Jesus had walked across the sea to Capernaum after feeding the 5,000. He got into a discussion with the people whom He feed on the other side of the sea and the people in Capernaum. In verse 35 Jesus makes an incredible declaration; He declares Himself God and Life when He says to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst”. Then He goes on to tell the people, “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe”. He declares that He is life itself but this life is not theirs because they do not believe. Like my daughter would say, “Wait, what?” You heard it right, Jesus says that He is life, and states metaphorically that whoever comes to Him and believes in Him will have life. Wait a minute, what happened to repeat this prayer after me, now if you said that prayer you are saved? What happened to you have a God sized hole in your heart that only Jesus can fill so except Him into your heart? Exactly, none of those clichés are in scripture, they are manmade! What we do find in scripture repeatedly is to have “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21) Now, Jesus told these people that even though they had seen Him with their eyes they didn’t believe. So who then can believe?
Verse 37 tells us how a person comes to believe, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” So what is a believer? A believer is a gift from God the Father to God the Son. And He says that all that the Father gives Him will come to Him. He doesn’t say that they might come to Him; it says they will come to Him. He doesn’t say I am standing with my arms wide open hoping that you will come, in very plain language He states, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” He also states what will happen to those who come to Him, He will keep them, “and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Now I have to tell you, this statement by Christ is one of the greatest in scripture. It lets us know who He is and who we are.
I have no delusions of who I am in this world; I am a man of little importance. If the Lord took me tonight there would be few people to even notice or even give a second thought to my departure from this world, except maybe my family and a couple of friends. But I and everyone who has come to Jesus by faith is a gift from God the Father to God the Son. Just think about that for a moment, let that sink in. You may be going through a time of depression and may feel insignificant in this world but if you have come to Jesus Christ by faith you are a gift from God the Father to God the Son, and Jesus says that He will keep you. I personally can’t think of anything more wonderful and amazing than that.
Jesus goes on to say in verse 38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Every believer is a gift from God the Father to God the Son, and God the Son was sent by God the Father to redeem His gift. And in verse 39 He tells us, “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” Then He summarizes in verse 40 stating, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” So let us summarize. Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to redeem those who God the Father gave Him as a gift. All that the Father gives Him will come to Him and everyone who comes to Jesus Christ by faith did so because they were given to Him by God the Father. Everyone who comes to Jesus Christ by faith Jesus Himself will raise up on the last day. How awesome is that? What an absolutely wonderful and amazing God that He would save a wretch like me.
Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ
