8th Feb 2011

John 6:25-59 – Jesus the Bread of Life.

• “Why not doing a miracle brings the greatest faith ”
• As this is connected to tomorrow’s passage I will say only a little here.
• What is odd here is Jesus’ unwillingness to help certain members of his audience understand; especially when it seems His teaching was all about encouraging insight.
• The more they could not understand the more their discomfort grew with what He said.
1. grumbling v42
2. disputing v52
3. refusal v60
4. rejection v66
•  I wonder if it was that He did not want them to understand because of the conclusion they would still come to?
• Their demand for a greater miracle than the one they had just seen Him do and their incorrect praise of Moses as the miracle worker reminds me of children who play one parent off against another to try and get a better present.
• It is as though they are asking Jesus to impress them and if He does better than Moses they will believe him.
• There is no point passing on understanding if our hearts are bad.
• In fact for understanding to take root it is planted in our minds but has to take root in our hearts.
• Instead it seems Jesus decides to allow their discontent to grow because what comes next teaches us an even greater lesson.
• The Bible teaches that God hardens people hearts in various places in the Bible. Doing so leads to either their near destruction and therefore a desperation to turn to him or it leads to others learning from their mistake.
• Either way it glorifies Him.
• In other words; sometimes not doing a miracle brings the greater glory to God.
• Playing for a good heart.