John 6:22-29

My name is Alex Kohler, if you do not know me.

I will admit, when Nathan asked me to preach,

he did not tell me that I would be doing so for Providence Baptist.

So, I hope I'm in the right place, but I think we'll be alright.

I'm really excited to get into our text today.

Our text can be found in John chapter 6.

John 6 · chapter mention

We'll be in verses 23 through 29 today.

And like I said, I'm really excited to get into it.

We are continuing our study of the book of John,

and we will be coming off two amazing miracles

that Jesus had performed early in the chapter,

both the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water.

Last week, as we got to see, and as Colson put it,

we got to see the storm as a red carpet for the king to declare

and demonstrate his authority.

I love that phrase, and I love how Jesus' disciples

got to see the miracle and respond to it,

and now have been miraculously transported to the other side of the sea.

Our text now picks back up the morning after that

with a crowd now confused to where everyone has gone.

Before getting into the text,

I want to remind you of the purpose of the book of John

and why he includes the things that he does.

You may remember that John actually tells us directly

in chapter 20, verses 30 through 31,

that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples

which are not written in this book,

but these, that is the works that John is writing about,

are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of God,

and that by believing you may have life in his name.

So, about this, consider what John is saying.

John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

is writing these specific things so that we may have life,

meaning it is no accident that it includes

these specific miracles and interactions.

These were not just some cool stories

that John thought would be entertaining,

but these are specifically and intentionally written words of Scripture

and sufficient for the task of proving that Jesus is the Christ

and that by believing in him we may have life.

John says that is the purpose of the whole book,

it is the purpose of chapter 6,

and it is the purpose of our passage today.

How great it is that we get to study these intentional words.

As Nathan and Colson have both pointed out,

regarding the miracles,

the signs that Jesus performed were amazing,

but pointed to something greater.

And much like those of Jesus' day,

there are those who recognize this greatness

and those who do not.

Today we'll get the opportunity to see

how those who are present in Jesus' day

to witness these events,

respond to him,

and how that can inform our hearts as well.

So, before we begin and get into our passage,

let's pray for the Lord's help.

Heavenly Father,

thank you so much for the opportunity we have

to open up your word

and to study it this morning.

I pray that you would reveal its truth to us,

that you would speak through me,

and that you would give me clarity of thought and mind.

I pray that as we study the responses of the crown,

that it would be both a warning and encouragement for us

on how we ought to respond

to the works and words of Jesus Christ.

Thank you again for these people.

I pray that you would give all of us listening ears to hear,

and I pray this in your name.

Amen.

Amen.

So, John chapter 6, starting in verse 23,

John 6 · chapter mention

John writes,

Other boats from Tiberias came near the place

where they had eaten the bread

after the Lord had given thanks.

So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there,

nor his disciples,

they themselves got into the boats

and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea,

they said to him,

Rabbi, when did you come here?

Jesus answered them,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

you are seeking me,

not because you saw signs,

but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Do not work for the food that perishes,

but for the food that endures to eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For on him God the Father has set his seal.

Then they said to him,

What must we do to be doing the works of God?

Jesus answered them,

This is the work of God,

that you believe in him whom he has sent.

This passage begins what is called

the bread of life discourse,

where Jesus will reveal himself as the true food

that leads to eternal life,

and by calling those who want to be his disciples

to eat his flesh and to drink his blood.

It will cause the crowd and the Jews around

to grumble and dispute and take offense

at how difficult a saying it is to accept.

Our passage serves as a transition

between the works that Jesus has been performing

earlier in the chapter,

That's the feeding of the 5,000,

walking on water,

and then the aforementioned of Jesus' teaching

that come later.

I mentioned that John likes to show us

the response specific people had to Jesus

and his works.

This passage is an encouragement

on how to respond well to the works of Jesus

and a warning against responding wrongly.

This idea of showing two paths

is very common in the Gospels,

and John is no exception.

John warns us to look for this dichotomy

at the beginning of his book.

John 1, verse 9 says,

John 1:9

The true light which gives life to everyone

was coming into the world.

He came to his own,

and his own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him,

who believed in his name,

he gave the right to become children of God.

So the question to ask of anyone

who interacts with Jesus

is how did they respond to him?

So let's examine this question

as we experience this narrative

through the eyes of those known as the crowd.

And we will do this by examining the passage

with three points.

Point number one,

the crowd seeks Jesus.

Point number two,

the crowd asks a question.

And number three,

the crowd responds,

and then I'm putting in parentheses wrongly.

But we don't know that yet.

So, number one,

the crowd seeks Jesus.

John tells us that

other boats from Tiberias

came near the place

where they had eaten the bread

after the Lord had given thanks.

So when the crowd saw that

Jesus was not there,

nor his disciples,

they themselves got into the boats

and went to Capernaum

seeking Jesus.

The news of the miracle

of the feeding of 5,000

spread quickly

as it drew the attention

of the region.

The fact that Jesus was able

to feed such a large number

of people for free

would probably not have been

kept a secret for very long.

John notes that boats

from Tiberias

were on the east side

of the Sea of Galilee

along with the crowd.

This makes sense

as Tiberias was an important city

on the sea,

so their boats being

in the sea as well

does not strike us

as surprising.

But it is not 100% clear

in the passage

why all of them are there.

It has been suggested

that it might be because

of the storm that took place

earlier.

Just a little bit ago,

there's that storm

that Jesus ended up

walking on water,

so maybe that forced

the boats there.

Or perhaps these

from Tiberias

might have heard about

the large crowd

and so wanted to serve

as some type of water taxi,

bringing their friends

or as a business opportunity

people from one place

to another.

But another,

and I would argue

more probable reason,

is this,

simply the prospect

for more free food.

The text itself

refers to the place

where the crowds

currently were,

that is that east side,

simply as the place

where they had eaten

the bread after the Lord

had given thanks.

So, as a result,

that location would probably

have attracted

a lot of attention.

Regardless of the exact reason

for the ships being there,

the crowd ultimately

want to find Jesus.

If you remember,

we saw that in verse 15,

there were even those there

who wanted to come by force

to take him

and make him king.

So, whether their motives

were some kind of hunger

or fervor,

they ended up traveling

to the west side

to Capernaum

where Jesus was.

Stopping on Capernaum,

why is that city significant?

And that's because

that would possibly be

the best place

to find Jesus.

Matthew records for us

that when Jesus

began his ministry,

and here's that

John had been arrested,

he withdrew into Galilee,

and leaving Nazareth,

he went and lived

in Capernaum

by the sea

in the territory

of Zebulun and Naphtali.

This might have been

something that was known,

perhaps not.

At the end of the day,

it ended up being

a very logical place

to look,

and they do end up

finding him there.

Providing for us

an even more specific place

than just Capernaum,

John records for us

in verse 59 of chapter 6

that Jesus said these things,

the things that we're

about to read,

in the synagogue

as he taught at Capernaum.

And so,

the ensuing conversation

most likely took place there.

Upon finding him,

they are eager to talk.

John does not record for us

how many people

make up the crown,

but it is reasonable to think

that some of it

was made up of the 5,000,

which means it was likely

a sizable number.

And I will give them credit.

A lot of effort

and coordination

probably went

into getting all of them

over to that side of the sea.

Not only did they have to

coordinate all the boats

to get over,

but then all successfully

work together

to find just one person.

So,

in a way,

they are seeking after Jesus.

The question is though,

how do we know

if they are seeking rightly or not?

Let's find out

if looking at

how they greet Jesus,

which we'll begin

our second point,

and that is,

the crowd asks a question.

The crowd asks a question.

Because it was not clear to them

how Jesus got

to the other side of the sea,

they ask him

a decently logical question.

They say,

Rabbi,

when did you come here?

Make sense?

This initial interaction

reveals much about their heart

and why they wanted

to see Jesus.

In a sense,

they are seeking after him,

but they are trying to put

all the pieces together.

But as Jesus himself

will point out,

it is not for the right reason.

Taking a little bit of liberty

from the other gospel accounts,

we see that the 12 initially

also responded

in a confused manner.

As Mark 6.52 says,

that even the disciples

did not understand

about the loaves,

but their hearts were hardened.

It is not until they saw

the work that Jesus did

walking on the water

that they seemed

to begin to understand.

John specifically notes

that they were glad

to take Jesus into the boat

when they saw him,

and they wanted to be with him.

Matthew even records

that those in the boat

worshipped him,

saying,

truly,

you are the Son of God.

They had been amazed

at the miracles

that they had seen him perform,

which led them to be

in awe and worship

of Christ himself.

The crowd

has a different response.

This question they ask

is not a response

of worship.

Unlike the disciples,

it would seem

that they do not recognize

any true significance

in the person of Jesus.

Notice one other thing

in the words that they choose.

By using the term

rabbi,

which John has already told us

means teacher.

It's a very formal

and respectful way

to call someone.

They consider him

someone that they can learn from.

But using this term

in our passage

is rather ironic

because they will ultimately

disagree and misunderstand

his teaching.

I know it's getting

a little ahead,

but that is what happens.

Know earlier also

how they wanted

to make him king,

but as we will find out,

have their own idea

of what his kingdom should be,

and so have no clue

what it means

for Christ to actually reign.

It seems that at this point

they are at the very least

confused,

and it is about far more

than how Jesus got

to the other side.

At this point,

let us not respond

with pride

considering the actions

and words of the crowd

with contempt,

or thinking that we would have been

more faithful

in their situation.

Let us instead

find ourselves

in the crowd today

not looking for ways

to emulate their behavior,

but rather finding

regretful familiarity

with their desire

to seek after Jesus

for something other

than himself.

So Jesus responds,

but interestingly,

totally ignores the question.

He decides not to entertain

their query

or expound

on how he got

to the other side

of the sea,

but instead says,

truly, truly,

I say to you,

you are seeking me

not because you saw signs,

but because you ate

your fill of the loaves.

So there it is.

Jesus starts

with his often used phrase,

truly, truly.

It marks that what follows

is extremely important.

Another way to say this

might be,

listen to this,

this is important.

It is both a call

to the listener

or reader

to pay attention

and of the authority

of the words being spoken.

It also means

that what he is about to say

is simply true.

It can be trusted.

There's no doubt

that what he says

is the case.

Up to this point,

we might have been confused

about the motives

of the crowd,

but that ends

with Jesus' words here.

So what are they

ultimately seeking after?

Jesus confirms

our suspicions

and tells them

that it is the bread.

They ate their fill

of the loaves

but missed the significance

of the sign

and were impressed

with the sign itself.

I will say,

please do not miss

the amazing nature

of the sign.

I know Nathan talked about it

a couple weeks ago,

but that Jesus was able

to multiply the loaves

and display his power

over creation

and ability to create

something from pretty much

nothing is incredible.

What Jesus is doing

is telling the crowd

that the danger

is seeing what he did

as nothing more

than an amazing

catering event.

What this sign tells us

about who Jesus is

is far more significant

than that.

He tells us more

about what he means

as he continues

to answer the crowd.

He goes on.

So he says,

you ate your fill of loaves

and then he goes on

to say,

do not work for the food

that perishes

but for the food

that endures

to eternal life

which the Son of Man

will give you

for on him

God the Father

has set his seal.

So there's a lot

to unpack in that phrase

so we're going to take it

three at a time.

We're going to start with

do not work for the food

that perishes

but the food that endures.

We'll talk about

what the Son of Man

will give them

and then for on him

God the Father

has set his seal.

So,

what does it mean

when he says,

do not work for the food

that perishes

but for the food

that endures

to eternal life?

First,

I want you to hear

the echo from Isaiah

from the passage

that we got to read

this morning.

It says,

why do you spend

your money

for that which is not bread

and your labor

for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me

and eat what is good

and delight yourself

in rich food.

Incline your ear

and come to me.

Hear that your soul

may live

and I will make you

an everlasting covenant

my steadfast

sure love for David.

The crowd is simply

not listening diligently.

They are spending

their energy

and effort

and perhaps even

some of their money

seeking after that

which ultimately

will not satisfy.

If they would simply

listen.

Jesus has talked

this way before

about physical nourishment

and its fleeting nature

during his earthly ministry.

When he's talking

to the woman of Samaria

in John 4

he says,

everyone who drinks

of this water

will be thirsty again

but whoever drinks

of the water

that I will give him

will never be thirsty again.

The water that I will give him

will become in him

a spring of water

welling up

to eternal life.

What the crowd

does not understand

is that the food

he provided for them

is nothing but

a mere representation

of the true bread

that Jesus

can truly provide.

Seeking after the food

that does not perish

puts eternity

in our everyday lives

and places Jesus

at the center

of our hearts

as our supreme desire.

So that's that first phrase.

The second one.

The son of man

will give to you.

This bread

which he will ultimately

reveal as himself

will not satisfy

our physical hunger

with a full belly

but it will fill

a far greater need

than that.

The spiritual hunger

that we have

cannot be satisfied

on our own.

Our souls can only

be satisfied

by the only one

who is perfectly

righteous

Jesus Christ himself

and this gift

he will give

freely.

There is nothing

that can be done

to earn

the free gift of God

which is eternal life

in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

Jesus is making it clear

that whatever this food

which is eternal life

will lead to

will be given to them

as a gift

and this gift

cannot be earned.

So that's what

he will give them.

And then lastly

for on him

God the Father

has set his seal.

What does that mean?

The seal

that the Father

has given Jesus

is the ability

and the approval

to dispense

of the spiritual food

to those

whom he chooses

satisfying the need

that starving sinners

like the crowd

and us

need.

It is the ability

to grant eternal life

and we find that

John has told us

about this already

in the previous chapter.

John chapter 5

John 5 · chapter mention

starting in verse 19

says

for whatever the Father

does

that the Son

does likewise.

for as the Father

raises the dead

and gives them life

so also the Son

gives life

to whom he will.

The Father

has given all judgment

to the Son

as the Father

has life in himself

so he has granted

the Son also

to have life

in himself

and he has given him

authority to execute judgment

because he is

the Son of Man.

Jesus is reminding them

if they didn't hear it already

that he has been given

the authority

by the Father

to give eternal life

to whomever

he wills.

So,

from here

one would think

that all present

would fall down

and worship the one

who would be able

to provide

such an incredible gift

and that they recognize

that the seeking

and striving

after the physical bread

that Jesus provided

is short-sighted.

The bread he provided

earlier was only

a foretaste

but ultimately

they do not

do this.

How similar were we

before the illuminating

work of the Holy Spirit?

How often are we

tempted to miss

the true meal

as well?

I do not question

that just like the crowd

we too would follow

by responding

just as the crowd does.

Which brings us

to our third point

the crowd responds

wrongly.

So,

they say

the crowd does not

fall down to worship

instead

they ask a strange question.

They recognize

that what he says

is some kind

of spiritual insight

they hear eternal life

and know that they

should work for it

maybe that's some kind

of Old Testament

thought coming in.

Perhaps they are

confused by the term

Son of Man

even though it is

one of Jesus'

favorite terms

to refer to himself.

Perhaps they miss

the whole part

about the seal

and what that means.

Perhaps they are

like the woman

at the well

who misses the point

of what Jesus

was referring to

with living water

by asking him

to give the water

so that she won't

be thirsty again.

Again,

simply thinking

about physical sustenance.

In a crowd that big

it's probably a combination

of a bunch of that.

So what do they

ultimately ask?

They ask

what must we do

to be doing

the works of God?

They do not ask

how they can get

the bread

that Jesus talks about

even though he says

that he will give it

to them.

They hear about

the benefits of God

and wonder what work

must be done

to get it.

Much like the rich

young man asking

teacher,

what good deed

must I do

to have eternal life?

Or the lawyer

who stood up

to put Jesus

to the test

saying teacher,

what shall I do

to inherit eternal life?

The crowd thinks

that they can

can or need

to work

for this special bread.

The crowd says

they are ready

to meet any demand

that Jesus might ask

or tasks that must

be completed

and totally miss

the fact that

salvation is a gift.

Jesus just told them

that he will give him

this food

that endures

to eternal life.

God gives this gift

freely and is

through one person,

the son of man

sent from God

with the seal,

Jesus Christ.

There's one thing

that it requires

which Jesus will tell us

in just a moment.

He responds

to their question

and does so in a way

that is slightly short

and void of any metaphor

or imagery of the bread.

He speaks very plainly

and says,

this is the work of God

that you believe in him

whom he has sent.

It's rather rare

that he is this explicit

and begs just one question.

Who is the one

who has been sent?

And he has already alluded to it

and as we will find

later in the passage,

it is Christ himself.

To truly receive

this bread of life

is by grace alone

through faith alone

in the son of man

Jesus Christ alone.

John tells us

in the beginning

of his book,

but to all who did

receive him

who believed in his name,

he gave the right

to become children

of God.

Without getting

into the next passage

too much,

something eventually

does click for the crowd.

They follow Jesus' response

by asking,

then what sign do you do

that we may see?

What works do you perform?

Our fathers ate man

in the wilderness.

Which makes me think

for a moment,

were they not just there

the previous day

and saw what he did?

I guess not.

Jesus then says to them,

my father gives you

the bread from heaven

for the bread of God

is he who comes down

from heaven

and gives life

to the world.

Starts a click,

they then say,

sir, give us this bread

always.

So Jesus says to them,

I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me

shall not hunger

and whoever believes in me

shall never thirst.

It's a little bit later

that Jesus ultimately reveals

that he is the true bread

and that believing

that he can find life

in his name.

This work that Jesus

is talking about,

that's the work of God

is to believe,

takes the plural

out of the question

that they initially asked.

The crowd was concerned

about doing many works,

works that might help them

to earn God's favor,

but Christ's answer

is incredible.

The work of God

is to do one thing

and that is to believe.

Romans 3.28 reminds us,

for we hold that one

is justified by faith

apart from the works

of the law.

To believe in Jesus

is all that is required.

The true food

is Christ himself.

If we have the woman

at the well

and the 5,000 in mind

while reading this passage,

we see exactly

what John is doing.

We see that he's exposing

the physical need for food

to express a deeper

spiritual need in our hearts.

He presents Christ

as a solution,

the nourishment

that I so desperately need,

and all that is required

is to believe.

He also shows us

that the crowd

has missed it.

So,

what does true belief

look like then?

If we are to believe

and that is the simple work,

what does that look like?

It is receiving him

into our lives.

It is trusting him

as not only the one

who can satisfy us

in this life.

He does care about us.

He cares about the sparrows,

but ultimately preserve us

for the life to come.

It is worshiping him

for all he has done

for us in salvation,

and it is obeying him

as we now have the freedom

to glorify God

through our works.

Now,

the letter that James wrote

reminds us that

faith apart from works

is dead,

but don't be as the crowd

and think that

eternal life

is by the work.

Instead,

these works are what

result upon receiving

this free gift.

At the end of the chapter,

we see the responses

that John records for us

after the end

of the Bread of Life discourse.

It says,

After this,

many of his disciples

turned back

and no longer

walked with him.

So Jesus said to the twelve,

Do you want to go

away as well?

Simon Peter answered,

Lord,

to whom shall we go?

You have the words

of eternal life.

So,

the question is,

based on this passage,

how will you respond

to the works

and words of Jesus?

Will it be like the crowd,

confused about physical food

and works,

or,

like his true disciples,

who follow the miracles

upwards to Christ

and believe in him?

An early church document

called the Didache

was a short manual

believed by many

to be a catechism.

The intro to that document,

I think,

sums up the answer

to this question well,

or at least presents

the two options.

It says,

there are two ways,

one of life

and one of death.

To think some more

about responses

to this question,

let's take some time

to consider

some application.

So,

number one,

if you are not saved,

know that the gift

of salvation

is free.

There is nothing

that you can do

to work,

nor is there anything

that you could do

to earn eternal life.

We have a problem

so much greater

than simply being hungry

in a physical sense.

John records Jesus

performing these signs

and presenting himself

as the true bread,

ultimately to show

that greater need.

We are dead

in our trespasses

and sins

and need a savior.

So,

praise be to God

for giving himself

as the free gift

of eternal life

to all who believe.

Turn away

from your worthless bread

that will ultimately

never satisfy

nor last for eternity

and instead turn

to the true bread of life

who can save your soul.

God has put his seal

on Jesus,

granting him authority

to grant life

to those who do believe.

Paul's letter to the Titus

sums up this idea

of faith and belief

in God

not being a result

of works well.

He says,

for we ourselves

were once foolish,

disobedient,

led astray,

slaves to various passions

and pleasures,

passing our days

in malice and envy,

hated by others

and hating one another,

eating that bread

that does not satisfy.

But when the goodness

and loving kindness

of God our Savior

appeared,

in that phrase

is everything

that Christ did.

It's him coming

to this earth,

his earthly ministry,

the work he did

to die on the cross

for our sins

and raised again

on the third day,

defeating death.

All of that

is contained

in that phrase.

In that work,

he saved us,

not because of works

done by us

in righteousness

like the crowd

would say,

but according

to his own mercy

by the washing

of regeneration

and renewal

of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out

on us richly

through Jesus Christ

our Savior,

so that being justified

by grace,

we might become heirs

according to the hope

of eternal life.

God has given Jesus

the authority

to do that

and we can accept

this freely

as a gift.

The saying is trustworthy

and I want you

to insist on these things

so that those

who have believed

in God

may be careful

to devote themselves

to good works.

These things are excellent

and profitable

for people.

So all that faith

results ultimately

in those good works.

Notice it doesn't say

that because of the good works

we can have that eternal life.

No.

It's so that those

who have believed

in God

may be careful

to devote themselves

to good works.

There is a progression there.

So number two,

for those who are saved

and those who have

tasted this bread,

let's live as though

we have ultimately

been satisfied.

Why are we so captivated

by things that do not

satisfy us?

In regards to our salvation,

let's daily take up

this bread of life

and remember what Christ

has done for us.

Let's live as though

we are saved.

While salvation cannot

be earned by works,

our salvation ought

to result in works.

Do not think that you

can earn it by these works,

but instead know

that your life,

if your life is not

evidenced by them,

you may have not

actually tasted

the bread of life.

Practically,

the way in which we work

should look different

than those around us.

As those who have been

given the gift

of eternal life

and have Christ

as our supreme treasure,

we are working

for far more

than our boss

or for other people.

We are working

for a new master,

Jesus.

And so work

as if you are working

for him.

Jesus was not calling us

to cease working

for our physical sustenance.

We still need that.

Paul reminds us

that if anyone

is unwilling to work,

let him not eat.

We ought to instead

have the best attitude,

lead in a way

that models Christ,

follow as Christ

obeyed his Father,

build the best homes,

care for others,

or in my case,

serve the best chicken.

Not because Truett

told us,

or I feel obligated

or want to impress,

or think that it

will earn me something,

but because we are

ambassadors for Christ.

Lastly,

let us share this news

with others.

Far too many people

think that they need

to work harder

to earn their salvation.

Maybe somebody else

worked for their own salvation

and they can accept that.

Or maybe they simply

don't know

of their true spiritual need.

I would talk to them

like you've had a good meal.

I don't know

if you enjoy

going to the restaurant

and getting

an amazing steak

or whatever meal

that you like,

having fantastic service.

Maybe you end it

with a dessert and coffee

and it's just awesome.

You want to tell people

about it

or take other people

so that they can

experience it with you.

This is the idea

that we should have

with what Christ

has done for us

and the meal

that we have tasted.

We should want

to do this way more

and it should inspire us

to do it way more

than that meal.

So let's take others

to show them

the incredible

and truly satisfying

nature of the bread

of life.

With that,

I actually was going

to read a passage

from Charles Spurgeon

based on this,

but I actually like

the one in the bulletin

better.

So,

still Charles Spurgeon.

He says,

there's a tendency

to think about us

all to get away

from Jesus

and to look rather

to these dreams

than to the fountainhead.

Why are we more

taken up with the bits

of glass that sparkle

in the light

than the sun himself?

Let's pray.