John 6:35-40

A Journal Entry 3/13/06

³⁵Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

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Before this passage, Jesus is telling the people that are following Him that they need to seek bread that lasts for eternal life, not bread that spoils (this is after he has fed the 5,000). He takes them (through what He says to them) to a point of wanting, or feeling a need for this bread of eternal satisfaction, and then starts with John 6:35-40. Here He says He is this bread He speaks of (35), but they can’t have it because they have not believed in Him, even though he’s been there in front of them (36). He goes on to say that all that the Father gives to Him will come to Him (37), meaning He will not go and get people to follow him, but as the term follow implies, all who follow Him will do so on their own, having been called, or nudged by God (the Father). He goes further to say that He has not come to do His will but the Father’s will and the Father’s will is to “lose none of all the Father has given Him, but raise them up at the last day” and they shall have eternal life (38-40).

So, in short, Jesus tells the people they need this bread, which is Him, but they can’t have it, because they do not believe, and the only way they can believe is by the power of God’s calling. But to those who do believe, Jesus will receive them and will never let them go or turn them away, and even more than that, they will have eternal life!