In God’s Timing (John 7:1-9)

“My time has not yet come.… The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil” (John 7:6–7).

Not only did the crowds reject Jesus’ claims concerning Himself, but His own brothers did as well. If Jesus had been more concerned about pleasing His earthly brothers than doing the will of God, He would have gone to the Feast of Tabernacles and more than likely been killed before God’s appointed time (which would occur at the following Passover, not at the Feast of Tabernacles). But, as always, Jesus put God’s will above the will of others.

Let us look at exactly what His brothers wanted. They obviously did not believe that He was the Messiah, the suffering servant, who would sacrifice Himself for His people. Like so many others of their day, they looked forward to an earthly king. But they might not have believed even this much about Jesus. They might have just been taunting Him that if He wanted to impress people, then He needed to go to Jerusalem where all the people were gathered. However, their emphasis on His showing His power seems to indicate that they probably thought of Him in terms of a Messiah who would set up a temporal kingdom. They wanted the “world” to see His power, and according to their own ideas about things, the upcoming Feast was the best place to manifest that power and lay claim to the throne.

What was Jesus’ response? First, He tells them that His time has not yet come. Jesus was committed to His Father’s timetable, not to the demands of mere men. We, too, should be committed to what God wants, not to what men, even our families, expect. Second, He says, in realistic terms (for He knew the evil motives of all people), that the world, unbelievers like His brothers, hated Him. They would always hate Him no matter how much power He displayed. The world hates Him because He exposes it’s sin. The world doesn’t want to hear about it’s sin, it’s need of redemption, or threats of hell. Yet, this was exactly what Jesus delivered. When unbelievers hear the truth about their wickedness, their sin, and their need of Christ, they scoff and scorn. No matter how much we talk about Christ’s power, they will never be impressed or enlightened by seeing “signs.” They will hate Him because their deeds are evil, and the “darkness hates the light.”

Jesus often warned that the world will hate you if you follow His ways. Has this been apparent in your own life? A great preacher once said that if a Christian goes through life with no opposition, he should question his salvation. Do you agree with this? Meditate on and find comfort in John 15:18–25.

Jesus—The Only Way (John 6:66-71)

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

As the crowds turned their backs on Him, Jesus asked the Twelve if they, too, would leave because of unbelief. Peter steps to the forefront and answers on behalf of the entire group. The response he gives is a glorious one: “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.”

The first thing we notice about Peter’s response is that he calls Jesus “Lord,” thus recognizing and submitting to His sovereign authority. This is something the other followers refused to do. Second, Peter recognizes and accepts his dependence on Jesus as the only way of salvation. Even if he did not like the teaching he heard, where else could he turn? Jesus was the only way, and to turn away would be futile. Third, he submitted to Jesus’ “words.” The Twelve did not follow Jesus merely because of His miraculous signs but because of His teaching, no matter how difficult it might have been to understand and embrace. Fourth, Peter and the others had come “to believe and know” that Jesus was indeed the Christ. Here we have the profound confession of Peter, which could only have been revealed to him from above. God had given him faith in the person and work of Christ—a faith that is essential in the lives of all true believers. Without it, they will fall away as many did during Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Many people turn away because they cannot accept Jesus’ teaching. Some, like Judas, remain in the midst of believers, pretending they believe when they really have ulterior motives. Such hypocrites might remain hidden from others, but they are exposed before God who knows the hearts of all men. Jesus knew that Peter did not really speak for all the Twelve. He knew that Judas’ heart was evil and full of betrayal, and He knows the hearts of all those who profess to follow Him today. He knows whether you will turn from Him as the followers did. He knows whether you will remain committed in your faith as Peter did. He also knows whether you are a hypocrite and deceiver. May you be as Peter, able to confess your dependence upon Him for eternal life and to submit to His authority and teaching no matter how difficult it might be.

Do you ever doubt because of some difficulty in your life, some persecution, or some doctrine in the Word of God that you find difficult to accept? Remember Peter’s confession. Where else can you go? If you turn from Christ, you will perish; but if you remain committed, you will have life. Memorize John 6:68–69.

A Difficult Saying (John 6:60-65)

"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (John 6:60).

Those who heard Jesus’ sermon were divided into three groups: the Jewish leaders; His disciples, hundreds who were long-time followers of Jesus; and the Twelve. We have already looked at the reaction of the Jewish leaders who argued with Jesus. Now we learn of the disciples’ reaction. While it might seem on the surface that their problem was the inability to intellectually understand Jesus’ sermon, we discover from Jesus’ rebuke that their problem was actually unbelief.

Jesus followers complained that His sermon was too difficult. Because of their hard hearts, they could not understand what Jesus was telling them, and if there were those who did understand it—that faith in Him was the only way to eternal life—they still refused to believe and accept His teaching as the truth. Because they refused to think deeper about Jesus’ teaching, most of them attached the most rigidly literal interpretation to Jesus’ sermon.

Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief. It was as if He said, “My flesh as such cannot benefit you; stop thinking that I was asking you literally to eat my body or literally to drink my blood. It is my spirit, my person, in the act of giving my body to be broken and my blood to be shed, that bestows and sustains life, even everlasting life.” But because of their lack of faith, they could not accept Jesus’ teaching.

Notice that Jesus did not try to tone down His message to accommodate the skeptics. He knew the problem was not in the message but in their hearts. Their unbelief was inexcusable, but it was to be expected. Jesus recognized from the very onset of His ministry that many would lack understanding and turn away in unbelief. Only those whom God had chosen, and He had not chosen all men, would believe the hard sayings of Jesus. The same can be expected today. Many will turn away from the teachings of Scripture because they find them too difficult. We should never try to change the message to persuade such people to accept the Gospel, but we should accept the fact that not everyone will believe. At such times, we must be faithful to proclaim truth and trust in God’s sovereignty regarding the fruit of our ministry.

Do you ever find yourself trying to tone down parts of God’s Word when you face skeptics? Do you ever start making excuses for what the Bible teaches? Remain committed to the truth. Trust that God will bring His chosen ones to Himself, that they will believe the truth without you watering down the message.

Eating Of His Flesh (John 6:52-59)

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54).

As we stated in our lesson yesterday, whenever the truth is proclaimed eventually there’s going to be controversy. Turning now from our overview of the doctrine of predestination, we pick up our study in John again to find the storms of controversy beginning to brew in Jesus’ ministry. He had been giving a discourse at the synagogue concerning the “bread of life.” In the passage before us today, Jesus gives a summary of exactly what is meant by the “bread of life.”

The Jews had drawn a correct conclusion from Jesus’ teaching: that men should eat His flesh. What they didn’t understand was that this eating was spiritual in nature, not physical. But as the Jews were apt to do, they only heard with physical ears because they were not spiritually discerning. They should have realized, especially when Jesus said that men must drink His blood, that He was speaking in a spiritual sense. Hendriksen writes, “had they known their scriptures thoroughly, they would also have recognized the symbolism which Jesus employed. They would have known that the blood, viewed as the seat of life, represents the soul and is without intrinsic value for salvation apart from the soul. The language of Leviticus 17:11 is very clear on this point: ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.’ It is clear, therefore, that when Jesus speaks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He cannot have reference to any physical eating or drinking. He must mean: ‘He who accepts, appropriates, and assimilates my vicarious sacrifice as the only ground of his salvation, remains in Me and I in him.’ ”

Just as food and drink are offered and accepted, so also is Christ’s sacrifice offered to believers and accepted by them. Just as food nourishes the body, so Christ’s sacrifice nourishes and sustains our spiritual life. This is the doctrine of the voluntary shedding of Christ’s blood as a ransom for believers unto salvation. If you possess living faith, if you trust in Christ as the only ground of your salvation, you will receive eternal life. If you rely on His sacrifice as the only ground of your salvation, then He is the source of your life and you will abide with Him forever.

If Jesus had been literal, if He had really meant that people needed to eat His physical body and drink His blood, what would He have been advocating? Why was it impossible for Jesus to be speaking literally (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 17:10–14)? If you have faith, He will sustain you spiritually. Meditate on that truth.

God’s Sovereignty Glorified (2 Timothy 2:14-26)

"… there are not only vessels gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor" (2 Tim. 2:20).

Any time you begin talking about election, you know that you are going to have controversy. Because of this, some people would rather just not talk about it. But because it is an integral part of the Word of God, it should not be ignored. All things in the Bible are meant for our instruction. The doctrine of election, in particular, gives us a deeper understanding of our dependence on God’s grace, which should inflame within us greater praise to God.

Many pastors, however, still refuse to preach about election because it is controversial. But when has the proclamation of God’s truth not been controversial? Luther wisely said that the only time the church is free of controversy altogether is when the truth is not preached. There was controversy when Christ preached, there was controversy when the apostles preached, and there has been controversy throughout history as men have wrestled to understand the Word of God. This wrestling, which often produces controversy, is beneficial to the church because it forces people to examine issues. There is nothing wrong with the controversial nature of the doctrine of election; the controversy is good because it causes us to think more deeply.

Remember that God is glorified in the exercise of His grace and in His righteousness. Whether it be in the justification of the elect or the condemnation of the non-elect, God is exalted, and we should delight in that exaltation. In election, the glory of His grace is magnified, and in reprobation, the glory of His justice is glorified. Some people find it difficult to see how God’s glory is manifested in His justice. They ask questions like “How can a good God allow anyone to be punished?” But that’s like asking how can a good judge send anyone to prison? We would, of course, think the judge was bad if he did not exercise righteous judgment. In the condemnation of the wicked, God’s justice is glorified. As Jonathan Edwards wrote, “The vindictive justice of God is a glorious attribute, as well as His mercy; and the glory of this attribute appears in the everlasting destruction and ruin of the barren and unfruitful.” As the saints in heaven praise God not only for His grace, but for His justice (Rev. 19:1–5), let us do the same.

Read Isaiah 66:22–24 and Revelation 16:4–7. Why would God have the saints in heaven look upon the lost in hell? What was the reaction of the angel in the Revelation passage to God’s judgment? What should our reaction be to God’s justice? Look to God’s justice and appreciate His grace even more.