Christ knew that a turning point in His history was reached. Multitudes who desired to exalt Him to the throne today would turn from Him tomorrow. Disappointment of selfish ambition would turn love to hatred, and praise to curses.
(HLv 254.1)
Yet He took no measures to avert the crisis. From the first He had held out no hope of earthly rewards. Of those now connected with Him, many had been attracted by hope of a worldly kingdom. These must be undeceived.
(HLv 254.2)
Early next morning the people flocked to Bethsaida in great numbers. Those who had left Jesus the preceding night returned, expecting to find Him still there; for there had been no boat by which He could pass to the other side. But their search was fruitless.
(HLv 254.3)
Meanwhile He had arrived at Gennesaret, after an absence of but one day. Those who had come from Bethsaida learned from His disciples how He had crossed the sea. The fury of the storm, the many hours of adverse winds, Christ walking on water, His reassuring words, the adventure of Peter, the sudden stilling of the tempest and landing of the boat, all were faithfully recounted to the wondering crowd. Not content with this, many hoped to receive from Christ’s own lips a further account of the miracle.
(HLv 254.4)
Jesus did not gratify their curiosity. He sadly said, “Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” Seek not merely for material benefit, but for spiritual food.
(HLv 254.5)
For the moment the interest of the hearers was awakened. “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Their question meant, What shall we do that we may deserve heaven? What price are we required to pay in order to obtain the life to come?
(HLv 255.1)
Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” The price of heaven is Jesus. The way to heaven is through faith in the Lamb of God.
(HLv 255.2)
Jesus had done the very work prophecy had foretold the Messiah would do, but the people had not witnessed what their selfish hopes had pictured as His work. In the days of Moses Israel had been fed with manna forty years, and far greater blessings were expected from the Messiah. Why could Jesus not give health, strength, and riches to all His people, free them from their oppressors, and exalt them to power and honor? He claimed to be the Sent of God, yet refused to be Israel’s king. This was a mystery they could not fathom. Did He dare not assert His claims because He Himself doubted the divine character of His mission?
(HLv 255.3)
Half mockingly a rabbi questioned: “What sign showest Thou then, that we may see, and believe Thee? what dost Thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
(HLv 255.4)
“Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven.” The giver of the manna was standing among them. Christ Himself had led the Hebrews and had daily fed them with the bread from heaven. That food was a type of the real bread from heaven. The life-giving Spirit is the true manna. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” RSV.
(HLv 255.5)
Still thinking it was temporal food, some exclaimed, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Jesus then spoke plainly, “I am the bread of life.”
(HLv 256.1)
Moses had said, “Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3. And Jeremiah had written, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” Jeremiah 15:16. The teaching of the prophets made plain the spiritual lesson in the miracle of the loaves. Had Christ’s hearers in the synagogue understood the Scriptures, they would have understood His words, “I am the bread of life.” As the multitude had received physical strength from the bread He had given them the day before, so from Christ they might receive spiritual strength unto eternal life. “He that cometh to Me,” He said, “shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” But he added, “Ye also have seen Me, and believe not.”
(HLv 256.2)
They had seen Christ by the witness of the Holy Spirit, by the revelation of God to their souls. The living evidences of His power had been before them day after day, yet they asked for still another sign. If they were not convinced by what they had seen and heard, it was useless to show them more marvelous works. Unbelief will ever find excuse for doubt, and will reason away the most positive proof.
(HLv 256.3)
Again Christ appealed to those stubborn hearts: “Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out.” All who received Him in faith, He said, should have eternal life. No longer need men mourn in hopeless grief over their dead. “This is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
(HLv 256.4)
But the leaders were offended. “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?” Referring scornfully to the lowly origin of Jesus, they contemptuously alluded to His family as being poor and lowly. The claims of this uneducated carpenter, they said, were unworthy of their attention. On account of His mysterious birth they insinuated that He was of doubtful parentage.
(HLv 256.5)
Jesus did not attempt to explain the mystery of His birth, as He had made no answer to the questions concerning His crossing the sea. Voluntarily He had made Himself of no reputation and taken the form of a servant. But His words and works revealed His character.
(HLv 257.1)
The prejudice of the Pharisees had its root in the perversity of their hearts. Every word and act of Jesus aroused antagonism in them; for the spirit they cherished could find in Him no answering chord.
(HLv 257.2)
“No one can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him... . It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me.” None will ever come to Christ, save those who respond to the drawing of the Father’s love. But God is drawing all hearts unto Him, and only those who resist His drawing will refuse to come to Christ. Those who had learned of God had been listening to His Son, and in Jesus of Nazareth they would recognize Him who had declared the Father.
(HLv 257.3)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” And Jesus said, “I will raise him up at the last day.” Christ became one flesh with us, that we might become one spirit with Him. By virtue of this union we are to come forth from the grave, because through faith His life has become ours. Those who see Christ and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. Through the Spirit, Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received by faith, is the beginning of life eternal.
(HLv 257.4)
The manna which the fathers ate in the wilderness did not prevent death nor insure immortality, but the bread of heaven would nourish the soul unto everlasting life. The Saviour said, “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” Only through dying could Christ impart life to men, and He points to His death as the means of salvation: “The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
(HLv 257.5)
In the symbol of the Passover lamb the Jews did not discern the Lord’s body. The same truth was taught in the words of Christ, but it was still undiscerned.
(HLv 258.1)
Now the rabbis exclaimed angrily, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” To some extent they comprehended the meaning of Jesus, but by misconstruing His words, hoped to prejudice the people against Him.
(HLv 258.2)
Christ reiterated the truth in yet stronger language: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him.”
(HLv 258.3)
What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless it becomes a part of our being. So a theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Christ. His life, His love, His grace, must be assimilated.
(HLv 258.4)
“As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.” So fully was Jesus surrendered to the will of God that the Father alone appeared in His life. Although tempted in all points like as we are, He stood untainted by the evil that surrounded Him. Thus we also are to overcome as Christ overcame.
(HLv 258.5)
Are you a follower of Christ? Then all that is written concerning the spiritual life may be attained through uniting yourself to Jesus. Has your first love grown cold? Accept again the love of Christ. Eat of His flesh, drink of His blood, and you will become one with the Father and with the Son.
(HLv 258.6)
By ritual law the Jews were forbidden to taste blood, and they now construed Christ’s language into sacrilegious speech. Many even of the disciples said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
(HLv 259.1)
The Saviour answered them: “Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
(HLv 259.2)
The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. By His word Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be the source of their power.
(HLv 259.3)
As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the Word of God. As we must eat for ourselves, so we must receive the Word of ourselves. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His Word. We should take one verse, ascertain the thought God has put in that verse for us, and dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own.
(HLv 259.4)
In His promises and warnings, Jesus means me. God so loved the world, that He gave His Son, that I by believing in Him, might not perish, but have everlasting life. The experiences related in God’s Word are to be my experiences. Prayer and promise are mine. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. As faith thus assimilates the principles of truth, they become a part of the being and the motive power of the life. The Word molds the thoughts and enters into the development of character.
(HLv 259.5)
God will make precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. As they feed on His Word, they find it is spirit and life. The Word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit comes as a Comforter. By God’s grace, the disciple becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven.
(HLv 260.1)
Christ knew the character of those who claimed to be His disciples, and His words tested their faith. He declared that they were to believe and act on His teaching and be conformed to His character. This involved the relinquishment of cherished ambitions. It required complete surrender to Jesus. They were called to become self-sacrificing, meek and lowly in heart, to walk in the narrow path traveled by the Man of Calvary.
(HLv 260.2)
The test was too great. The enthusiasm of those who had sought to take Jesus by force and make Him king grew cold. This discourse had opened their eyes. No earthly rewards were to be realized from connection with Him. They had welcomed His miracle-working power but would not come into sympathy with His self-sacrificing life. If He would not obtain their freedom from the Romans, they would have nothing to do with Him.
(HLv 260.3)
Jesus told them plainly, “There are some of you that believe not,” adding, “Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father.” If they were not drawn to Him, it was because their hearts were not open to the Holy Spirit.
(HLv 260.4)
By the public rebuke of their unbelief, these disciples were still further alienated from Jesus. Wishing to wound the Saviour and gratify the malice of the Pharisees, they turned their backs on Him and left Him with disdain. They had made their choice; they walked no more with Jesus.
(HLv 260.5)
By the words of truth, the chaff was being separated from the wheat. See Matthew 3:12. Because they were too self-righteous to receive reproof, many turned away. Souls are tested today as were those disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum. When truth is brought home to the heart, they see the need of an entire change, but are not willing to take up the self-denying work. They go away offended, murmuring, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
(HLv 261.1)
When the crowds follow and the multitudes are fed and the shouts of triumph are heard, their voices are loud in praise; but when God’s Spirit reveals sin and bids them leave it, they turn their backs on the truth.
(HLv 261.2)
As those disaffected disciples turned away, a different spirit took control of them. They could see nothing attractive in Christ whom they had once found so interesting. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives, gathering up every item that could be turned against Him. Such indignation was stirred up by these false reports that His life was in danger.
(HLv 261.3)
The news spread swiftly that by His own confession Jesus of Nazareth was not the Messiah. Thus in Galilee the popular feeling turned against Him, as, the year before, it had been in Judea. Israel rejected their Saviour because they wanted the food which perishes, not that which endures unto everlasting life.
(HLv 261.4)
With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been His disciples depart. His compassion unappreciated, His love unrequited, His salvation rejected—this filled Him with inexpressible sorrow. Such developments as these made Him “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3.
(HLv 261.5)
Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving, Jesus turned to the Twelve and said, “Will ye also go away?”
(HLv 261.6)
Jesus turned to the Twelve and said, “Will ye also go away?”
(HLv 262.0)
Peter replied by asking, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
(HLv 262.1)
“To whom shall we go?” The disciples had found more peace and joy since they had accepted Christ than in all their previous lives. How could they go back to those who scorned and persecuted the Friend of sinners?
(HLv 262.2)
“To whom shall we go?” To the darkness of unbelief, the wickedness of the world? Peter expressed the faith of the disciples—“Thou art that Christ.” To be destitute of a Saviour was to be adrift on a dark and stormy sea.
(HLv 262.3)
Every word and act of Jesus had its definite purpose in the work of our redemption. While we cannot now comprehend the ways of God, we can discern His great love which underlies all His dealings with men. He who lives near to Jesus will recognize the mercy that tests the character and brings to light the purpose of the heart.
(HLv 262.4)
Jesus knew what would be the result of His words. He foresaw that His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion would be to His beloved disciples a most trying ordeal. Had no previous test been given, many actuated by merely selfish motives would have been connected with them. When their Lord was condemned, when the multitude who had hailed Him as their king hissed at Him and reviled Him, when the jeering crowd cried, “Crucify Him!”—these self-seeking ones would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have brought on the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening sorrow in addition to their grief and disappointment in the ruin of their fondest hopes. The example of those who turned from Him might have carried others with them. But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.
(HLv 262.5)
Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test!
(HLv 263.1)