No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 WEB
Several times in chapter six of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus refers to God giving, drawing, and enabling men to come to him. In addition, the Lord states multiple times that he will raise his followers on the last day. The repetition of these ideas underpins the fact that God calls those who truly believe in him to salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Call it predestination or the will of God, but salvation only comes to those who put their faith in Christ. As we read in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved! WEB”
In chapter six of John’s gospel, Jesus heals the sick and miraculously feeds five thousand people from five loaves of barley and two small fish. The Lord walks on water amidst turbulent seas as his disciples cross in a boat to Capernaem. In addition, the boat immediately reached the shore in miraculous fashion as Jesus’ astonished disciples prepared to receive him onto their boat.
The Bread of Life
These strong signs of Jesus’ supernatural ability accompanied him, reinforcing the faith of those who witnessed these strange events. The miracles serve to illustrate the spiritual significance of Christ. He was no ordinary man, but performed feets that mere mortals could not perform. Because of this, crowds enthusiastically sought out the Lord to see what he might do next.
Upon receiving the crowds, Jesus taught that he is the bread of life, comparing himself to the manna God miraculously provided to those who fled from Egypt while in the wilderness. Jesus says in John 6:48-50, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. WEB”
The Spirit Gives Life
Foreshadowing the salvation received through faith in the sacrifice Christ made on the cross, the Lord said in John 6:53-54, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. WEB” For those focused on the material aspect of these metaphorical statements, this teaching is hard to accept and many rejected it.
On the other hand, those who God enabled to understand the spiritual aspect of Christ’s teaching continued to follow him. To these who believed that Jesus came from God, Christ reinforced his teaching of the resurrection on the last day and eternal life. The Lord explains in John 6:62-63 saying, “Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the sacrifice you made for my salvation and the promise that you will raise up the faithful on the last day. Thank you for the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Guide me with your Holy Spirit. Give me strength and wisdom to share the truth of the gospel with the world. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: A Woman of Samaria
