Who Is Jesus To You?

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? John 6:35-42

Have you ever had someone say something to you that was so unexpected that your first response was, “This can’t be real.”

• That’s what Jesus had just done here to the crowd of people that He was talking to.

Now let’s go back and put this into the context of the Scripture:

• The day before, Jesus had been teaching a huge crowd of people across the lake.

• The day grew long and the people grew hungry.

• The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people home so that they could get something to eat; but Jesus said, “No, you feed them.”

• They found a young boy there whose momma had packed him a lunch of five loaves of bread & two fish, which he willingly gave to Jesus.

• Jesus blessed the food, and gave it to the disciples to pass out to the crowd.

• Everyone ate all that they could, and there were 12 baskets leftover.

Later, Jesus sends the disciples across the lake and he goes off alone to pray.

• When He’s through, Jesus comes walking on the water to the disciples, gets in the boat with them and they go on to Capernaum.

• The next morning, the people that were still around, see that Jesus has gone and so they get into boats and go looking for Him.

• Here they find Him and are speaking with Him.

I). It’s here that Jesus makes that startling statement to them.

A). Now if you remember, Jesus had just told them that God the Father is the one who gives the true bread that comes from Heaven.

• They had been talking about the bread (manna) that fell from Heaven, that Moses gave the people in the wilderness during the Exodus.

• Jesus tells them that it wasn’t Moses who gave them that bread ~ but God!

B). Jesus then tells them that the “true bread” of God which comes from heaven gives life to the world.

• What’s their response? “Give us some of that bread!”

C). Then Jesus goes and says it: (read v. 35)

• You can just about picture those people’s jaws dropping open!

• I can hear several of them whispering: “What did he just say? He doesn’t really believe that does he? Who does He think he is?”

II). You know that’s what they were saying, just skip down to verse 41: (read vv. 41,42)

A). They complained about Him because He said that He was the bread of life that came down from heaven.

• They murmured! Aren’t you glad that we don’t have any murmuring in the church today!

• The literal translation is that they said, “bitter things.”

• Christians never say bitter things against others do they? We would never say bittier things against anyone else!

• It’s the same word in the Hebrew that is used in the Old Testament when the children of Israel murmured against Moses.

B). What did they murmur: “You didn’t come down from heaven…you’re Mary and Joseph’s boy! We know your momma and daddy!”

• I think there’s a lot of people like that today: People who think that they know Jesus, but have no idea who He really is!

C). What’s Jesus’ response: He tells them to stop it (v. 43)

• I wonder if Jesus ever just wanted to say, “Will ya’ll just shut up!”

• Stop it! Stop murmuring! (I think that’s a good lesson for the church today).

III). Then Jesus shares with them, and us, some very important things about Himself and God the Father!

A). God’s “job” in our salvation is bringing us to Jesus! (v. 44)

• This sounds like some kind of predestination teaching (and unfortunately is taught by some preachers as predestination), but that’s not what Jesus is saying.

• What Jesus is saying here is that we don’t “find” or “accept” God ~ He finds us and has already accepted us.

• How do we know? Because in the next verse Jesus quotes Isaiah 54:13 that says that the road to salvation is open to everyone (read v. 45).

• God initiates the action ~ Jesus would say it another way in Revelation 3:20: “Behold I stand at the door and knock…”

B). Then Jesus shares with us HIS part in all of this, and this is back in verse 44 (read).

• Jesus says, the words and deeds of the Father in the Old Testament, with Moses, the prophets and others, was to bring you to Me; now MY roles is to bring you everlasting life!

• And Jesus re-emphasizes that in verse 47 (read).

C). So again, Jesus tells them that He is the bread of life ~ and he reminds them of the difference between His bread and manna (read vv. 48-51)