63 The Spirit is who makes alive. The flesh does not profit anything. The words which I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life. John 6:63 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)
Apart from my normal preparations and Bible study to put these devotions and articles together, I also do a systematic read through of the Bible every year. Today I read 2 Kings 12-16 and John 6, which, on Saturdays, I usually do from my 1560 Edition of the Geneva Bible….
The rampant apostasy in both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah was horrifying to read. King Ahaz of Judah actually sacrificed his own son(s) to idols. I am sure things were just as bad, if not worse, in the Northern Kingdom. It was almost with relief that I came to the end of 2 Kings 16 and went to the New Testament. However, the Apostle John is someone I can identify with very well. I have been accused by many who know me well of not being able to compromise at all. I have no grey areas. Things are either right or wrong. I agree with that assessment to a point and I see the same sort of view of non-compromising adherence to the truth with the Apostle John. However, let us not forget that what he wrote for us in God’s Word is that very thing. We are reading the inspired Word of God and in John 6, the very words of our Lord are, for the most part, in response to His critics who were in the darkness of unbelief.
John Chapter 6 is usually broken down into four parts. The first part, vv1-15, is John’s account of our Lord’s feeding of the Five Thousand, which is recorded in all four Gospels: cf. Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17 and here. The second part, vv16-21, is John’s account of Jesus walking on the water. The third part, vv 22-59, is a dialogue between our Lord and the crowd, whom He had miraculously fed the day before, who came to find him in Capernaum. In this passage, our Lord utilizes some “hard preaching” to keep people from seeking Him simply to have their felt needs met and also to drive away those who would seek to force Him to be their King. It is this section that He makes very clear that it is God who is in complete control of who believes and who doesn’t. The last section, vv60-71, is the very end of our Lord’s dialogue between Himself and the multitude as they turn away from His “hard preaching.” After this, our Lord turns to His disciples and asks if they wish to leave Him as well. Peter responds that in Jesus only are the words of eternal life and so the 12 remain, but Jesus responds that even within them is one who is a devil. John Chapter 6 is usually broken down into four parts. The first part, vv1-15, is John’s account of our Lord’s feeding of the Five Thousand, which is recorded in all four Gospels: cf. Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17 and here. The second part, vv16-21, is John’s account of Jesus walking on the water. The third part, vv 22-59, is a dialogue between our Lord and the crowd, whom He had miraculously fed the day before, who came to find him in Capernaum. In this passage, our Lord utilizes some “hard preaching” to keep people from seeking Him simply to have their felt needs met and also to drive away those who would seek to force Him to be their King. It is this section that He makes very clear that it is God who is in complete control of who believes and who doesn’t. The last section, vv60-71, is the very end of our Lord’s dialogue between Himself and the multitude as they turn away from His “hard preaching.” After this, our Lord turns to His disciples and asks if they wish to leave Him as well. Peter responds that in Jesus only are the words of eternal life and so the 12 remain, but Jesus responds that even within them is one who is a devil.