Reading from John ch.6:
41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48. I am that bread of life.
49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Two weeks ago we started out on John chapter 6. We learned about what it means to place ourselves in “Gods holy hands”. We also learned of the miracle of feeding more than 5000 people who in the end did not believe. They wanted Jesus to show them another sign. Jesus then suggested that he is the bread of life and that the people should labor for food that endures to everlasting life instead of pursuing things that do not endure. Jesus went on to say that he was the bread that came down from heaven and today’s reading tells us that the people did not buy that idea.
The scriptures say that they murmured against him – (Vs.41 ) “The Jews complained (murmured) about him because he said “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven”. Simply stated, they did not believe. I am not sure if it is any different today. We have many who fill the pews of Churches all over but not all of them truly believe.
There is a story about this sweet little old Christian lady who had to do a lot of traveling by air for her business. But flying made her quite nervous so she always took her Bible along with her to read since it helped her to relax.
One time she was sitting next to a man who saw her pull out her Bible. He gave a little chuckle and then went back to his Hustler magazine. After awhile he turned to her and asked: "You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?"
The lady replied: "Of course I do, it is the Bible." He smiled: "Well what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?" She replied: "Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that -- it is in the Bible.
He asked: "Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time he spent inside the whale?" The lady said: "Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him." "What if he isn’t in heaven?" the man smiled, sarcastically. The little old lady smiled back: "In that case, you will be able to ask him."
The bible teaches us that there is a definite destiny for those who believe and those who do not. Jesus opens his heart and invites anyone who hears him to come and believe in him. To those who believe, he promised eternal life. We are invited to come, but our coming itself is not entirely our doing. We can never come without help; we need a push, we need someone to edge us along and that someone is the Father who is continually working hard to move us towards his son. In verse 44 Jesus says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him or her” – and yet we often think that belief itself is entirely a human decision. Oftentimes we have overemphasized our capacity “to come to Jesus”. You hear of many who say “I decided to accept Christ” which in a certain sense means that salvation is “our business” – it is our doing and God simply watches in a position of helplessness because the power to make such a decision rests with us. But the fact is that God already made that decision when Jesus died for the sins of the whole world – every single person has been chosen and our response is really limited to the willingness to walk that sacred journey that is often fought with trials and tribulations.
And so, it is fair to conclude that it is only through the grace of God that we come to believe. It is the power of God’s Holy Spirit planted within us that steers us to belief. God calls us. God chooses us before we choose Him – we are chosen before the foundation of the world and adopted as His children. God invites us – the initiative is His and not ours. It is He who knew us and formed us while we were still in our mother’s womb. It is He who has written our names in the palm of His hands. To His disciples (John 15:16) Jesus said, you did not choose me, but I chose you. Since we claim to be His disciples it is then reasonable to say that Jesus chose us! What an awesome privilege it is to be chosen and adopted as a child of God!
But, People who do not understand all of this “murmur” and complain. They fail to understand the infinite love that God has for humankind and so they constantly attack and question the will of God. There are many who will constantly oppose Jesus and while they do that, the enemy will be patting them on the back for a job well done. Jesus came as a King; He came as the son of God, hidden in the flesh of man so that He can befriend us; but His lowly birth and social status gave people an opportunity to “talk” and murmur and complain. “We know you, they said – aren’t you the son of that carpenter Joseph and was not Mary your mother?” If these same people spoke in this same manner about the Roman Emperor, they would have been toast. But both then and now, we have not thought twice about confronting a Holy and mighty God with all kinds of allegations - as if we stand on the same level or plane; sometimes even as if God is answerable to us! Many of us have also opened our mouths too wide in the matters of God. Many of us have dared to say things like “I am in such and such trouble, all because God is punishing me”. We accuse a loving God of doing horrible things. We are sometimes angry with Him for not answering our prayers – even though He might have answered it in a manner that we do not know or understand. We want Him to do what we want done and when this does not happen, God is no good or perhaps He does not even exist.
I am sure that many of those Jews who murmured that day lost a glorious opportunity to share eternity with Jesus. Friends, we must be careful not to make the same mistake. We must be careful not to put a question mark where God has put a period. If God said something, that settles it! You might recall the story of Job and how when he was down and out, he began to argue with God. God listened patiently for a long time and when He finally spoke up He asked Job “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world” ? It was then that Job realized how small he was in the presence of an Almighty God. With his head probably hanging low, Job replied saying: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know…… I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Heaven is God’s throne and earth is His footstool and therefore the right place for us to be is always at the feet of God!
It is easy to speak but very hard to take back misspoken words. It is like burting someone intentionally and then saying "I am sorry". This is more so in the matters of God. It is quite possible that some of you might be having a rough time and the tendency is to point a finger at God. I want you to remember that God wants the very best for you. He does not cause suffering but he has promised to be with you in your suffering. Do not look at yourself as being in a bad situation but rather see it as a situation that you are passing through; and you do not have to go it alone - take God with you.
May God in his grace give each one of us the courage and strength not to murmur or complain but to walk that sacred journey in the shadow of the cross, and with our eyes fixed on Jesus. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s own people who were called out of darkness into the marvelous light. To him and her who believe, the Son has promised eternal life - do not throw away that wonderful opportunity! Amen.
