John 6

Word of Eternal Life

John 6:41-71

John 6:42

They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?" (use)

Matthew 1:16

and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. (use)

Luke 3:23

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, (use)

Descendent of David

Luke 3:31

the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, (use)

Luke 3:32

the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, (use)

Matthew 1:6

and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, (use)

Micah 5:2 specified the Messiah's birthplace as Bethlehem of Judah, but Jewish apocalyptic literature said that he would appear suddenly in the clouds or from the sun.

Dods, M., 1912. "The Gospel According to John." In The Expositor's Greek Testament.
dods-1912-john~micah-5v2

Micah 5:2

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (use)

John 5:18

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (use)

The Incarnation of the Son of God in Jesus was and remains the great stumbling block in Christianity for the Jews.

Beasley-Murray, G.R., 1987. John. Word Bible Commentary series. pg.93
beasley-1987-commentary~a1

Acts 17:20

For you bring some strange things to our{Athenian} ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean. (use)

Q15 Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God. U.S. Evangelical Finding - 65% agree

Ligoner., 2022. The State of Theology 2022.
ligoner-2022-sotheo~q15

He rebuked their grumbling dissatisfaction by reminding them of what God had given them: the offer of salvation. However, He explained that those of them whom the Father had chosen for salvation would believe in Him, regardless of their inability to reconcile His earthly and heavenly origins. The important thing for them to do was believe Him, not first harmonize all the apparent contradictions that they observed.

Constable, T., 2022. Expository Notes.
constable-2022-expository~john-6v43-44

Jeremiah 31:34

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (use)

Jesus is the only One who has seen God fully. He is the only mediator of that knowledge of God, without which no one can know God. God teaches people about Himself through Jesus. Listening to Jesus then becomes essential for learning about God. God draws the elect to Himself by revealing Himself through Jesus. The Scriptures bear witness to that revelation.

Constable, T., 2022. Expository Notes.
constable-2022-expository~john-6v46

John 6:47

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (use)

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (use)

Believing is not the cause of a sinner obtaining Divine life, rather is it the effect of it. The fact that a man believes, is the evidence that he already has Divine life within him. True, the sinner ought to believe. Such is his bounden duty. And in addressing sinners from the standpoint of human responsibility, it is perfectly proper to say 'Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have eternal life.' Nevertheless, the fact remains that no unregenerate sinner ever did or ever will believe. The unregenerate sinner ought to love God, and love Him with all his heart. He is commanded to. But he does not, and will not, until Divine grace gives him a new heart. So he ought to believe, but he will not till he has been quickened into newness of life. Therefore, we say that when any man does believe, is found believing, it is proof positive that he is already in possession of eternal life. 'He that believeth on me hath (already has) eternal life'.

Pink, A.W., 1945. Exposition of the Gospel of John.
pink-1945-john~a6v47

Acts 16:30

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (use)

Acts 16:31

And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (use)

John 6:53

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (use)

In short, John 6 does not directly speak of the eucharist; it does expose the true meaning of the Lord's supper as clearly as any passage in Scripture.

Carson, D.A., 1991. The Gospel According to John. pg.298
carson-1991-gospel~a1

With respect to young children, the ordinance of Christ forbids them to partake of the Lord’s Supper; because they are not yet able to know or to celebrate the remembrance of the death of Christ. The same ordinance makes the cup common to all, for it commands us all to drink of it.

Calvin, J., 1555. Commentary.
calvin-1555-com~john-6v53

Matthew 26:27

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, (use)

We must eat the bread of heaven in order to have eternal life (vv. 48–50), and this eating consists in nothing less than believing in Christ, for belief is stressed again and again in the context of John 6. And particularly important for us to believe is that Christ died for sinners, as the bread Christ gives is His very life (v. 51).

Ligonier, 2018. The Bread of Christ's Flesh. 2018-04-13
ligonier-2018-breadapril13~a1

Now, though the acts of eating and drinking do not give the right to eternal life, but the flesh, blood, and righteousness of Christ, which faith lays hold, and feeds upon; yet it is by faith the right is claimed; and between these acts of faith, and eternal life, there is an inseparable connection.

Gills, J., 1748. Exposition of the Bible Commentary.
gills-1748-exposition~john-6v53

John 6:52

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (use)

To eat the flesh of Christ! this is a hard saying, but to believe that Christ died for me, to derive from that doctrine strength and comfort in my approaches to God, my oppositions to sin and preparations for a future state, this is the spirit and life of that saying, and, construing it thus, it is an excellent saying. The reason why men dislike Christ's sayings if because they mistake them. The literal sense of a parable does us no good, we are never the wiser for it, but the spiritual meaning is instructive.

Henry, M., 1896. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible. UK. John
mhcom-john~6-63

John 6:68

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (use)

Note, Christ's holy religion appears to great advantage when it is compared with other institutions, for then it will be seen how far it excels them all.

Henry, M., 1896. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible. UK. John
mhcom-john~6-68

That poor, lost, sinful man has nowhere else to go but to Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and if the sinner betakes himself to any other way he will wander and die.

Barnes, A., 1884. Albert Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible.
barnes-1884-notes~john6v68

Ruth 1:16

But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (use)

Psalm 73:27

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. (use)

Psalm 73:28

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (use)

James 4:8

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (use)

The years can be cruel. They can take away our ideals and our enthusiasms and our dreams and our loyalties. They can leave us with a life that has grown smaller and not bigger. They can leave us with a heart that is shrivelled instead of one expanded in the love of Christ. There can be a lost loveliness in life--God saves us from that!

Barclay, W., 1953. Daily Study Bible.
barclay-1953-dsb~john-6v68

John 6:70

Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." (use)

John 17:12

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (use)

John 13:18

I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ (use)

Psalm 41:9

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (use)

Acts 1:16

Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. (use)

Acts 1:20

For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and ‘Let another take his office.’ (use)

Psalm 69:25

May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. (use)

Psalm 109:8

May his days be few; may another take his office! (use)

Topics and Themes

Key Verse

John 6:68

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (use)