Words from Ben Witherington

Dr. Ben Witherington of Asbury Theological Seminary has the following to say about the purported findings of our Lord Jesus' family tomb.

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html

Sobering Words from John Armstrong

Here are some sobering and thoughtful words from Pastor John Armstrong about the troop surge in Iraq.

http://johnharmstrong.typepad.com/john_h_armstrong_/2007/01/to_surge_or_not.html

One God, Three Persons (Dt 6:4-5; Jn 1:1; 1 Cor 8:4-6; Phil 2:9-11; Mt 12:31-32; 2 Cor 13:14)

Christians worship only one God but the one God whom we are instructed to worship exists as a trinity, that is, a community of three different but equally divine persons and these are God the Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. And if the one true God is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then we are obligated to treat and worship each person of the Trinity as the only true God.


I. Introduction: How Many Gods do Christians worship?

In our study of God’s word this morning, we are going to be focusing on a very important teaching that sits at the heart of our Christian faith. If you have been with us for some time in our worship and our study of the Gospel of John, I think a question that some of you will eventually be asking is this: Just how many gods do Christians worship? Now, the reason why I think that this question will surface is because as we have been looking through the Gospel of John, you would have heard us say that Jesus is God. And not only would you have heard us say that, you would also have heard us say that Jesus is the Son of God. Furthermore, you would have heard sing hymns like the one we sang earlier, the Gloria Patri: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen, amen.” Now, upon hearing all these things—from the hymn and from the Gospel of John—some of you cannot help but wonder: Are the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost the three main gods of the Christian faith? Just exactly how many gods do Christians worship?

Now, if you are one of those asking this question, let me assure that it is an important question. And it is important for at least two reasons. The first reason why this question is important is because it has to do with the validity of the Christian faith. Is the Christian faith true or false? The reason I say this is because the Christian faith claims to be the continuation of the true religion that God revealed in the Old Testament. Now, if this is so, and if the Christian faith actually summons people to worship more than one God or other gods in addition to the one God, then it obviously is not faithful to the Old Testament, and therefore, cannot be said to be the true religion. This is one reason why we must deal with the question of how many gods Christians worship. But the question is also important for another reason: It is important because it has to do with who God is. Who is this God that we serve? Who is this God that we worship? And if you claim to love God, and claim to want to know him, then surely you would want to understand all that Scripture has to say about him. So all this is simply to say that the issue of how many gods Christians worship is not only a question that is fun for debate, it is a question of absolute importance.

But to start us off on our study and to help us have an idea of the direction that we are headed, let me just tell you the answer to the question. Christians do not worship more than one God. Christians worship only one God. However, the one God whom we are instructed to worship exists as a community of three different but equally divine persons: God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. If you want to use the traditional language of the Church, you would say that Christians worship one God who exists as a Trinity. And hopefully, this is what we will see at the end of our time together.

II. The Revealing of God the Trinity

A. The Lord our God is One (Dt 6:4-6)

Now, there are many ways we can go about studying the doctrine of the Trinity. But the approach we will take today is to begin by looking first at what is really the basic tenet, the basic truth of the religion that God has revealed. And you will find this in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Now, in the book of Deuteronomy, the children of Israel are about to enter the land that God had given to them. But before they do so, the prophet Moses wants to give some them some final instructions. You see, Moses is about to die. But before he dies, he wants to remind the children of Israel that whatever happens, they must be loyal to the Lord. In 6:4, Moses delivers these powerful words for all Israel to hear: “4‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” These words were a call to loyalty. They were a call for a lifestyle of total, and complete, and comprehensive devotion to God. What I want to do now is simply point out three very simple things about this text.

The first thing that we should note about this verse is what the God of Israel is called: He is called the “Lord.” Now, if you notice, the word “Lord” is all in upper case letters and there is actually a reason for this. You see, the Hebrew word that stands behind the English word “Lord” can be spelled “Y-H-W-H.” This word is the holy name of God. But the problem is that to this day, no one really knows how to pronounce it (even though many will simply pronounce it “Yahweh”). Furthermore, out of respect for the holy name, whenever Jews to this day come to the name “YHWH,” they will simply call it “Adonai” which in English is the word “Lord.” And so the tradition has passed from the Jews to us that whenever the name “YHWH” appears, it is rendered simply as “Lord,” or “God” in capital letters. Now, even though no one really knows how to pronounce the name, it still doesn’t change the fact that God is not a nameless God. God has a name. And this is significant because it shows us that God has already defined himself. If God has a name, then we cannot simply make God into anything we like. He has a name and that name is “YHWH” or “Lord.”

Now, the second thing that I want to point out with regard to Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is what we see next: The Lord is one. What does this mean? It means that the Lord is the only God. There is no one like him. There is no one equal to him. And this is a crucial truth that is repeated and restated all across Scripture. In Deuteronomy 5:7, the Lord says to Israel: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Isaiah 43:10: “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” Isaiah 46:9: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” In Mark 12:29-30, Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was and he himself responded by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5. The most important commandment, Jesus says, is “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

Now, the question is, “Why is it important for God to stress that he is one? Why does God devote so much of Scripture to emphasize this truth?” Because the Lord wants our absolute loyalty. You see, the truth that God is one is not primarily an interesting topic for philosophical discussion. The truth that God is one is first and foremost an ethical principle. If the Lord is one, then we may not treat anything else like God. If the Lord is one, then we may not treat food, or entertainment, or government, or work, or cultural traditions, or even our own families like God. If the Lord is one, then his word must be the final and supreme moral authority over our lives. That is the command which rests in the truth of the oneness of God. The Lord is one—and all morality, all fact, all truth, is based on that.

B. The Emerging of the Three

But having seen that the Bible teaches that God is one, what we must see now is that the picture becomes a little more complicated as we go further in Scripture. What will happen as we read further in Scripture is that we find that within the one identity of the Lord God are actually three different persons, each of whom possesses the full nature of God, each of whom can rightfully be called “God.”

1. The Word Was With God and the Word Was God (John 1:1)

Now, the first place that I want us to look at in building this truth is John 1:1. Just as Deuteronomy 6:4-5 was a good place to start building the foundation of the oneness and the uniqueness of God, John 1:1 is a good place to start building the foundation of the plurality within God. Listen to John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Now, upon hearing these words, those of you who know your Bibles pretty well will immediately think that John 1:1 sounds a lot like Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And John knew that. But what is significant is what John seems to have done with Genesis 1:1. Instead of saying something like, “In the beginning was God,” John says, “In the beginning was the Word.” Now, what is John doing here? By mentioning the Word before mentioning God, John seems to be calling attention to the Word more than God. And if this is so, who or what then is this Word who deserves as much attention as God himself? That is the question we need answered.

As we read on, we are told that the Word was “with God.” What this tells us is that the Word was someone different than God. Apparently, the Word had a separate personality from God. He wasn’t the same person as God. But what is incredibly mind-boggling is what we see next. Even though the Word was with God, the end of John 1:1 says these remarkable words: “The Word was God.” Now, this is fascinating. The Word is not the same as God, yet the Word was God. How can this be? What is John trying to say? Well, I believe that what John is trying to say is that even though the Word was with God and is therefore not the same person as God, he is however also the same as God in terms of his nature, his species. In other words, the first time the word “God” is used, it is used as a name. But the second time the word “God” is used, it is not used as a name but it is used to describe a quality. The second time the word “God” appears, it refers not to the person named God, but to the nature of the Word. And so, if I may restate John 1:1 to bring out this understanding more clearly, it might go this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was by nature also God.” Everything that God was, the Word was. Everything that God could do, the Word could do as well. No wonder John had no problem calling attention to the Word—because as God, the Word deserved that attention.

2. One God and Lord: The Father and Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Philippians 2:9-11)

But I want to move on now from John 1:1 to look at two other passages: 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Philippians 2:9-11.

In 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, the apostle Paul is actually addressing a particular concern that the Corinthians had about eating food that had been offered to idols. You see, in that particular culture that Paul was writing in, people worshipped many gods and there were temples built to these gods. And it also happened that food was served in these temples. Often the food that was served was usually food that had been offered to the gods. And to make matters even more complex, the food that was offered was also eventually sold in the markets. And as a result of this pervasive nature of food that had been offered to idols, some of the Corinthians struggled with eating these things because they were afraid of the power of these so-called gods. And so in response to that fear, Paul says in 8:4, “4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘an idol has no real existence,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’” Now, what Paul is trying to do here is obviously remind the Corinthians that the idols that people worshipped really had no power because they were not actually gods. And the reason they could not be real gods was because there was only one real God. Then Paul goes on to say in verse 5, “5For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’—”[1] Now, what Paul is doing here is acknowledging that people do actually worship different gods. The “gods” here were basically the traditional Roman gods that people worshipped at the time. They were the gods who supposedly lived in heaven. As for the “lords,” well, these were the gods who lived among men.[2] The Roman emperor, for example, was considered a lord and he was actually worshipped in the culture that Paul was writing. But then this is where it gets interesting. Having said that the people worshipped many gods and many lords, Paul now makes this triumphant declaration: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” Now, the reason this statement is a significant one is because not only is Paul placing Jesus in the closest possible relationship to the Father, but Paul is showing that Jesus is actually included within the identity of the one true God. In other words, Jesus can rightfully be called the one true God. Now, how do I come to this conclusion? Well, follow along Paul’s argument with me again. First of all, Paul says in verse 4 that there is only one God. This is an important enough statement because whatever conclusion you hope to get from verse 6, the one conclusion that you must never, ever reach is that there are two Gods. If you think that Paul is saying that Christians worship one main God and another divine lord, I think you would have missed the point because Paul’s point here is precisely that there is only one God and therefore only one Lord. Secondly, Paul says in verse 5 that even though there is only one God, people do in fact worship many other so-called gods. Some of these gods live in heaven and some of them, those who were called “lords,” live on earth and run empires. And then thirdly, in verse 6, Paul essentially returns to the original point he made in verse 4 by saying that we only have one God. But notice that in verse 6, Paul does not simply repeat what he said in earlier verse 4. Instead, what Paul does is expand the idea of verse 4. And he says this: “We have one God and one Lord.”[3] Now, with this understanding of Paul’s logic in mind, we can really marvel at what Paul is teaching in this passage. If Paul said that there is only one God, and if the terms “God” and “Lord” both refer to divine beings that receive worship, and if Jesus Christ is called “Lord,” then Paul is basically saying that Jesus is the one true God. In other words, if Jesus carries the name, “Lord,” then by implication he also carries the name “God.”[4]

But this is where it gets even more interesting. If you turn to Philippians 2:9-11, you will see that the name “Lord” actually has even more weight than what it sounds. When Paul calls Jesus “Lord,” so often we think that he is simply calling him “Master” or “King.” But I think we can say that Paul is actually saying more than that. Listen now to Philippians 2:9-11: “9Therefore God has highly exalted him [referring to Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Now, do you remember what we said about the meaning of the word “Lord” when we were looking at Deuteronomy 6:4-5? “Lord” was the special name of the God of Israel. And let me also ask you this: “Which passage from the Old Testament does Philippians 2:9-11 sound like?” It sounds like Isaiah 45:23: “23By myself I have sworn [this is the Lord God speaking]; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” Do you see what Paul is saying? Philippians 2:11 is the fulfillment of Isaiah 45:23. In Isaiah 45, the Lord God said that all will bow to him. In Philippians 2, we are given a glimpse as to who that Lord is: He is Jesus. And so you see, when Paul calls Jesus “Lord,” he is actually calling Jesus by the name of the God of the Old Testament.

So let’s try to summarize what we have seen so far. First of all, from John 1:1, we have seen that God was not alone at creation. He was accompanied by his divine Word, the Word who shared his nature (Jn1:1). But from 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Philippians 2:9-11, we also see that not was Jesus equal in nature to God the Father, but that Jesus also shares the name of God the Father. And if we take this fact seriously, what we are left with is the conclusion that Jesus is also the one true God of Israel. Jesus is YHWH. Yes, there is only one God but this one God is both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. The Holy Spirit is God (Matthew 12:31-32; Acts 5:3-4; Psalm 139:7; Genesis 1:2)

But having said that, there is still one more person unaccounted for—and that is the Holy Spirit, or as he is elsewhere called, the Spirit of God. Who is the Holy Spirit? And what is the Holy Spirit? Listen to the following passages and see what conclusion Scripture wants us to arrive at.

In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says, “31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” When we hear these words, the question we must ask is this: “Who is this person who is so important that any insult against him cannot be forgiven?”

In Acts 5:3-4, we have a very well-known but disturbing incident in the life of the early church. A member of the church named Ananias told a lie. He sold a piece of property but kept back part of the proceeds for himself instead of giving it all to the church as he had promised. Now, when the apostle Peter confronts Ananias about his sin, what does he say? First of all, he asks Ananias why he lied to the Holy Spirit (5:3). But then after that, Peter also goes on to say, “You have not lied to men but to God” (5:4). And we know how that episode ends—God’s judgment falls and Ananias and his wife die.

And then there are other passages from the Old Testament that we can look at. Psalm 139:7 tells us that the Spirit of God is everywhere and no one can escape his presence. Genesis 1:2 shows us that the Spirit of God was present at the point of creation. So taken together, all these passages give us very clear indication that the person called the Holy Spirit is not simply another angel. The Holy Spirit is shown as someone who has full divine qualities. Like the Father, and the Son, the Spirit is also fully God.

4. The Trinitarian Statements (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Ephesians 2:18; 4:4-6; Jude 20-21; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

And so what we have in the Scripture is really a remarkable picture of who God is. The God of the universe is, and has always been, and will always be, a community of three persons, each person fully divine, each person entitled to the one name of the one true God, and all three persons reaching out to us as one. And the Scripture writers were so conscious of this fact that they made statements that hinted at this Trinitarian awareness. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus himself says, “19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-6: Paul writes, “4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” Ephesians 2:18: “18For through him [referring to Jesus] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 4:4-6: “4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” Jude 20-21: “20But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” And then there is the verse we so often use for our closing blessing, 2 Corinthians 13:14: “14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

III. “One God, Three Persons”—So What?

But what difference should all these things make to our lives? You know, a good number of Christians will probably go through life very blissfully without giving much thought to this teaching at all. But if the doctrine of the Trinity is God’s word to us, then it should impact how we live. Now, I do not have to time to look at all the implications of that doctrine today, but let me just point out the most obvious and most important implication. If the one true God is the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then we are obligated to treat each person of the Trinity as the only true God. If you want to put it very simply, worship is the first and final application of this doctrine. We are commanded to worship the Father because he is God. He is the source of all things. Light, and life, and wisdom, and knowledge all come from him. We are obligated to worship the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the God by whom the universe was made. Do you want to know when Jesus first made his appearance in Scripture? It wasn’t in Matthew 1:1 but in Genesis 1:3: “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Jesus was the Word of God by whom the universe was made. The angels, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the waters, the trees—all of them were made through the Son of God. And so to fail to worship the Lord Jesus Christ is to be an atheist, no matter what other gods you claim to worship. And last but definitely not least, we are also compelled to worship the Holy Spirit. If you want to know when the Spirit first made his appearance in Scripture, simply read Genesis 1:1—there you will see him, at the very beginning, hovering over the primordial waters. And if you believe in Jesus Christ, he is hovering over you today as well, watching over you and shaping you into the person that God wants you to be.

So, you see, this is the God we worship. He is one God in three ways. He is one God in three persons. Granted, this is hard to understand. But if we could fully understand God, then of course, he ceases to be God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not sit well with skeptical minds—it does, however, rest very easily in worshipful hearts.

Bibliography

Mcleod, Donald. A Faith To Live By: Understanding Christian Doctrine. Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998.

Newton, Derek. Deity and Diet: The Dilemma of Sacrificial Food at Corinth. England, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.

Toon, Peter. Our Triune God: A Biblical Portrayal of the Trinity. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.

White, James. The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1998.

Wright, Tom. Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2004.
[1] “This could include a wide spectrum of beings such as upperworld gods, underworld gods, emperors, heroes, and even divinized ancestors to various degrees. It is precisely this range of spiritual beings which was a feature of Corinthian religious life in the first century CE.” See Derek Newton, Deity and Diet, 288.
[2] Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 373.
[3] N.T. Wright says, “Paul has glimpsed the astonishing truth that this one true God is now to be known as ‘the father’; that this one true Lord is now to be known as ‘Jesus the Messiah’. Somehow, within the very being of the one God, we learn to see both the world’s creator, the one from whom everything comes into being, to whom we owe our all, and the world’s redeemer, the man Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, the one through whom everything came into being…the one through whom we ourselves have come to be God’s people.” Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2004), 101.
[4] James White writes, “Here some wish us to believe that, just like in John 17:3, Paul’s use of the phrase ‘one God, the Father’ excludes Jesus from the realm of deity. Of course, we immediately recognize that there is a real problem here: that’s not all Paul says. If ‘one God, the Father’ is meant to be taken exclusively, then does it not follow that “one Lord, Jesus Christ” also excludes the Father from the realm of Lordship? When we see the distinctive use of the terms ‘God’ and ‘Lord,’ we should realize that the Scriptures are not here introducing a competition or contest between the two. God is just as much Lord as the Lord is God. The two terms are merely being used to describe different Persons in their relationship to one another. They are not being used to say that God is more ‘Lord’ than the Lord is ‘God’” See James White, The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1998), 93.

The Bread of Eternal Life I (John 6:22-40)

Make it your life ambition to get Jesus Christ, the God-given bread of eternal life

I. The Fans of the Christ

Famous people always have their followers. Famous authors have their readers; famous scholars have their students; famous movie stars their fans, and famous politicians their supporters. And at this point in his ministry, Jesus is no different. At this point in his ministry, Jesus is famous. Very famous. I mean, if miraculously feeding five thousand or more people from five loaves of bread will not make you famous, then surely something must be wrong. However, things are going to be changing very soon.

We come now to a pretty long section in the Gospel of John, which is 6:22-59. And in this long portion of Scripture, we find one of the most important dialogues between Jesus and the Jews in the entire Gospel. This dialogue is a significant turning point in the Gospel because after it is over, many of those who once followed Jesus, many who of those who were once his admirers or his fans, will leave.[1] Before this dialogue, many were seeking him. But after 6:59, those who were once so excited about him will turn away.

But what is the reason for this change in heart? Well, we will know as we make our way through the dialogue. In fact, as we move through this dialogue, we will see other issues being raised. Issues like: Why is it that some people believe in Jesus and others do not? What is Jesus’ mission all about? Most importantly, what does it mean to believe in Jesus? All the answers to these important questions will begin revealing themselves as we make our way through 6:22-59.

II. John 6:22-40: The Bread of Eternal Life

A. Seeking Jesus (6:22-24)

So we come now to verse 22 and here, we return to the crowd which Jesus fed earlier. Now, bear in mind that these people did not see Jesus walk on water. As far as they are concerned, they are completely unaware of what happened during the night. All they knew was that their teacher had decided for some reason to leave them. And all they want now, more than anything else, is to find him. Verse 22 tells us that the crowd realized that Jesus and his disciples had come in only one boat. And since Jesus “had not entered the boat with his disciples,” then the disciples must have gone away alone, and Jesus could still be in the area.

But eventually, as verse 23 tells us, other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread. And somehow, the word must have gone out that Jesus had been spotted in Capernaum and so the people get on the boats and go to Capernaum, “seeking Jesus.” Now, I find it very interesting that we are told they were seeking Jesus. How eager they must have been to catch up with their hero. But how greatly their excitement will change by the time we get to the end of chapter 6. One good exercise you might want to do is simply to go through John 6:22-59 and pay close attention to the reactions and responses of the people toward Jesus, and you will see the gradual change from excitement or curiosity, to grumbling, to argument, and eventually, to abandonment.

B. Finding Jesus (6:25-40): The Dialogue in the Synagogue at Capernaum

1. The Crowd: “Rabbi, When Did You Come Here?”

Now, upon reaching Capernaum, they do find Jesus. In fact, 6:59 suggests to us that they found him while he was teaching in a synagogue, which is a Jewish house of worship much like our churches today. And so when they find Jesus, they ask him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

2. Jesus: Unveiling and Counseling

Now, we can imagine that this is a somewhat awkward situation. After all, the reason why Jesus separated himself from the crowd in the first place was because he had a problem with them. And now these same people have found him and they were coming to him completely unaware of the reason for why Jesus had left in the first place.

How then does Jesus respond to their question? Well, notice that he does not even bother to answer it. Instead, he gets right to the heart of the issue. First, Jesus moves very quickly to uncover the true motivation of the people: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of loaves” (v.26). In other words, you people are seeking me not because you saw the miracles as signs of something deeper; you are seeking me because you want me to create more food for you. And yet, having criticized their intentions, Jesus proceeds to give the people some advice: “Do not labor for the food that perishes,” Jesus says; instead, work “for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (v.27). Well, what is Jesus doing here? He is trying to teach the people that their reasons for looking for him were wrong. Yet, he does not stop there. He wants to also teach them the right reasons for why they should come to him. So even in rebuking or criticizing the crowd, it is not as if Jesus was pushing them away. Instead, he is very skillfully creating an opportunity to teach them about himself.

3. The Crowd: “How to Do the Works of God?”

Now, having heard what Jesus had to say, they probably started thinking: If Rabbi Jesus said that we should work for food that lasts forever, then surely he must teach us how to do this work that God wants us to do. It is this line of thinking that explains their next question: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (v.28) In other words, how can we do what God wants of us? What is it that God wants us to do in order to gain the food that lasts forever?

4. Jesus: “This is the Work of God…” (6:29)

But the answer that Jesus had for them was probably not what they expected. “‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (v.29). In other words, you want to know what God wants of you? You want to know what God calls you to do in life? Fine. This is the work that God wants you to do: Believe in the one he sent.

5. The Crowd: “Prove It” (6:30-31)

Now, at this point, the crowd obviously understood what Jesus was asking of them. They knew that Jesus was asking them to put their trust in him. Well, this is fair enough. But before they make such a big commitment, they must first have proof. And so they ask Jesus, “‘what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?’” (v.30) In other words, Rabbi, give us some empirical and measurable proof that you are the one we should believe.

Now, at this point, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute. Didn’t Jesus just multiply five loaves of bread and two fish the day before? What more proof do these people want?” Well, the clue to the kind of proof they want is really found in the next thing that they say. Look at verse 31: “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Verse 31 is obviously referring to the event in Exodus 16 where God provided bread for the Israelites to eat while they were in the wilderness. This was a special kind of bread called manna. But why were the people bringing up this event? What has the manna got to do with asking Jesus to prove his authority? Well, this is what I believe the crowd is doing: In bringing up the manna, in reminding Jesus of the manna, they were challenging Jesus to prove his authority by producing a miracle greater than the manna. And understand this: Since the feeding of the five thousand was the one miracle Jesus performed that came closest to the manna miracle of Exodus 16,[2] the crowd was therefore challenging Jesus to do something greater than the feeding of the five thousand. Do you see their logic here? They want Jesus to do better than what he had already done. As you read John 6:31, understand that the people are once again trying to get Jesus to do what they want him to do. This time, they want him to prove himself—and prove himself using standards they themselves had set. It is not too different from what we ourselves do at times. Right? “God if you are real, then do x, y, z.”

6. Jesus: God’s True Bread is Here (6:32-33)

Now, how does Jesus respond? Surely he knows what these people are up to. Surely he knows that they are putting him to the test again, trying their old tricks on him. What will he do? Well, it is interesting that he begins by emphasizing the difference between Moses and God the Father: “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (v.32). Now, what is Jesus doing here? He is reminding the people that Moses is not the issue. Whatever happened during the leadership of Moses—which includes the manna of Exodus 16—should not be the deciding factor or criteria of what God is doing. Instead, it is God—and what God is doing now—that should be the main issue. And what is God doing now? He is giving “the true bread from heaven” (v.32). The word “true” here does not mean the opposite of false. “True” here means “final,” or “complete,” or “perfect,” as opposed to “temporary” or “imperfect.” What Jesus is doing here is drawing the people’s attention away from Moses and focusing them on God who is now, presently, giving them the perfect bread, the bread that is even better than the manna.[3]

What then is this true bread from heaven? Look at the second part of Jesus’ reply: “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (v.33). This then is the bread that Jesus has in mind. It is the true bread that is better than the manna. And the people should look at this bread and take it on its own terms.

7. The Crowd: “Give Us This Bread” (6:34)

At this point, you can already expect what the crowd would say next, right? If the true bread of God is here, then the most logical question to ask is, “give us this bread always” (v.34). And for all you know, it is very likely that Jesus is guiding the people toward this very important question because he wants to answer it for them.

8. Jesus: “I Am the Bread” (6:35-40)

And so what comes next is that great moment of revelation. The people cry, “Sir, give us this bread always” (v.34). And Jesus answers, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (v.35). By claiming to be the bread of life, Jesus is basically making three big claims. First, he is claiming that he comes from God; second, he is claiming that he is better than Moses, and third, he is claiming to have the power to give eternal life.

But having said this however, Jesus does not stop. Look at verse 36: “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” He is scolding the people. In other words, “Look, don’t act so surprised. I am not exactly teaching you new things. I’ve told you this before. Yet, you do not believe.” But after scolding the crowd, Jesus goes on to say something quite strange: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (v.37). Why is he saying this? I think he himself is explaining why the people do not come to him. If all that the Father gives him will come to him (come in the sense of believing), then the reason the people do not come to him is because the Father has not given them to him. This is a very important idea that we will deal with when we get to John 6:44. And having said in verse 37 that he will not reject those who come to him, Jesus then goes on in verses 38-40 to explain why it is that he will not reject those who do come to him. And you will notice that by explaining this, Jesus also basically explains why he calls himself the bread of life. Verse 38: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” And what is the will of the one who sent Jesus? Verse 39: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” This is why those who come to Jesus will not be rejected. They will not be rejected because it is Jesus’ job not to reject them. For if God the Father has brought them to Jesus, then it means that the Father wants Jesus to have these people. And as if this is not clear enough, Jesus goes on to restate what he has just said: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (v.40). And this is also what Jesus means when he calls himself the bread of life. He is the bread of life because whoever comes to him will be given eternal life. And eternal life is the life of heaven itself. Eternal life is the life of God.

And so if we have been following closely, we see that Jesus is basically doing one thing throughout this entire part of the dialogue. He has been correcting the priorities of the people. The people were seeking Jesus for the wrong reasons. And Jesus is giving them the right reasons to seek him. The crowd sought Jesus for bread, but Jesus wants them to seek him for eternal life.

III. Working for the Bread of Eternal Life

And just as Jesus corrected the priorities of the crowd, so today, we find that he is correcting ours. Jesus is saying to us that in the end, there is only one thing of supreme importance; only one thing that we really need to be concerned about—and that is to make it our life’s ambition, our life’s dream, our life’s aspiration, to get the bread of eternal life. God wants us to make it our life’s work to believe in Jesus Christ. This is what our Lord taught those who came looking for him and this is what he teaches us today as we come looking for him. And for the remainder of our time, I want us to be thinking about this command and how we can obey it.

A. Why Should We Make it our Life’s Ambition to Get Jesus?

Now, when we face a command like the one we have on our hands today, perhaps the first question we should ask is, “why?” Why should we make it our life’s ambition to get Jesus? Why is Jesus worth more than my job, and my family, and my health? Now, this might seem a silly question given what we have already seen from our passage. But the reason we should ask this question is precisely because the answer is worth thinking about again and again and again. You see, in the end, the reason why Jesus is worth it is because Jesus is who he is. Has it ever occurred to you that before the universe was made, and before angels ever sang the praises of God, and before you ever showed signs of interest to God, the Son was already there? Has it ever occurred to you that before the Father delighted in your worship, he delighted in the glory of his own Son? And most importantly, has it ever occurred to you that God the Father loves you only because he loved his own Son? My friends, let us not be so arrogant as to think that we are the center of God’s universe. Long before God drew worship from you, God drew delight from his Son. For you see, the Son of God is the mirror image of the Father himself. The Son of God is the projection of the Father’s glory, and his power, and his wisdom, and his holiness. I like what Hebrews 1:2 has to say about him, that he is “the radiance of the glory of God.” And since it is inconceivable that God the Father should ever be without his glory, then it is inconceivable to think that the Son was at one time not in existence. The Son is eternal as the Father. He is the first and original superpower and he will be the last. Long after the great superpowers of the world are gone, the Son will be there, reigning as lord. But then, in an act of staggering love for us, the Son of God chooses to offer us a share in his eternal life. The Son chooses to give himself to us. Now realize that the Son of God does not have to do this. He does not need us, he does not need our theology, he does not need our missions, and he does not even need our worship. But out of his love, he graciously invites us and pulls us into his fellowship with the Father, into the life that he and the Father share. This, friends, is why Jesus is worth it. This is why it is foolishness not to pursue Jesus. For if God values the Son and places infinite worth in his Son, how can we think of doing anything less?

B. How Do We Get Jesus?

Now, if we know why we should do all we can to get Jesus, then the next logical question is, How do we get him? And once again, the answer is something that we have already seen. In John 6:29, what is the work that God calls us to do? Is it a very large and impressive project? No. God simply wants us to “believe in him whom he has sent.” And again, in verse 35, Jesus says, “whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Friends, we come into full possession of the Son of God by believing and trusting in him. And we all know what it means to trust, don’t we? We trust in the cleanliness of our air, that’s why we leave our homes without gas masks. We trust that the ground will hold us and that’s why we confidently walk on the ground. Or to bring it closer to the text, we trust in food to ease our hunger and so we go for lunch at around 12 pm everyday. So believing in Jesus should be very simple. We believe that Jesus can give eternal life and so we trust in him for that. In fact, later in John 6:54, Jesus will use an even clearer illustration of what trust in him looks like: Jesus says, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Friends, trusting in Jesus is really like eating Jesus. It is depending upon him entirely for eternal life the same way we depend on food to stop our hunger. It is as simple as that.

But if you think about it, it is precisely because trusting in Jesus is so simple and unimpressive that we find trusting in Jesus so difficult to do. Trusting Jesus for eternal life is so hard because everything in our world tells us that the best things in life come to those who work for it. And if we do not work hard, we will not be rewarded. If you do not work hard in your classes, you will fail. If you do not train hard, you will lose the race. Now, I am not in the least suggesting that we drop our professional standards and simply pass everyone. That would actually be disastrous. Imagine that a student who failed medical school was allowed to perform open heart surgery. Or imagine the disaster that would result if someone who cheated his way through flight training was allowed to fly a plane. That certainly will not do. So I am not denying the principle of work and reward. Yet, when it comes to our own salvation, we must recognize that God has somewhat different plans. When it comes to being saved from our sins and gaining eternal life, God does not command us to be great and successful people. No. Instead, God commands us to look on the greatness and success of someone else. God commands us to look at Jesus. And again, this is hard to do because it is such an unimpressive act on our part. But yet, it is precisely because faith is unimpressive that it highlights the power of the Son. You see, when we have faith, we are trusting in someone else, not ourselves, and so the person we are putting our faith in gets the credit. And so this is why God wants us to look to Jesus—because he wants Jesus to get the credit. So in the end, we find that eternal life is really not for those who are fixed on their own success. It is not for those who worry about the seeming unimpressiveness of faith. Eternal life is for those who will let Jesus be the Savior.

C. How Do We Make It Our Life’s Ambition to Get Jesus?

Yet, there is still one more question we must ask. We know why we should make it our life’s purpose to get Jesus. And we know how to get Jesus. But now, how then do we make it our life’s ambition to get Jesus? Now, let me be clear here about what I am asking. When I ask this question, I am not suggesting that we can get Jesus and then somehow lose him and then have to get him all over again. Not at all. Once we get Jesus, we have Jesus. And Jesus himself promised that he will protect those who come to him so that they will not be lost (6:39). Instead, when I ask this question, what I am suggesting is that even though Jesus does not leave us, it is still our responsibility to keep believing in him. In other words, believing in Jesus is the lifelong work of the Christian. You who are sitting here may be students, medical doctors, teachers, homemakers. But more importantly, you are believers in Jesus. That is your first job. I know that believing in Jesus is the lifelong work of the Christian because in John 15:4, Jesus commands his disciples to abide in him, to keep believing in him. And so when I ask how we can make it our ambition to get Jesus, what I am asking is, how should we live life in such a way that we are constantly believing in Jesus? And that is a really good question. Let me just share three elements that are crucial for the believing life.

1. Keep Looking at Jesus

Firstly, in order to live a life of believing in Jesus, we need to have a Christ-looking mindset. In other words, we need to keep looking at Jesus. This is the starting point because without this, other things will not occur. The Christ-looking attitude is a disposition of the heart, or better, it is a state of mind, where we are always turning outside of ourselves to Jesus for help. And for the most part, this attitude will reveal itself in prayer because when we pray, we do not pray to ourselves, we are praying to someone else. We are looking to someone else. We are looking to Jesus. Now, let me say that this attitude will not always come easily. We actually have to discipline ourselves to have it. We have to actually fight to have it. And the way we fight to have it is really to discipline ourselves to pray regularly—even when we feel like our prayers might be forced or insincere. At this point, I should say that what we pray for is also important. Again, we can be like the people in John 6 and pray mainly for our exams, our health, and our job situation. But Christ wants to give us more. Don’t just pray for food that perishes. Pray for a deeper love for Christ. Pray for deeper delight and contentment in Christ. Pray that you will enter a state of deeper submission to Christ. And see if he will not answer that prayer.

2. Keep Studying Jesus

Another element that is necessary for living a life of continual belief in Jesus is to study Jesus continually (cf. Jn.15:7). Now, you notice I used the word “study.” And this is deliberate. If studying means giving disciplined and sustained attention to something in order to understand it, then studying Jesus means giving disciplined and sustained attention to Jesus in order to understand him. Now, why is study important? Because if we don’t study, we will not grow in our understanding of who Jesus is and what he wants.[4] This is a universal fact which applies to all of life too, doesn’t it? If we don’t study for our exams, we will not know the important facts. If we do not study our friends, we will not know how to care for them. In the same way, if we do not study Jesus, we will not know what he wants.

How then do we actually go about studying Jesus? Well, let me give us two ways, both of which are related to the Bible. The first and most important way to study Jesus is of course to study the Bible for yourself. You can do this on your own or in a Bible study. A convenient first step might be to start reading all the books of the New Testament. And while you read the New Testament, you might want to take note of all the statements about who Jesus is and then simply record them in a notebook which you can pull out for further reflection. A second way to study Jesus is really to read good books that other Christian pastors and scholars have written to explain Jesus’ teachings. If reading in general puts us in touch with the thoughts of others, then surely, by reading good books that teach Jesus Christ accurately, we come into contact with the best thoughts of other Christians concerning Christ. If I may put it this way, reading is the means by which we are connected to the ongoing study of the Bible that the church as a whole is doing. Now, needless to say, reading will take time—time you might otherwise use to watch TV and engage in other seemingly more exciting activities. But let me say this: I think that Jesus actually deserves the time that you spend studying him. I mean, if we can spend time studying what we need to do for our work, if we can spend time studying the play of our favorite sports teams, if we can spend time studying the best deals we can get over the Internet for things that we want, then surely we can spend time to study the Lord of the universe himself.

3. Keep Obeying Jesus

But there is a third thing that we need in order to have a life of continual belief in Jesus. Not only do we need a Christ-looking attitude in prayer, not only do we need to study Jesus, the third thing we need is to keep obeying Jesus, to keep obeying what Jesus tells us about himself and what he wants us to do. Now, why is obedience a part of the believing life? Because Jesus himself says so in John 15:10: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” Friends, as Christians, we make it our life’s ambition to believe Jesus by keeping his commandments and obeying all that Jesus has instructed us to believe and to do. Obedience is the evidence that we believe in Jesus Christ and taking his word seriously. When we obey Jesus, we are saying that we agree with his ways. When we obey Jesus, we are saying that we love his reign over us. When we obey Jesus, we are saying that he owns us. And as Christians, the target to which we are striving to reach is nothing less than perfect and flawless obedience to him. Now, this does not mean that we will not fail. In fact, for each of us, the Christian life is often marked with failure. And the more we study Jesus and the more conscious we become of Jesus’ commands, the more we will see our own sins. But yet, we can still take comfort because even when we sin against the Lord (which happens on a daily basis), the fact that we go to him for forgiveness is also a part of our obedience to him. Confession of sin is obedience to Christ because Christ’s commands take into account our own sin. Our sins may be painful to the Son of God but they do not break us from him. He will not leave us. He will finish the job.

IV. Conclusion

So friends, what do you think of this? What do you think of Jesus when he says, “I am the bread of life”? How does that make you feel? How will you respond to the command, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you”? If Jesus is the bread of eternal life, then it only makes logical sense that we dedicate all that we have to getting this bread. It only makes sense that we find Jesus and do all we can to put our faith in him. In fact, not to do so, would be the height of stupidity. Is this something you are willing to do? Is Jesus someone you will dedicate your life to pursuing? Or do you prefer to go hungry?

Bibliography

Beasley-Murray, George R. John. Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 36. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987.
Burge, Gary. John. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.

__________. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.

Köstenberger, Andreas. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004.

Milne, Bruce. The Message of John. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1971.
Ridderbos, Herman. The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary. Trans. John Vriend. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1997.
[1] As John 6:66 says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”
[2] D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 285
[3] C.K. Barrett, The Gospel According to John, 241.
[4] Every now and then, you will encounter some Christians who seem to operate on the assumption that there is no need to discipline ourselves to study God’s word. They prefer to wait for God to give them visions and speak directly to them. At first sight, such an attitude seems to be highly spiritual. But in reality, such an attitude is often a combination of laziness and arrogance. A person with such an attitude is lazy because he forgets that when God saves us, he saves all our faculties and he expects us to use those faculties—and one of which being our mind and intellect. A person with such an attitude is arrogant because he assumes that he is some kind of special case and the word that God has given to his people through the ages may not necessarily apply to him at an individual level. People who claim that they need special and direct communication from God may actually be thinking that they are somehow more important and more special than the rest of Christ’s followers. In reality, they actually run the danger of deceiving themselves.

A Promise For Your Storms (John 6:16-21)

Because Jesus is the Lord our God, we will never be destroyed

I. Introduction

As it turns out, the miraculous feeding of the five thousand ended in a bit of a tragedy. That event was an excellent illustration of how we as sinners are so capable of using God’s most precious gifts for our own sinful ambitions. And that was exactly what the crowd tried to do with Jesus. They tried to force him to be someone that he was not. And when they did that, Jesus simply removed his presence. And the important lesson there is that when we come to Jesus, we must not come to teach him what to do. When we come to Jesus, we need to let him be the one instructing us and forming us.

But that lesson is also good preparation for what we are going to see now in 6:16-21. When the people tried to force Jesus into their own imaginations, they really did not realize that Jesus is far more than what even their imaginations can contain.

II. John 6:16-21

A. The Storm at Sea (6:16-18)

And so we find ourselves now in John 6:16. Jesus had separated himself from the crowd and withdrawn to the mountains to avoid them (6:15). He has separated himself from his disciples. And verses 16 and 17 tell us that “when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.” Again, if we read Matthew 14:22, we see that it was Jesus himself who had told them to get into the boat and go ahead of him. This instruction must have seemed a little strange to the disciples because we are told later in John 6:22 that Jesus and his disciples had only had one boat. And so the disciples may have thought that Jesus would take the longer route and walk around the lake to the destination or that perhaps Jesus would simply find another boat and catch up with them. In any case, they do what they are told and they go.

However, the situation would eventually make a turn for the worse. First of all, it was getting dark. Verse 17 says that “It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.” And not only was it getting dark, things were also starting to get bad. If you know anything about the Sea of Galilee, you know that it is prone to many storms just because of its geography. The Sea (or Lake) of Galilee is located in a depression about 700 feet below sea level and is surrounded by hills. And when cold air descends from heights as high as 9,200 feet above sea level, this can cause sudden and violent storms.[1] And as it turns out, Jesus had actually asked the disciples to go out on a bad night for verse 18 tells us that “the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.”[2]

B. The Lord of the Storm and the Sea (6:19-20)

But things were actually about to get even worse. Remember: It was late at night; there was no sign of Jesus;[3] the wind was blowing and the sea was rough. And when the disciples “had rowed for about three or four miles,” they see something that completely frightened them. What they saw looked like someone approaching them from a distance. Upon closer inspection, what they saw looked like a man walking out to their boat on the water (v.19). And of course, if you are out at sea, late at night with the winds and waves threatening to flip your boat, it does not take much to cause your imagination to go wild. In such a situation, when you are already so tired and afraid for your safety, the last thing you expect to see—indeed, the last thing you want to see—is a mysterious, dark shape in the distance coming toward you on the water! And Matthew 14:26 tells us what the disciples were thinking: They actually thought that they had seen a ghost.

But as it turns out, it wasn’t a ghost. It was Jesus. The same Jesus who was their teacher and friend. The same Jesus who had a few hours ago created bread out of nothing. And that same Jesus is now coming toward them. And how is he coming toward them? Well, he is walking toward them on the water. And Jesus knew that they were afraid. He could see it in their faces. He could hear it in their cries. And so he does the most normal and friendly thing one will do at a time like this. He tries to calm his friends. “‘It is I,” he says, “do not be afraid’” (6:20).

Of course, we can wonder whether or not the disciples actually stopped being afraid entirely. I am sure that they were relieved to find that the man walking on water was not a ghost. So in a sense I suppose they did stop being afraid. But then again, what kind of a man walks on water? What kind of a man walks on the restless sea in the storm, seemingly invulnerable to its effects? What kind of a man is Jesus? Nonetheless, “they were glad to take him into the boat” (v.21). And interestingly enough, just as things got worse before Jesus showed up, things actually started getting better really quickly. In both Matthew’s and Mark’s report of this account, we see that when Jesus got into the boat, the wind stopped (Mt.14:32; Mk.6:51). And if that was not good enough, look at what else the Gospel of John reports: Not only did the wind stop; but we see that when the disciples took Jesus on the boat, “immediately,” we are told, “the boat was at the land to which they were going” (6:21b).

III. A Promise For Our Storms

A. A Promise

Now, it does not take long to see why this miracle is also one of the more well-remembered events from Jesus’
ministry: Because it is such a clear display of the power of our Savior. I am sure that many sermons have been preached from this miracle. Today’s sermon is not the first and it will certainly not be the last because the Holy Spirit has been encouraging God’s people from these words for generations and he will continue to do so. And the reason why God’s people will continually need to be reminded of our Lord walking on the sea and calming the storm is because this miracle is God’s powerful word for people who live in a very real world of unpredictable and threatening forces. We can say that this miracle functions as a promise from God to us for all time.

B. Who is Jesus Really?

But before we actually see what that promise is, there is something else that we must do first. You see, if Jesus is the central figure of the story, then ultimately speaking, whatever God’s word to us might be today, it must be first and foremost a word about who Jesus is.[4] Why is Jesus presented the way he is in this story? Or more precisely, why does Jesus choose to present himself this way to his disciples? As he comes to his disciples in the stormy sea; as he walks on the water toward them; as he speaks comfort to them, as he calms the storm so that the boat can reach the shore—are you beginning to realize who Jesus really is? Do Jesus’ actions look familiar? Well, this is what I want us to think about for a while.

1. Clues from the Old Testament

A miracle like the one we have just read would naturally remind us of some of the miracles that we see in the Old Testament—particularly those that involve some kind of journey through water. The most obvious one is of course the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14. When the Israelites were leaving Egypt, the king of Egypt pursued them and God sent a powerful wind to separate the Red Sea, creating a path for the Israelites to cross through the sea on dry land. And then there is also that incident in Joshua 3 where God stopped the river Jordan so that Joshua, who was Moses’ immediate successor, could lead Israel across it.

Now, when we come to John 6, we have to admit of course that Jesus’ miracle here is not as large-scale as opening the sea and bringing people through. Yet, the size of the miracle is not necessarily the issue. The issue has to do with who is doing the miracle and why he is doing it. When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they were not the ones performing the miracle. They were simply humans walking on dry land. It was God who did it. But when we come to John 6, what do we see here? We see that Jesus is the one suspending the laws of gravity and overriding the laws that govern how solids and liquids should behave.
Now, keeping this in mind, I want us now to listen also to some other Scripture passages and let them further guide us in interpreting this miracle. Listen first of all to Job 9:4-8:

“4He who is wise in heart and mighty in strength—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—5he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, 6who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; 7who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; 8who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea”

Job was speaking about God. But listen also to Psalm 77:19-20:

“19Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. 20You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

That was an obvious reference to the miracle of the Red Sea. Look also at Psalm 107:28-30:

“28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.”

Friends, if there is one thing that is clear from all these passages, it is this: The power to control water and the other forces of nature lies in the hand of God. And by walking on water and calming the storm, Jesus has done something that is said could only be done by God alone.

2. “It is I; Do Not Be Afraid”

But it gets better. Not only does Jesus walk on water to his disciples, he also comforts them with the words, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Now, these words may not sound like much, but they may actually be deeply profound and even shocking words. Now, what I am going to say next is somewhat of a debated issue among New Testament scholars. But since many good New Testament scholars will point this out, I think it is something to be taken seriously. They will point out that there is more to Jesus’ words than we might think. And here is why. The Greek words behind the English translation “It is I” are egō eimi. Depending on where and how it is used, egō eimi can be used as a form of self-introduction and it can be translated as “It is I” which is the translation that we find in 6:20. But then again, egō eimi can also be translated another way; it can be translated simply and more literally as “I am” (cf. 8:58). And we know what “I am” means, don’t we? If you read Exodus 3:14, God appears to Moses in a burning bush and introduces his name as “I Am Who I Am.” The name “I Am,” of course, is interesting. It is not a name anyone would use for himself. But it is an important name because it tells us that God is the self-existent one. It tells us that God already is everything that he is. Unlike us, God does not need to grow up, he does not need to decrease in any way. He has been and will always be the eternal and unchanging “I Am.” And now, Jesus is saying to his disciples, “I am; do not be afraid.”

Now, the question of course is whether or not we are reading too much into what Jesus is saying.[5] I mean, after all, isn’t Jesus simply reassuring his disciples that he is the one they saw? And of course, that is true because he is certainly doing that. But we should also realize that Jesus’ words in 6:20 sound very familiar. They sound very similar to words that God has used before in other parts of the Bible. In several places in the Old Testament, we find the use of the divine name or a divine self-introduction together with words of encouragement. In other words, we find places where God introduces himself and then gives his people encouragement. Take Genesis 26:24 for example: “And the LORD appeared to him [Isaac] the same night and said, ‘I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you.” Then there is Isaiah 41:13: “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Or Isaiah 43:5: “Fear not, for I am with you.” Now, you take all these factors together—the nature of the miracle itself and the similarity of Jesus’ words with the words of God in the Old Testament—and we get the sense that Jesus could really be saying more than just “hey guys, it’s only me.” Jesus could be saying, “My dear friends, I am he who walks the waters. I am he who rules the storms. And I am coming to you now. Therefore, do not be afraid.”[6]

Friends, I believe that what we have in this miracle on the Sea of Galilee is nothing less than what we would call a theophany.[7] A theophany is an appearance, a manifestation of God himself. And even if you disagree with the interpretation of Jesus’ words, you still cannot escape the fact that Jesus has done something that not only calls attention to himself but also deliberately suggests that he can do what only God can do. You also cannot escape the fact that in Matthew 14:33, we are told that after the disciples took Jesus into the boat, what did they do? They worshiped him. And I think we know the reason why. It was because they understood who was with them. They realized that in Jesus Christ, the Lord God of Israel has appeared, and he has appeared to save his people from fear and destruction.

C. The Lord for Our Storms

All this leads us then to the promise that God wants us to have today. And what a promise it is. Just as Jesus came to his disciples so many years ago to save them from the storm and from their fears, so he will continue to save his disciples from their storms and their fears today. And the reason he can do this, the reason he will do this, is because he is the Lord our God. Or if I may put it even more simply and even more boldly: Because Jesus is the Lord our God, there is no force of nature and no power of Satan that can ever destroy us. If Jesus is our Lord, we cannot be destroyed. Now, by this I do not mean that we cannot ever be physically harmed. By this, I mean that there is nothing that can ever separate us and tear us from God and cause us to be lost to him.

1. The Storms We Face

Now, what then are some of the storms that we, as disciples of Jesus, have to face today? What are the forces today that try to destroy us?

Well, before we answer that question, let’s try answering an even more basic question: Why should we even expect to face storms? Well, I want to briefly give us two reasons for why we can expect to face such forces. Firstly, we can expect storms because God’s word tells us that there are intelligent spiritual forces that are actually seeking to destroy the disciples of Jesus. We have to remember that even though God is the Lord of all spiritual powers, this does not mean that he is the only spiritual power. Other spiritual powers exist. Many of them are evil. These are led by the one we call Satan (cf. Eph.6:12; Rev.12:7-9). But there is a second reason for why we can expect storms. And this is because Jesus himself will send us into the storms. Yes, you have heard me correctly: Jesus himself will put his people in harm’s way. There is a popular idea out there that if you just follow God’s perfect plan for your life, everything will be smooth, peaceful, happy, and successful. That is nonsense. Because if Jesus sent his disciples into the storm, and because if Jesus himself was sent into the darkness, then you can expect that we too who call ourselves disciples will indeed have to deal with darkness as well. As Jesus makes it clear in John 15:19, if the world hated Jesus, they will also hate his disciples.

Having said all that, we return to our question: What are the kinds of storms, what kind of powerful and destructive forces must we, as disciples of Jesus, confront today? Well, this is where I think we can come up with a pretty long list. One kind of storm that confronts Jesus’ disciples today is obviously government-sponsored persecution. Many of our brothers and sisters in other countries have to face this storm. Storms like that are caused when Satan himself influences human governments and starts using them as his agents to exterminate the Lord’s disciples. But what about those of us who do not suffer persecution? What about us who come from or live in countries, such as the U.S., that do not sponsor persecution of the Church? Are we then safe? Absolutely not. I believe that we just face other kinds of storms. Apart from persecution, one storm system that confronts disciples of Jesus today is secularism.[8] Secularism is the philosophy and attitude that religion should not interfere with the public affairs of society.[9] Now, secularism does not say that God does not exist, but it does say that God is not relevant. And today, we find ourselves in a society in which God, if not entirely absent, is becoming increasingly irrelevant. One manifestation of secularism is of course to be seen in the university. In his book, The Gagging of God, D.A. Carson, who is a New Testament scholar, points out that at one time, Christianity and its principles played a key role in the “founding, development, and maintenance of the principal schools of higher learning.”[10] Carson probably had in mind elite schools like Harvard, Yale, or Princeton that were all at one time self-consciously Christian institutions. But things have changed. Instead, Carson says, “We have arrived at a point at which virtually all forms of Christianity are commonly ignored or even despised in the academy, and especially those forms that insist that there are objective truths and standards.”[11] Make no mistake: Secularism is indeed one of the cultural forces that Satan is using to threaten the Church of Jesus Christ because secularism trains people to ignore what God has to say concerning the affairs of our world.

But if secularism can be compared to the thunder that threatens to make us deaf to God’s voice, then it is the fierce wind of hedonism that threatens to blow our love for God away. Well, what is hedonism? Simply put, hedonism is the idea that pleasure is the ultimate goal of life. Hedonism is the worship of pleasure. And societies that are prosperous and dwell in relative peace without military conflict will generally move toward the direction of hedonism. Now, to be sure, hedonism begins very innocently. It begins because we fear pain. Nobody wants to be in pain or difficulty. But hedonism goes much further: Hedonism goes further to say that we should protect ourselves from any kind of pain as much as possible and we do this by seeking as much pleasure as we can. How then does hedonism try to destroy us? Well, think of hedonism as a drug or a strong alcholic drink. If a soldier is on drugs or drunk, he loses his ability to fight. In the same way, hedonism destroys the disciples of Jesus by causing us to forget that there is a war that we are fighting. Hedonism tempts us to give up the rigorous discipline, the careful watchfulness, and the sacrifcial mentality that is needed to win our war against sin. In more concrete terms, hedonism teaches us that watching TV, listening to music, enjoying our hobbies are more important than pursuing the heart of God. Now, of course, the Bible does not ever teach us to inflict suffering upon ourselves nor does it tell us that we cannot engage in leisure activities. But then the Bible also does not command us to make pleasure the chief purpose of our hard-earned money. And 2 Timothy 3:4 does warn us that in the last days, people will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” The hedonism of our culture is a sign that not only has the word of God been silenced; it is a sign that love for God is absent.

But just because the true God has been silenced by the thunder of secularism and blown away by the wind of hedonism does not mean that other kinds of gods will not come in. In fact, they do and they will come like a tsunami flood to fill the absence.[12] If the Lord is silenced, other gods will speak. And so we see that while secularism and hedonism are doing their work to usurp God, yet another storm facing Jesus’ disciples today is really the return of paganism.[13] Now, just so you know, “paganism” may have a more specialized definition, referring to religions that deal with spiritual powers that are said to dwell in nature. But for our purposes, I am using the term here to refer to any religious system that teaches people to control or use spiritual powers for their own benefit. And we can understand why paganism will return. Paganism will return because man cannot live without a conscious spiritual component in their lives. If mankind will not follow a religion that teaches them to submit to God, then they will create religions that will teach them how to make the powers of God submit to them. This is what paganism is. And we see paganism appearing in many forms. Paganism, of course, already exists in many Asian or African countries. There, paganism appears in the form of idol worship and the practice of magic. But in the post-Christian West, paganism has returned with renewed power. You find paganism in the so-called “New Age” religions that teach people how to use spiritual powers to attain personal health or wellbeing. You find paganism in the bold and outright worship of Satan himself where Satan is no longer treated as the enemy of God but as the one who teaches the human race to grow up and think for ourselves. But just in case you did not know, you will also find paganism in the obsession with sex which is so characteristic of prosperous societies through the ages. We often think that sexual immorality is primarily a problem with a lack of self-control and it is. But in our day, believe it or not, we are also seeing the merging of sexuality and spirituality where sex is now seen as a means to control spiritual power.[14] One example can be found in the world of homosexuality. Not all homosexuals are pagans. But a homosexual who is pagan might say that there are actually spiritual reasons to practice homosexuality. One of these reasons being that homosexuality is really the grand attempt to create the ideal sex-less human who is the embodiment of both male and female power.[15] Friends, could it be that this culture’s obsession with sex and with it, the obsession with physical beauty and strength, is becoming more of a religious phenomenon than we actually realize?

So these are but some of the major storm systems that our Lord Jesus has called us to engage with today—and believe me, there are more. I did not even address atheism, or false forms of Christianity, or false religions. I did not even address the more personal storms that we face: Terminal illness, poverty, social injustice, depression, and despair. But know that all these things are included. And if we are honest, it is no easy thing to face such storms especially when they are so much of your own culture; so much of the very cultural air that you breathe, and so much of the reality that you know.

2. The Reason We Will Survive

But this is where we now have to stop studying the storms, and we have to look up to the one who walks on the waves. In the end, what will keep us from losing our faith when we are persecuted? What will keep us from giving in to secularism, hedonism, and paganism? Well, there are many ways to answer that question. We can talk about the spiritual weapons that God has given to us. We can talk about the use of spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship. All these are the means that God uses to preserve us. (Or rather, I should say, all these are the means that God causes us to use to preserve us.) But in the end, the ultimate answer for why we will survive is not because we are strong and it is not because we are great disciples of Jesus Christ. After all, like the first disciples, we ourselves are often frightened and confused. In the end, the reason we will not be destroyed is ultimately because Jesus Christ is the Lord our God.

But you might ask, “How is that even a reason? What has the fact that Jesus is God have anything to do with our spiritual survival in an evil culture?” Well, the reason does not simply lie in the fact that Jesus is God—it lies in what kind of God Jesus is. And we have already seen what kind of God he is. Jesus is not some generic, nonspecific, nameless supreme being that all religions worship. No. Remember what Jesus said to his disciples: He said “It is I.” He uses the name of Israel’s God for himself. In so doing, Jesus is showing us that even though he may be the God of creation in general, he is especially the God of his people. He is the God especially of those who trust in him. And if this is so, we can be assured of one thing: We can be assured that Jesus will devote, and direct, and project all his good will, all his love, all his protection, all his kindness, and all his power toward us. This does not mean that we will never ever fall into sin. But this does mean that in the end, no evil power can finally steal us away from Jesus. And it is precisely because he is this kind of God that the forces we have named will never overcome us. In fact, if Jesus is Lord, then these destructive forces can even be used for our good. After all, Romans 8:28 does say, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Do you remember what Jesus said to his disciples before he leaves them to go to the cross? He says to his disciples, “Because I live, you also will live” (Jn.14:19). Friends, this is the kind of promise that we are talking about today—it is a promise that is born out of God and carried out supremely by his sovereign will and power, not by us.

But you might be asking, “Why are you talking so much about the Lord himself and not on what we must do?” Well, I am talking so much about the Lord because this passage of Scripture calls me to do so. The emphasis of this passage is not on the power of the disciples. In fact, the disciples are not powerful people at all. It is Jesus who walks on water like the great ruler and master of creation that he is. It is Jesus who comforts the disciples. It is Jesus who silences the storm. It is Jesus who brings the boat to its destination. It is Jesus, the Son of God, who places the stormy sea and all the threat and the danger that it poses, under his feet. That is why I am focusing on Jesus. Because in the end, our trust is not in our own obedience to God, important as it is. In the end, we will get to heaven; we will love holiness, and we will attain perfect obedience to God, because Jesus himself will make it happen. He is the Ultimate Cause of our goodness. He is the Final Reason for our salvation. And the most basic thing that we as Christian must learn to do is to start depending on outside help; we have to start talking less about our own spiritual state, about our own spiritual gifts, and more of the glories, and excellencies, and perfections, and powers of the Son of God.

In light of this, I can think of no more fitting way to conclude this sermon than by reading another passage that speaks of this promise, though with different words. You see, long before Jesus walked on water to his frightened disciples, the prophet Isaiah knew about that God will never abandon his people. For Isaiah, the reason why God’s people will survive is supremely because the Lord is their God. So open your hearts and receive these powerful words from Isaiah 43:1-3:

“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”



Bibliography

Ball, David Mark. ‘I Am’ in John’s Gospel: Literary Function, Background and Theological Implications. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Aacdemic Press, 1996.

Beasley-Murray, George R. John. Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 36. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987.

Burge, Gary. John. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.

Carson, D.A. The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.

__________. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 33A. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Heimbach, Daniel R. True Sexual Morality. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2004.

Henderson, David. Culture Shift. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998.

Horton, Michael. Beyond Culture Wars. Chicago, Illinois: Moody, 1994.

____________. Made In America. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1991.

Jones, Peter. Spirit Wars. Escondido, California: Winepress Publishing, 1997.

Köstenberger, Andreas. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004.

Milne, Bruce. The Message of John. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1971.

Niehaus, Jeffrey J. God at Sinai. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Phillips, Richard D. Mighty to Save. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2001.

Ridderbos, Herman. The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary. Trans. John Vriend. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1997. Twelftree, Graham H. Jesus: The Miracle Worker. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999.


[1] Richard D. Phillips, Mighty to Save (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2001), 86.
[2] Matthew 14:24 adds that the boat was “beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.”
[3] They had seen Jesus still the storm before but he was with them then. I would imagine that they might still be afraid now precisely because Jesus was not with them.
[4] In John 20:31, we see the purpose of the signs of Jesus: “But these 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.”
[5] Scholars like D.A. Carson seem to think that we need not read this meaning in. He writes, “But the expression bears no necessary theological baggage: it is the perfectly normal way to say ‘It is I’” cf. D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 275.
[6] For the view that “It is I” is a divine self-introduction, see the following. David Mark Ball, ‘I Am’ in John’s Gospel: Literary Function, Background and Theological Implications (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Aacdemic Press, 1996), 181; Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28 (WBC; Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 423; George R. Beasley-Murray, John (WBC 36; Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987), 89-90; Bruce Milne, The Message of John (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 108.
[7] See the discussion in Jeffrey J. Niehaus, God at Sinai (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), 362.
[8] See discussion in D.A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 38
[9] David Henderson writes, “To be secular is to be concerned only with the flesh-and-blood life on this planet. Secularism means dismissing God and disregarding a spiritual dimension of any sort.” cf. David Henderson, Culture Shift (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998), 123. Michael Horton holds that secularism is really the product of modernity, which rejected supernaturalism, and postmodernity, which reacts against modernity “by emphasizing experience over reason and the inner realities of the soul over the external realities of the objective world.” cf. Michael Horton, Beyond Culture Wars (Chicago, Illinois: Moody, 1994), 131-132.
[10] Carson, The Gagging of God, 40.
[11] Ibid., 40.
[12] Michael Horton, Made In America (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1991), 115.
[13] See discussion in Michael Horton’s Made In America (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1991), 115-140. This is more properly called Neopaganism.
[14] Daniel R. Heimbach, True Sexual Morality (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2004), 51.
[15] Peter Jones, Spirit Wars (Escondido, California: Winepress Publishing, 1997), 188.

Jesus Went Away (John 6:14-15)

Whenever we come to Jesus, we must not come to control him; instead, we must come to be controlled by him

I. The Hamas of the Christ?

I was somewhat disturbed earlier this week when I first learned of the outcome of the Palestinian elections. Of course, I am no expert in the affairs of the Middle East and all its subtleties. I think it is quite safe to say that we should not necessarily support Israel just because the state is called “Israel” and that we should not necessarily see the Palestinians as all bad. However, I’ve heard enough of the group Hamas to know that their winning the majority of the seats in the Palestinian parliamentary elections might not be a very good thing. Just in case you are unaware, Hamas is an organization that has been responsible for about 425 terrorist attacks against Israel.[1] Appropriately enough, the name Hamas is itself an Arabic word which means “zeal.” And zeal is, of course, a main characteristic of the many other militant Islamic groups that we have come to know, ever since 9/11—groups such as Al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah, and Abu Sayyaf, all of which we have become more familiar with. And even though we need not assume that all these groups necessarily agree on everything, we are sure about one thing: They are all sworn to the advancement of the kingdom of God, the spread of the glory of God—by military means, and in the case of Hamas, the eradication of Israel.

Now, to be fair, fundamentalist Muslims are not the only ones who wanted to spread the glory of God by the sword. Many years ago, on the Golan heights, there were a number of Jews, about five thousand or more, who were willing to do a similar thing. These were people who were tired of Roman occupation. They were tired of being less than the royal priesthood that they were called to be. They were tired of being ruled by an emperor who did not even share their precious faith. And almost when they had not expected it, a leader had emerged. He was a man who could heal the sick and who could feed them an endless supply of bread. A man who could only be nothing less than a messenger from God, a mighty prince sent from heaven to lead Israel’s armies to destroy the immoral Roman empire and bring holiness to the land again. An army under this man would be unstoppable because there would be no injury that he cannot heal and no food shortage that he cannot solve. An army under such man like the prophet Jesus can only be indestructible.

But as it turned out, such an army never came into existence. You see, ironically enough, the Jews in John 6 have something in common with the Islamic terrorist groups of today: Both are trying to control God. Both are trying to make God do what they want. But when such an attempt to manipulate God and take him by force occurs, we find that God will simply walk away. And that in itself is a lesson for us.

II. John 6:14-15

The Prophet Came (6:1-14)

In John 6:1-14, Jesus had done the humanly impossible. He recreated a kind of miracle that had not been seen in a long while. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand from five loaves and two fish reminded the crowds of how once upon a time the Lord God fed his people in the wilderness when they were under the leadership of Moses (Ex.16; Num.11). It also reminded the people of how God miraculously fed a hundred men under the leadership of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings). So, in light of what happened, the people came to one conclusion—that Jesus is “indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world” (Jn.6:14). He is the successor to Moses. And so we see that the feeding of the five thousand does not just show that Jesus cares for our needs. It also reveals who Jesus is; that he is God’s prophet—and more than that; that he is the Lord God of Israel who has finally returned to lead his people to himself.

The Prophet Went (6:15)

Now, all this is good until we see what happens next. In 6:15, we come to the end of this story. And judging from how the story has been going, we would have expected it to end on a happy note. We would have expected it to turn out the same way it did when Jesus preached to the Samaritans in chapter 4 and all the people started believing in him. But as it turns out, the end is anything but happy. Instead, the end to the story of the feeding of the five thousand is very awkward and disturbing.

In verse 15, we see Jesus doing two things. Firstly, we see Jesus “perceiving.” The word “perceive” means to realize, to understand, or to know. As the crowds were cheering for Jesus, Jesus knew “that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king.” Now, we don’t know how Jesus came to know this. Perhaps God the Father told him. And we have seen before in John 2:24-25 that Jesus knew what was in the hearts of people. But then again, Jesus could have known just by what he saw happening before his eyes. First of all, here was a large group of people who believed that he was a leader sent from God. Second, this group was large enough to be a fighting force, an army. Third, it also happens that this group of people is tired of foreign rule and will look for any reason to rebel against their oppressors. Fourth, this group of people may have also begun to show signs of becoming unstable. You put all these factors and symptoms together and it will not take long for Jesus to realize that they were ready to make him their king. And they were going to use whatever forceful and military means necessary.

Now, having seen what they were planning, what Jesus does next is surprising: He “withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” This is, of course, odd. It is as if someone who had won a Nobel Prize decided to walk away just before his award is presented. But why would Jesus just walk away like that? I mean, did the people do something wrong? Wasn’t he the prophet to come? If you think about it, Jesus has just missed an incredible opportunity because on that one day, he could have had five thousand or more people waiting on him. Just think of it: Five thousand zealous and militant freedom-fighters—all willing to lay down their lives for his cause; all willing to take up swords for him, perhaps even go on suicide missions for him. So why doesn’t Jesus receive their allegiance? The text does not answer this question for us in so many words but I think the answer is quite obvious. The people may have been right in calling Jesus the prophet, but they had completely misunderstood him. And on his part, Jesus did not want to do anything that will further feed their misunderstanding.

What is it then that the people misunderstood about Jesus? The answer can be found in John 18:36. In this passage, we see that Jesus has been arrested; he is standing before Pontius Pilate, who is the Roman governor of Judea. Jesus is brought before Pilate by the Jews so that he can be tried as a political rebel who was planning to rebel against the Roman emperor (Lk.23:2). And while standing before Pilate, Jesus makes a remarkable statement: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.” What does Jesus mean by this mysterious statement? Does he mean that his kingdom is just an idea and will not affect what happens on this earth? No, that’s not what he means. Does he mean that his teachings and authority will not affect how politics should be done? No, I don’t think that is what he means either. Does Jesus mean that he had no interest in wanting to be king? Well, absolutely not.[2] Jesus simply means that his authority to be king does not originate from earth. No one on earth has the power to make him king. It is God alone who will give him his kingdom when his mission of dying for our sins is accomplished. And this is precisely where the people went wrong. They were arrogant enough to think that they were the ones who could make Jesus king and bring the kingdom of God on earth. But by going away, Jesus is making a clear statement that this is not how it will happen. This is not how he will take up his throne; not by the death of others.

But there is still more that John 6:15 tells us about Jesus. Notice also what else the passage says: It says that Jesus withdrew “to the mountain by himself.” His disciples did not go with him. If we read Matthew’s version of this event in Matthew 14:22, we are told that following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus for some reason saw the need to immediately make the disciples get into a boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. Matthew may not tell us what actually led Jesus to dismiss the crowds in such a hurried manner, but of course, we have already seen the reason in John 6:15. And Jesus probably separated his disciples from the crowd because he did not want his disciples to be influenced by the people. But still, why did Jesus retreat alone into the mountains? The answer is found in Matthew 14:23 which says this: “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” Jesus wanted to be alone with God the Father. He wanted to speak and listen to the voice of his Father. So, friends, by leaving the crowds, Jesus was making yet another statement. Not only was he saying that the crowd had the wrong idea about him. He was saying that the only person he will ever obey is God the Father, not anyone else. Jesus is very much willing to sacrifice fame and popularity and the company of people in order to obey the Father’s voice. And what a powerful statement this is because it completely defines who Jesus is. Unlike these people who are willing to rush ahead and get their own way, Jesus was willing to wait for the Father’s next move. And if we listen closely, it is as if we can hear John 5:19 echoing in the background of this event: “The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.” And clearly, by Jesus’ own behavior, we can tell what God the Father was doing. God the Father was not with the people. Because as Jesus withdrew into the mountains, so too did God.

III. To Control or Be Controlled?

Now, how would you have felt if you were among the people at that moment on that day? Would you have felt awkward? Disappointed? Hurt? Maybe angry? I mean, Jesus did not even stop to mingle with the crowd. Surely no pop star or presidential candidate who wants to be adored would do what he did. I mean, here you are: You followed Jesus because you appreciate all that he can do. When you saw that he could feed five thousand people with a little, all you could think about was that a great prophet is finally here. This is such a wonderful thing and all you want to do is to get close to Jesus but Jesus, for some reason, does not seem to want to get close to you.

Now, at this point, you can do two things. You can either reject Jesus and go your way or you can wonder whether or not he is trying to teach you something—even by his departure. And I suspect that he is teaching us something. When he left the people, the Lord also left behind one very important lesson. And that lesson is this: Do not teach Jesus what to do. Do not tell Jesus what you want him to be. If you want to come to Jesus, you must not come to control him; instead, you must come to be controlled by him. And any attempt to make Jesus into something that he is not, will be answered with divine silence.

Thus, in light of this very crucial lesson, the very relevant question that we must ask ourselves today is this: Are we coming to Jesus properly? When we come to him in a Bible study, or in prayer, or in the church service, are we coming to teach or be taught? Are we coming to lead or be led? Are we coming to control or be controlled? Last week, I said that the feeding of the five thousand is indeed an invitation to come to Jesus. But now we must realize that coming to Jesus is more difficult than we think. Because when we come to Jesus, we should not be surprised to find that the Lord himself will ask us: “What do you want from me?” And of course, it is not as if Jesus does not know the answer. He is simply asking to test us, to see if we are coming in the right way or not.

Coming to Control

So what does a wrong way of coming to Jesus look like? I don’t think we need to look too far to find an example because we already have an example in our Scripture for today, in the very thinking and behavior of the crowd. Just by looking at the behavior of the crowd, we already see that they had made one crucial mistake. And that mistake was to control the Lord Jesus and force him to be something he was not. Now, if we are honest, there are at least two ways we ourselves make the same mistake.

One way in which we try to control Jesus is when we try to make him fit with our wrong views of him. In other words, we control Jesus when we believe the wrong things about him. Now, if you are like me, you might find yourself asking, is it really that important to believe the right things about Jesus? I mean, can’t we just tolerate one another’s differences? Can’t we just all agree to love Jesus and go on with our lives without all this theological debate? Now, of course there is a point to this statement. After all, no one wants to be debating and arguing all the time. Some debates on Christian teaching may well be a waste of time. And even for those debates that are not a waste of time, we can always show more love and respect to those with whom we disagree. But friends, when it comes to Jesus, is it just a theory we are dealing with—or are we also dealing with a person? Are we not dealing with the Lord? What right then do we have to think less of him when we really should be thinking more highly of him? I mean, if you think about, we wouldn’t do this to our own loved ones, would we? For instance, how will my wife feel if I went around introducing her simply as my girlfriend—or worse, my old friend from college? It is the same way with our Lord. How will he feel if you thought of him simply as your good friend or a prophet from God? Not that these things are wrong. But when they are all that we believe about Jesus, then even they become disrespectful. When it comes to Jesus, we are not at liberty to choose which parts we like and leave out the parts we find difficult or don’t like. By all means believe that Jesus is a good person. But please also believe that he is more than that. Believe that he is the Son of God in human flesh. Believe that he is the Word of God. Believe that he died for your sins. We must either have all of him, or, as this story has shown so clearly, we will have none of him.

Another way we try to control Jesus is when we come to Jesus simply as a means to an end—especially an end that we ourselves have already chosen. This was another mistake the people made. To them, Jesus was a means to end Roman rule. Now, the end of Roman occupation is not necessarily a bad thing to want. But that is not what Jesus came to do. Jesus came for something more important: He came to end the rule of sin, the rule of Satan. In the same we ourselves can try to make Jesus meet our goals. For instance, it could be that some of us are here in church because we think that by coming to church enough, Jesus will give us what we want. We think that Jesus is obligated to give us a good spouse or well-behaved children or a good job just because we obey him. But if this is how we think, how much different are we from the people Jesus fed and fled from?

Coming to be Controlled

So our passage shows us how we should not come to Jesus. We should not come to Jesus to control him. But even by showing us the wrong way of coming to Jesus, it also gives us some indication about the right way of coming to Jesus. Because if the wrong way of coming to Christ is to control him, then the only appropriate way of coming to Christ is to be controlled by him. And how exactly will this look like? Two things.

Firstly, we come to be controlled by Jesus when we actually allow him to teach us. I have two thoughts here on what this involves. (1) Allowing Jesus to teach us means that we allow Jesus to define himself to us. It means that we let Jesus tell us through the Scriptures who he is; what kind of a king he is; what kind of prophet he is; what kind of God he is, and what he came to do for us. We do not depend on our own common sense or our own personal expectations of what Jesus ought to be. We let him tell us and we believe whatever he tells us. (2) Allowing Jesus to teach us also means that we allow him to define the important issues for us. So often, we come to Jesus with our own priorities. We ask, “Lord, please help me solve such and such an issue in my life.” For the people in the story, the main issue was probably national pride; national sovereignty. But it turned out that national pride was not the main issue for Jesus. If you think about it, why was Israel under Rome in the first place? It started because Israel herself was disobedient to God. Thus, for Jesus, the main issue was not getting Rome out of Israel, it was getting Israel back to God! His main issue was reconciliation with God. In the same way, don’t be surprised to see that Jesus may think that some issues are more important than the ones we think are important. We may come to Jesus concerned about our relationships and our future plans. Jesus could very well direct us to look first at something as simple as what he has done for us on the cross.

Secondly, we come to be controlled by Jesus when we see him as the end, not as the means for something else. Now, we need to be very careful here because there are places in the Bible where God does promise material blessing to us as an incentive for obedience. Take for instance the fifth commandment itself: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Dt.5:16).

What is the incentive for honoring one’s father and mother? It is the good life, right? So it is not as if God does not give us rewards. In fact, he gives us many rewards and gifts that are not himself, so to speak. If we are faithful to him, God often will reward us with good families; good health; good friends, and a good life. But how do these earthly rewards actually relate to Jesus? Well, let’s think about it this way: Any reward that is not God is to be seen as a symbol, a foretaste, of the reward that is God. To illustrate this, I had a friend who really impressed me by the way he prayed over his meal. He would pray something like this: “Lord, thank you for this meal. May it remind us of the bread of life, Jesus Christ. Amen.” God wants to bless us with many things. But above all, God also wants us to see that he himself is the main blessing. He is the end. If you have him, you will have everything. If you do not have him, you have nothing. This is why Jesus will later tell the people, “I am the bread of life” (Jn.6:35). When he says this, he means is that he is the one they should be seeking. He is the goal they should be reaching. He is the reward they should be working for. There is nothing else beyond him, nothing else after him. And everything we ultimately need will be found in him and through him.

IV. Conclusion

So, friends, how do you come to God today? Back then, the people Jesus fed wanted to control him. Today, Hamas and Al-Qaeda want to control God. But what about you? Are you secretly doing the same today? Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. And if you find that you are here with less then right motives, then go after Jesus to be forgiven because that is one thing he will give you. That is one need he absolutely delights to meet. Jesus may turn away from one who wants to control him. He will not turn away from someone who wants to be reconciled to him. And having forgiven you, the Lord Jesus will draw you to himself. He will speak words of comfort and peace to you. He will teach you his ways. And you will know, that it is he alone, who is the Bread of Life.


Bibliography

Burge, Gary. John. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.

Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.

Israel Defense Forces, “The Hamas organization is responsible for more than 425 terror attacks in Israel.” No pages. Cited 29 January 2006. Online: http://www1.idf.il/ DOVER/site/mainpage.asp?sl=EN&id=7&docid=30286.EN.

Köstenberger, Andreas. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1971.
Ridderbos, Herman. The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary. Trans. John Vriend. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1997.


[1] Israel Defense Forces, “The Hamas organization is responsible for more than 425 terror attacks in Israel,” n.p. [cited 29 January 2006]. Online: http://www1.idf.il/DOVER/site/mainpage.asp?sl=EN&id=7&docid=30286.EN.
[2] Two passages that indicate that Jesus was self-conscious about his kingship are John 1:49 and 12:15. In John 1:49, Nathaniel, one of the Lord’s disciples, called him the king of Israel—and Jesus accepts that title without scolding Nathaniel. Furthermore, in John 12:15, Jesus deliberately rides into Jerusalem on a donkey because he wants to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 which says that the king of Jerusalem will return on a donkey.