They Did Not Believe John 6:22-46 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Jesus had used the miracle of feeding the five thousand as an opportunity to get the Jews to believe that he is the one who could give them eternal life, not just temporal life from the bread. But they didn’t believe him. They just wanted the bread. Their god was their belly. There are people like that in the pulpit. Paul said “they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” Their mind was on the wrong thing. The body has a limited life but a loud voice.
The problem with these people was the same problem that many people have today: they couldn’t see past their stomach. The whole purpose of feeding them was to get them to believe. They could have survived without eating that day.
They asked how to do God’s work. Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Many religions make people work for salvation. This is contrary to what the Bible says (Romans 4:5). Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Here’s what the folks didn’t believe:
They didn’t believe his miracles
It’s the nature of the human mind to think about earthly things. In Mark 8:14-16 Jesus gave them a warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and they thought he was talking about their lack of bread.
In verse 30, the people ask him for a sign, so they can believe. The day before, Jesus had taught, healed the sick, and miraculously provided enough food for 5000 people. If they didn’t believe after that, no sign would make them believe. Their attention was on the wrong thing. Jesus says in Matthew 6:31 to “take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” He says further in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first thekingdomofGod, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Get your mind off earthly matters and seek thekingdomofGod.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
They didn’t believe Moses
Moses didn’t give them the manna. God did (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). Jesus gave them the words of eternal life. They should have been looking for the prophet that was promised in Deuteronomy 18:18. It wasn’t about the manna; it was about the words of God.
They didn’t believe his deity
John6:33“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” Jesus is the bread that he wanted them to have. They asked for it, but couldn’t accept it because they couldn’t believe. Many peoples’ salvation is linked with bread, like a wafer. The bread can’t save you; only Jesus can!
They didn’t believe his resurrection
John 6:39 “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” The resurrection is the most important part of the plan of salvation.
Matt 22:31-32 “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
They didn’t believe in his virgin birth or the inspiration of scripture
John 6:41-42: “The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 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?” The Jews didn’t understand how he could be from heaven, because they didn’t believe. In John 8:45-46 Jesus told them the truth, but they didn’t believe him.