Dear Friends,
At the beginning of Chapter 6, Jesus multiplied five barley loaves and two small fish to feed five thousand men. This miracle sparked a coup d’état of sorts, the goal of which was to overthrow the Roman government by installing Jesus as the king of Israel. The problem with this plan, of course, is that by definition a king is sovereign over his subjects, not vice versa. They simply wanted to use Jesus as a figurehead to advance their political agenda. Jesus therefore removed Himself and his disciples from the situation. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, the disciples then found themselves in the midst of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Not to worry though, when we left off last week, Jesus had just found the disciples and teleported them safely to shore. Meanwhile, more people start coming out of the woodwork to look for Jesus.
Give us understanding as we read your word, Father, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
John 6:22-36
22 ¶ The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
News of the free food brought ships from Tiberias on the other side of the sea. It was well known that Jesus based his ministry out of Capernaum, so that is where they went. Just as they suspected, Jesus and the disciples were in Capernaum.
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
The implication behind their question was ‘why didn’t you tell us where you were going?’ I can almost see their faces as they ask Jesus when camest thou hither? Jesus knows exactly what they mean. He uses the opportunity to tell them not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. Using the miracle of the loaves and fishes as a teaching tool, Jesus begins to explain to them who He is and what is really important; ie how they can receive Him, know Him, and abide in Him. It appears that the rest of the chapter is a sermon that takes place in a synagogue. (John 6:59)
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
The Bible says that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 4:30; et al) I cannot say for sure that is the type of seal that Jesus is referring to here, but Christ does literally mean ‘Anointed One’. I personally believe that Jesus was the first to ever receive this seal, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God’s stamp of approval. Ever since the first Pentecost following the resurrection, it has been our privilege as believers to be sealed as well.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Maybe you find yourself saying, I have received Christ as my personal Saviour and I am still hungry and thirsty. There is a lot of suffering in the world and there are a lot of Christians who are suffering. No question. However, do not make the mistake of confusing what Jesus is saying in a spiritual sense with what He is saying in a literal sense. That is what the people to whom Jesus is speaking did. (v 52) That is what Nicodemus did. (John 3:4) That is what the woman at the well did. (John 4:15) There is a deeper need in the human heart that transcends physical needs. This primary problem with the human condition is that sin has separated us from God. That is what Jesus is talking about. As for our physical needs, God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus… For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
John 6:22-36
The problem with these people was that they were in the flesh. Not only was free food their primary motivation for following Jesus, but when He points this out to them, they immediately ask Him about works. (v 28) Christians who are in the flesh always emphasize works. Christians who are in the Spirit always emphasize grace (unmerited favor) through faith, ie belief. Jesus tells them This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Still focusing on the free food, they bring up the issue of the manna that God gave them following the Exodus from Egypt. The manna came down from heaven for thirty-eight years. It appears they are challenging Jesus to keep the free food coming. In other words, if He really is the Prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18, He should have no problem repeating the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Now we are getting to the heart of the matter. Like the loaves and fishes, the manna was given as an object lesson. (Deut 8:3) Jesus is the true bread from heaven. Just as they needed to eat the manna every day to survive, we need to meditate on the word every day. The key Jesus is emphasizing is that we need to believe it. The enemy, Satan, therefore bombards us with sophistry, philosophy, vain deceit, and lies of all sorts attempting to destroy our faith in the word of God. As the chapter continues, Jesus will further develop his message. The point I want to focus on this week is that we need to strengthen our faith in the word of God. This requires labor. (John 6:27; 1 Tim 5:17; 2 Tim 2:15) Not only do we need to believe it for ourselves, but we need to understand it well enough to explain it to others and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: One of the ways we can do this is by using the acronym MAPC (pronounced maps):
Manuscript Evidence — The manuscript evidence for the Bible far surpasses all other forms of ancient literature. (See chart below.)
Archeological Evidence — One of my favorite places to find documentation on archeological evidence for the Bible is Halley’s Bible Handbook. (More here.)
Prophecy Evidence — The Bible is the only book that writes down history before it happens. (Eg, the Bible said Israel would become a nation again.)
Changed Lives — The Bible is the only book that consistently changes the lives of those who read it for the better, even those who appear to be beyond saving.
If you share your testimony with people and list these four reasons why we can trust the Bible as the only source of truth that is 100% reliable, you will get them thinking. People do not typically spend much time thinking about why they believe what they believe. When you provide solid reasons for believing the Bible, you offer a lifeline to the lost. Father, we know and believe that your Son is coming soon. Help us, Father, to withstand in the evil day, fully clothed in your armor, having done all to stand. We love You and we trust You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Coronavirus Update: The news out of India over the last week has been that COVID is causing the mortality rate to skyrocket. Having lived in India, this story is important to me and I think I have a unique perspective. First of all, before the pandemic even began, many people in India were already borderline anemic because Hindus do not eat meat. Even Indians that do eat meat get very little red meat and therefore have insufficient iron levels. When you add to that the fact that the lockdowns (not to mention Modi’s war on cash) have collapsed the economy, you have a population that has not gotten proper nutrition, thereby causing them to have weakened immune systems. This makes them vulnerable to viruses of all kinds. Therefore, it is the lockdowns that are killing people, not COVID. The media showed pictures of funeral pyres in Delhi to create fear. Funeral pyres might look scary to people in the West but there is nothing unusual about them in India. Outdoor cremation is not an extreme measure. It’s the way they have been doing it for thousands of years. (I found it curious that there were no bodies visible in the pictues posted by CNN. I saw several pyres while living in India and the body was always clearly visible. If the pictures were staged, it would not be the first time CNN was caught staging fake scenes.)
I remember turning to a coworker on Day 1 of the lockdowns, over a year ago, and telling her ‘This is madness. The economy cannot function if everyone stays in their houses.’ Well here we are a year later, and it is developing countries that are suffering the most. If you do not get red meat or dark meat regularly you should take iron supplements. They are available online or at the chemist without a prescription. Incidentally, there is more evidence emerging confirming what Dr Coleman warned about in the prophecy update I posted on March 18. People who are taking the ‘vaccines’ are in turn shedding worse viruses, thereby infecting the rest of us and making women infertile. Therefore, it is important for all of us to boost our immune systems. Besides my multivitamin, I take 1 gram of vitamin C, 125 mcg of vitamin D, and 40,000 IU of A. I have increased my dose of zinc to 100 mg, which is about the max for someone like me who weighs 185 lbs. (Zinc can cause major problems if you take too much.) After I began taking zinc last year, I made it through an entire winter without a sore throat for the first time ever. I don’t believe wearing a mask could have yielded this result. Watch this interesting video about weird fibers found in surgical masks.
Joe Biden has responded to the crisis in India by sending them more Astra Zeneca ‘vaccines’ — the same ‘vaccine’ that still has not been approved for use in the US and has been halted or banned in countries around the world because of deaths that follow the jab. I’m reminded of how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation used the Oral Polio Vaccine in India, even though it had been banned in the US, which resulted in tens of thousands of cases of Indian kids being paralyzed. COVID is a depopulation program, plain and simple. If you are not aware of this, use the Isaiah menu above to find and read Coronavirus Part 6. The virus itself is not dangerous to young people or adults with healthy immune systems. Older people are at risk, but by and large, it is the ‘vaccines’ — which are not vaccines — and policies that have resulted from COVID that are being used for depopulation, with developing countries being affected the worst. Make no mistake though, hyperinflation is coming soon to a town near you. Agenda 2030 will affect everyone, but I trust in Christ. He is able, but just as our physical bodies need essential nutrients for a healthy immune system, our spiritual bodies need the bread of life to function properly as well. Without the bread of life we can die spiritually. Therefore, I read my Bible every day. (John 8:31f)
