When the Good News Reveals the Bad News

John 6 is a powerful chapter that gives us a picture of all of History in a single snapshot.

John 6 gives us a snapshot of human history, the good news and the bad news: 

✔ Because of Christ’s healing miracles, people follow Him, and He feeds 5000 (John 6:1-13). 

✔ They want to make Jesus an earthly king, so He slips away (John 6:14-15). 

✔ The next day, the crowd searches for Jesus and finds Him (John 6:22-25). 

✔ Jesus tells them that the only reason they’ve followed Him is to get a free lunch. They’ve missed the point of His miracles (John 6:26). 

✔ When Jesus explains that God has sent Him, they tell Him to prove it by giving them manna like Moses did (John 6:27-31). 

✔ Jesus explains that God is giving them something better than manna: “I am the bread of life.” He says, “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:32-40).

✔ The crowd grumbles (John 6:41-42). 

✔ Jesus shares deeper truths about Himself, and many of His own disciples abandon Him (John 6:43-66). 

✔ But the twelve stand firm. They don't fully understand Christ's mission, but they trust Him (John 6:67-69).

This is a snapshot of human history, and we see it today.

Many people are grumbling against biblical teachings and leaving the church because all they wanted was a free lunch—i.e., benefits & blessings (1 John 2:19). But the remnant stands firm (1 Corinthians 15:58).  

💙💙💙 To read about the people leaving the church today, see Wilderness Wanderers and Why People Fall Away. I think you'll also appreciate the message of these 1-minute devotions: Will We Be Popular if We Are Christlike? and Righteousness Has Never Been Popular.

Christ’s “I Am” statements are incredibly important because they describe His Personhood in important ways. I’ve mentioned one of those statements in this devotion, but on Friday, I'll explain it more fully.

John 6 is a powerful chapter that gives us a picture of all of History in a single snapshot.


Bible Love Notes

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