decision.  If we have been learned a different view, such as the Jews have, that the Messiah has not yet come, let us look seriously at Jesus' claim and his continued ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection that would validate it.  If we are following another instead of Jesus, let us look carefully at his claim to be the only way through which salvation can be found.

Based upon Jesus' words in the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus was either a Liar, a Lunatic, or He is Lord.  Let us not wait until the final day of judgment to confess that Jesus is Lord of all.