I am the good shepherd

Salvation Pictures in John

Chapters 9 & 10

I’m going through the Gospel According to John, seeing how Jesus spoke to people, and seeking to answer the question, How did he describe his offer of and our need for salvation? You can read the introduction here.

The pictures we have seen so far: new birth, serpent in the wilderness, living water, bread from heaven, rivers of living water, light, slavery, freedom, of God, of the devil, I am. 

Chapter 9
Jesus heals a man blind from birth, which causes quite a stir among the Jews. The entire chapter is about blindness and the refusal of the Pharisees to acknowledge him as Christ.

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. – Again, light. This appears to be one of the main emphases of Jesus.

39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
The man was literally blind. His blindness was physical as was his healing. But Jesus says this man is a picture of what he came to do. The Pharisees understand perfectly, Are we blind also? Jesus answers, “Yes, you are.” This fits so well with his emphasis on light, “I am the light of the world; I have come to give light to those who walk in darkness.”

Chapter 10
In 1-5 Jesus tells a parable about shepherds and sheep. They didn’t understand, so he gets to the point: I am the door of the sheep. Then he gets more specific, I am the good shepherd. As the shepherd he gives his life for the sheep; he knows his sheep and they know him.

The good shepherd – this is very powerful! He doesn’t say I am a good shepherd, but the good shepherd. He is referring to Ezekiel 34, where the Lord speaks about the then shepherds of Israel and how He will care for His sheep. After rebuking the shepherds for their lack of care he says, For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I will... I the Lord GOD will shepherd them. (the Lord GOD means the Lord Yahweh).

I will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.  
I will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick

The Lord GOD promised to shepherd his people – he is the good shepherd in the prophecy. When Jesus says he is the good shepherd, he is clearly referencing this passage, saying he is the fulfillment of this prophecy. What is really interesting is what Jesus goes on to say . . .

27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Talk about taking care of the sheep! Jesus really is the good shepherd!

29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30  I and my Father are one.
31  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
This is a rare occasion - the Jews understood completely what he meant!

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all – Amen! This is repeated throughout the New Testament, but does this being true detract anything from the Son? No. For as Jesus goes on to say . . .

I and my Father are one – literally this is, I and the Father are one. Not in person, for the Father must be a distinct person from the Son, and the Son a distinct person from the Father; and which is further manifest, from the use of the verb plural, "I and the Father", "we are one"; that is, in nature and essence, and perfections (John Gill)

One in nature, One in all the attributes of Godhead, and One in all the operations of those attributes: and so it is evident the Jews understood him. (Adam Clarke)

Jesus, the Son of the Father, is indeed the good shepherd spoken of in Ezekiel 34!

O how rich the teaching of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, the door of the sheepfold, the good shepherd. Amen!

If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

And many believed on him there.

Sunday with the Montagnards

Today we drove up to Charlotte to worship with the Montagnard Alliance Church. Now for the rest of the story.

The Montagnards are tribal people from the mountains of Vietnam. They became Christians through Christian & Missionary Alliance missionaries. During the Vietnam war they were allies of the US. Consequently, they were persecuted by the communists, both during and after the war. They were already mountain people, hence the name Montagnard (French for mountain), but with this persecution they were removed from their villages and wandered in the jungles for years. The Vietnamese Communist government eventually kicked them out of Vietnam and they were resettled in the United States. Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro to be precise. I was pastor of Bible Covenant Community Church in York at the time (1986-87) and remember getting the news that these folks were coming. We gathered a bunch of supplies (clothes, food, etc) and Charles Costner and I drove them up to North Ridge Church in Raleigh, the collection center. And of course we prayed for them. Thus began our relationship with the Montagnards.

Charles Long, Pastor of North Ridge, was a former missionary in Vietnam to the Jurai tribe of the Montagnard. Betty Mitchell, another former missionary in Vietnam, was in Greensboro (Rhade). Helen Evans, missionary in Vietnam to the Koho, came to Charlotte in 1987 to live with and minister to the Montagnards in Charlotte.

I had helped start the Charlotte Area Pastors Fellowship and Helen joined us. So I have known her for a long time. Soon a relationship developed with the church. She is a precious sister. This sister is 95 years old and still active in ministry! And she still drives. Uh, faster than me!!

Soon after she started bringing Pastor Giao to our fellowship. He has quite story: he was pastor of these wandering people in the jungles of Vietnam; when he moved here he resumed his pastorate; while in the jungle he and his wife were separated; for like 16 years! How separated? Neither knew if the other was alive. He was shepherding the people here, she was shepherding the people still in the jungle. He had a radio ministry that was being broadcast into Vietnam. One day she heard him on the radio and knew he was still alive!! Finally, after 20+ years of separation they were reunited. Praise God!

Anyway, we decided to assemble with them today. So, we drove up to Charlotte.

As we walked into the building an older man was standing in the foyer and greeted me. I reached out my hand and said, “My name is Jeff.” Mary said, “Jeff, this is Pastor Giao.” Oh man! We embraced with great joy!!! Honestly, I did not know he was still the pastor – he is 85 years old!

He led us down to where Helen was sitting (on the front row!). Then it was time for the service to begin.

At the very beginning of the service he made a big deal about us being there, asking us to stand up and introducing us to the congregation, “This is Pastor Jeff and his wife!”

The service began in English, but after a couple of choruses one of the pastors announced, “If you don’t understand our tongue, please go to the Sunday School building for the English service.” Ha! There was no way I was gonna do that! I was already overwhelmed by being with old time friends and also by being with a people whose amazing story I knew. I freely admit, I cried a lot during the service. I mean, when the four brothers came to the front to take the offering, Helen leaned over to Mary and said, “They represent three different tribes.” Amen!

Then it was time for the message. Pastor Giao preached in Koho and another brother, K’bats’ husband (K'bat is Mary's friend), translated into Rhade. There was not a single word I even came close to understanding, but it felt like heaven - After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Amen!

He was preaching through Galatians 5:13-26, verse by verse. Since they spoke Koho and Rhade I didn’t understand a word of what was said, but was blessed as I followed along in my Bible. Actually, I think I came to an understanding of the passage. Isn’t God good!

A couple of times he mentioned me during the message. I’m just visiting and he is honoring me! At one point he pointed at me and said, “Even Pastor Jeff needs the Holy Spirit.” Even Pastor Jeff??!!?? I need the Holy Spirit more than any of them there!!

At one point Helen explained to Mary, “He is asking anyone who wants the fruit of the Spirit to stand up.” How utterly cool is that? Then at the end he pointed to me and Helen said, “He wants you to go up there and bring the benediction.” What an unspeakable privilege! I am honored to be among these people, and with Helen and Pastor Giao, and he is honoring me. Me!???

After church, Mary and I and Helen went to The Saigon Palace for lunch then back to Helen’s for fellowship. What a day!!

Before Abraham was, I am

Pictures of Salvation in John

Chapter 7 & 8

I’m going through the Gospel According to John, seeing how Jesus spoke to people, and seeking to answer the question, How did he describe his offer of and our need for salvation? You can read the introduction here.

The pictures we have seen so far: new birth, serpent in the wilderness, living water, bread from heaven. Today I'm looking at chapters 7 and 8.

Chapter 7
The entire chapter is about Jesus in Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles.

37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” 

Once again Jesus speaks of water. In chapter 4 he said to the woman at the well, whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Jesus offers water for the thirsty soul, and the water he gives becomes a well of water bubbling up into everlasting life.

Here he once again speaks of being thirsty and coming to him to drink. But instead of a well of water, he says He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. “The river suggests the idea of fullness, magnitude, and abundance; spontaneous, free, and overflowing. And it is not merely a river, but rivers. It runs wherever it can find a channel...”  (A.B. Simpson).

But this spake he of the Spirit – There is a lot here worth pursuing!

which they that believe on him should receive – Beginning in Acts 2.

for the Holy Ghost was not yet – This is a very interesting expression. Does this mean he did not yet exist? Of course not! It means was not yet given, he had not yet come to be the other Comforter.

because that Jesus was not yet glorified – Joel prophesied, And it shall come to pass in the last days, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. This could not happen until Jesus was glorified.

Ah, when the day of Pentecost was fully come ... they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. After Peter said this fulfilled (Joel’s) prophecy he added, This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. Jesus is exalted and the Comforter has come! (see the hymn below, maybe you can sing with me?)

Chapter 8
1-11 Woman caught in adultery
12-20 The Pharisees accuse Jesus of bearing witness to himself. And what was that testimony?
12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Light is a common visual in this gospel. Jesus is called the light in chapters 1 and 3, but that is by John. This is the first time Jesus uses it. It obviously made a big impact on John.

21-29 Jesus speaks plainly to the Jews but they don’t understand.
Jesus makes two powerful statements (see below for more on this):

24  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.

28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am, and I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

30-59 Jesus speaks to those who believed on him; this leads to an extended discussion
30  As he spake these words, many believed on him.
31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33  They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
37  I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
46  Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47  He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

There is a lot of imagery here: Jesus spoke of being set free from servitude to sin; the Jews say they are Abraham’s seed, Jesus says, No, you’re not Abraham’s children, you do the deeds of your father; you are of your father the devil, you are not of God; if you were of God you would believe in me.

of God and of the devil – very rich expression; it speaks of who you belong to, your nature, and thus your actions. You can hear the echo from chapter 3 where he spoke of being “born of the Spirit”. He doesn’t use the phrase born again, but he is obviously talking about it, dwelling not on the act of being born again, but the consequences.

This means born again occurs in chapter 1, chapter 3, and here. And it is interesting that born again and light occur together in all three chapters.

48-59 The discussion escalates
The Jews accuse Jesus of "having a devil” (demon possessed). He says no and adds
51  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Is this not a beautiful promise!!

The Jews double down on their accusation:
52  Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53  Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

Jesus answers their question in 53 and his answer really sets them off:
56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw, and was glad.
57  Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59  Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Before Abraham was, I am – There was a time when Abraham was not; he began when he was conceived. Before Abraham was conceived, I am. He is not saying he was born before Abraham, like Abraham was born before Moses, but "Abraham had a beginning; I am." This is a reference to Exodus 3:14, “I Am The One Who Is” (LXX). This is the third time in this chapter Jesus uses the phrase, I am. This is an amazing statement, I am. Who is Jesus? He says he is the I am. I am what, though? God! They would have understood this, too. And earlier he had emphasized, if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.

Wow! What a chapter! How rich! Chapter 7 is not too shabby either! Such imagery: rivers of living water, light, slavery, freedom, of God, of the devil, I am. Amen!

Francis “Frank” Bottome (1823-1894) was born in Derbyshire, England, but later immigrated to the United States where he became a Methodist Episcopal minister. His preaching and his song writing gained him notoriety because both were filled with deep, rich doctrine of the Christian faith. He wrote the words to more than 50 songs, many of them about the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.

The answer is, Yes!

Meditations of an Orthodox Priest is one of the many blogs I follow. Ted Bobosh (Fr. Ted) is the author and is a priest in the Orthodox Church in America. Every once in a while he has some interesting things to say. I found this post to be really sad. First the blog, then my reaction.

Do You Really Want to Know God’s Will?

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

One day I was alone in prayer at the church.  Struggling with knowing what God’s will was for me.  Kneeling before God with a heavy heart, I asked for His guidance. Then came to me this question:

“Do you really want to know what God’s will is?”

My initial reaction was a joyful “yes! of course!”   My life would be easier if I knew what God’s will was for me.  But then a calmer and wiser word came to mind.  I had to think.   If I knew God’s will and did it, then I wouldn’t disappoint God again by following my own way and not God’s.

But a more compelling thought came to my mind.  “NO!  I don’t want to know.” For if I don’t know God’s will and fail to do it, I can plead ignorance and ask for mercy.  But if I know God’s will and can’t or don’t do it or, even worse, won’t do it, then I have no excuse for not doing it, and little justification for asking for mercy.  Indeed, God’s will really is above and beyond my understanding, and there are simple commandments (like the Thessalonians passage above that I can do).

What a strange view of the will of God, especially for a leader in the church! What is so sad?

First of all, I get the impression he has an ambivalent view of the will of God, that it might not be all that good. Paul, on the other hand, describes the will of God as good, and acceptable, and perfect.

His gif for the will of God, suggests that it is mainly negative. I believe it is more like the photo on the right. See the bright light up ahead? The will of God leads to a good place.

“NO! I don’t want to know.” For if I don’t know God’s will and fail to do it, I can plead ignorance and ask for mercy – I confess, I simply don’t understand this. This is contrary to the entire gospel: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, that I might know Him, walk with Him, have fellowship with Him. And now I am willing to live in ignorance of what pleases Him???

But if I know God’s will and can’t do it This is really sad. Is it possible or even conceivable that God would make His will known to me and leave me unable to do it? NO! God’s will is not always going to be easy, but it comes with the promise of grace to enable me to perform it:

Now the God of peace…Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him ... that ye may know ... what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think

being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform

Yes. Yes! YES! Through prayer, faith, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, God will enable us to walk in His ways. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

And then there’s this, Indeed, God’s will really is above and beyond my understanding. Really? Paul directly contradicts him, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. And, we ... do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will. I can know the will of God. In fact, it is the will of God that I know the will of God!

There are simple commandments (like the Thessalonians passage above that I can do). Oh, now he’s confident that he can rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in every thing give thanks in his own strength? That’s funny. But seriously, he is on to something. Kenneth Copeland used to say, The will of God is the Word of God and the Word of God is the will of God. Basically this means I need to spend more time learning and doing what is written. What is the benefit of praying to know God’s unrevealed will when I’m not doing His already revealed will?

Ah, but aren’t there are specific, personal situations that aren’t covered in the Word? What do I do then? Pray to know His will, of course! But this doesn’t negate making a decision.

Here’s the situation: you are faced with a big decision; you’ve searched the Scriptures and found nothing that speaks directly to it. Pray and ask direction. As you wait on God for guidance, compare the benefits and drawbacks, seek counsel, trust God to guide you. Then, when you reach the time to decide, if God hasn’t revealed anything to you, make a decision, trusting God to make His will known through circumstances. Did you know God is more than able to work out His will in your life? Even through decisions you make. And, He is willing and able to reveal His will to you when you need to know. God is awesome like that.

I can know the will of God, God wants me to know the will of God. God will work His will out in my life when I’m fully surrendered, and ask Him, and trust Him. On top of that, the revelation of His will comes with grace to do that will. God is good like that.

What if my study of the Word reveals that I am not doing His will? Or, I learn His will and after a season I fail in my doing of that will? Ah, grace. If I repent and confess my sin, He will forgive me. Then if I submit to Him and set my heart to do His will, He will give me grace to do it. Yeah, God is loving like that.

Do I really want to know God’s will? Yes!! The will of God is good, and it is the best and safest place I can be.

The Bread of Life

Salvation Pictures in John

Chapters 5 & 6

Chapter 5
This entire chapter is the account of Jesus healing a blind man and subsequent discourse to the Jews.

1-9 Jesus heals a man which had an infirmity thirty and eight years
10-15 The Jews question the man, because the healing took place on the sabbath
16-47 Discourse to the Jews; no visuals, he plainly refers to himself as the Son of the Father

-The Son can do nothing of himself, whatever the Father does, the Son does.
-The Father raises the dead, and quickeneth them; the Son quickeneth whom he will.
-The Father has committed all judgment unto the Son
-The Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself

28-29 He moves from spiritual life to the resurrection.
30-47 John, his miracles, and the Father bear witness to Jesus, as do the Scriptures

This chapter is exceedingly powerful! Jesus speaks plainly.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Chapter 6
This is a long chapter, but another powerful one.
1-15 Jesus feeds 5,000 with 5 loaves of barley bread and two fish
16-21 Jesus and his disciples cross to the other side of the sea
22-58 The Bread of Life
22-25 The multitude follow Jesus across the sea
26-29 Jesus’ response to those seeking him – You just want your bellies filled
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.
Beautiful picture! They were focused on physical food and the work required to obtain it, so Jesus takes that and says, “Don’t work for the food that spoils, work for the food I give, which endures unto everlasting life.”

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Like the woman at the well they are now interested, “What is the work of God, so we can have plenty of food?” Jesus says, "The work of God is believe on him whom he sent – me."

30-31 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest 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.
These people are unbelievable. They had sought him because of the miracle of the loaves and fishes and now they ask, “What work do you have to support your claim? You talk about food, God gave our fathers bread from heaven.”

32-33 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
“No, Moses did not give them bread from heaven. My Father gives the true bread from heaven.” He subtly refers to himself as the bread of God.

34-40 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

41-51 The Jews murmur at him and he again declares he is the bread of life
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Only now he really pushes them, “The bread that I will give is my flesh.”

52-58 The Jews become more agitated and Jesus presses them even more!
How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 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.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Jesus is not content with simply calling himself the bread of life, he now focuses on eating this bread, which he said was his flesh. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Then in v 54 he makes this picture even more graphic. In vs 31, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 the word for eat is φάγω (phago), it means to eat or consume, and is the regular word for eating food. Then in v 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, he uses a different word, τρώγω (trogo), which means to gnaw, crunch, chew !!!

59-71 He loses many disciples because of this.
When the twelve are questioned, Peter answers, 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.

Wow! What a vivid, powerful, beautiful picture – I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. We need to eat food to live and bread was considered the stuff of life. Jesus takes this and applies it to himself, I am the bread of life. He satisfies and fulfills (never hunger, never thirst); even better, he gives eternal life to those who eat this bread and will raise them up at the last day!

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood. How do we eat and drink? Augustine said, “For to believe in Him is to eat the living bread. He that believes eats; he is sated invisibly, because invisibly is he born again.” I think he was on to something! As Jesus said, he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Now, another question remains: Does this say anything about Communion? I believe it does.

“For what you see is simply bread and a cup - this is the information your eyes report. But your faith demands far subtler insight: the bread is Christ's body, the cup is Christ's blood. As the prophet says, "Unless you believe, you will not understand." (Is. 7.9 LXX) So how can bread be his body? And what about the cup? How can it (or what it contains) be his blood? My friends, these realities are called sacraments because in them one thing is seen, while another is grasped. What is seen is a mere physical likeness; what is grasped bears spiritual fruit.” ~Augustine

New birth, serpent in the wilderness, living water, and now bread from heaven. Jesus' teaching truly was rich in imagery!

I am the living bread which came down from heaven

if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever

and the bread that I will give is my flesh 

which I will give for the life of the world

A well of water

Salvation Pictures in John

Chapter 4

I’m going through the Gospel According to John, seeing how Jesus spoke to people, and seeking to answer the question, How did he describe his offer of and our need for salvation? You can read the introduction here. Today it is John 4.

1-42 Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well
4-6  And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7, 9  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
You talking to me? Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along, so she is understandably shocked that he even spoke to her.

10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
This is really cool. He ignores her question, overlooks her animosity, and gets straight to the point – "You should be asking me for a drink." He appeals to her curiosity, if you knew, and speaks to her need, living water.

11-12  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
"Now, where are you going to get living water?" She is not impressed yet, but she in interested.

13-14  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus continues with the water picture and compares the water from this well Jacob dug to the water he offers: “Take a drink from this ancient and respectable well and you will be refreshed, but you’ll get thirsty again. Take a drink from the water I’m offering and you will never thirst again. In fact you will have a well inside of you, a well springing up into everlasting life.” What a beautiful picture!

15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
She is interested now! But she still doesn’t quite understand. Jesus is speaking about spiritual things, eternal things, and all she can focus on is the physical and temporal.

16-18  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. 
Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
And then Jesus goes and ruins it by talking about her husband. He had her interested and talking to him and then he hits a nerve. On purpose. Is he saying that in order to be saved she has to have her husband on board? No. She had said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.” He is showing her her thirst: she is living in sin and he wants her to confess her sin, to own it so she can forsake it - you can’t drink living water if you are still drinking stagnant water.

19-24  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
She tries to dodge the personal issue by raising a theological question, one that divided Jews and Samaritans, “Where is the proper place to worship?” Jesus answers her question. Isn’t this cool? She had a hard time understanding living water and here he is giving her deep spiritual truth! Ah, but there is a slight rebuke – ye worship ye know not what. He keeps poking her sores!

25-26  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
She is stung by his rebuke and responds, "Well, I know that Messiah is coming." And this is really cool, Jesus tells this Samaritan woman, "I am Messiah."
It is hard to capture the force of what Jesus says to her. She says, “I know Messiah is coming,” he answers, “I am the one who is speaking to you.” Wow! Isn’t it amazing the things Jesus reveals to the hungry, seeking heart!

Jesus meets a woman and talks to her about water. He offers her living water, that is, spring water, as opposed to dead, stagnant water contained in ponds, pools, tanks, or cisterns. Salvation is like water: refreshing, satisfying, life giving; take a drink of his water and you will have a spring inside of you, bubbling up into everlasting life. Beautiful.


There flows from Calvary a stream
For every sinner’s pain,
And he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never thirst again.

What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again;
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again,
For he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again.
What! Never Thirst Again? by May Agnew Stephens (1865-1935)