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Christ's Discourse with the Multitude.
22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea
saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples
were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that
his disciples were gone away alone; 23 (Howbeit there came other boats from
Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had
given thanks:) 24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there,
neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking
for Jesus. 25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they
said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but
because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 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: for him hath God the Father sealed.
In these verses we have,
I. The careful enquiry which the people made after Christ, v. 23, 24. They saw
the disciples go to sea; they saw Christ retire to the mountain, probably with
an intimation that he desired to be private for some time; but, their hearts
being set upon making him a king, they way-laid his return, and the day
following, the hot fit of their zeal still continuing,
1. They were much at a loss for him. He was gone, and they knew not what was
become of him. They saw there was no boat there but that in which the disciples
went off, Providence so ordering it for the confirming of the miracle of his
walking on the sea, for there was no boat for him to go in. They observed also
that Jesus did not go with his disciples, but that they went off alone, and left
him among them on their side of the water. Note, Those that would find Christ
must diligently observe all his motions, and learn to understand the tokens of
his presence and absence, that they may steer accordingly.
2. They were very industrious in seeking him. They searched the places
thereabouts, and when they saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples
(neither he nor any one that could give tidings of him), they resolved to search
elsewhere. Note, Those that would find Christ must accomplish a diligent search,
must seek till they find, must go from sea to sea, to seek the word of God,
rather than live without it; and those whom Christ has feasted with the bread of
life should have their souls carried out in earnest desires towards him. Much
would have more, in communion with Christ. Now, (1.) They resolved to go to
Capernaum in quest of him. There were his head-quarters, where he usually
resided. Thither his disciples were gone; and they knew he would not be long
absent from them. Those that would find Christ must go forth by the footsteps of
the flock. (2.) Providence favoured them with an opportunity of going thither by
sea, which was the speediest way; for there came other boats from Tiberias,
which lay further off upon the same shore, nigh, though not so nigh to the place
where they did eat bread, in which they might soon make a trip to Capernaum, and
probably the boats were bound for that port. Note, Those that in sincerity seek
Christ, and seek opportunities of converse with him, are commonly owned and
assisted by Providence in those pursuits. The evangelist, having occasion to
mention their eating the multiplied bread, adds, After that the Lord had given
thanks, v. 11. So much were the disciples affected with their Master's giving
thanks that they could never forget the impressions made upon them by it, but
took a pleasure in remembering the gracious words that then proceeded out of his
mouth. This was the grace and beauty of that meal, and made it remarkable; their
hearts burned within them.
3. They laid hold of the opportunity that offered itself, and they also took
shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. They did not defer, in hopes
to see him again on this side the water; but their convictions being strong, and
their desires warm, they followed him presently. Good motions are often crushed,
and come to nothing, for want of being prosecuted in time. They came to
Capernaum, and, for aught that appears, these unsound hypocritical followers of
Christ had a calm and pleasant passage, while his sincere disciples had a rough
and stormy one. It is not strange if it fare worst with the best men in this
evil world. They came, seeking Jesus. Note, Those that would find Christ, and
find comfort in him, must be willing to take pains, and, as here, to compass sea
and land to seek and serve him who came from heaven to earth to seek and save
us.
II. The success of this enquiry: They found him on the other side of the sea, v.
25. Note, Christ will be found of those that seek him, first or last; and it is
worth while to cross a sea, nay, to go from sea to sea, and from the river to
the ends of the earth, to seek Christ, if we may but find him at last. These
people appeared afterwards to be unsound, and not actuated by any good
principle, and yet were thus zealous. Note, Hypocrites may be very forward in
their attendance on God's ordinances. If men have no more to show for their love
to Christ than their running after sermons and prayers, and their pangs of
affection to good preaching, they have reason to suspect themselves no better
than this eager crowd. But though these people were no better principled, and
Christ knew it, yet he was willing to be found of them, and admitted them into
fellowship with him. If we could know the hearts of hypocrites, yet, while their
profession is plausible, we must not exclude them from our communion, much less
when we do not know their hearts.
III. The question they put to him when they found him: Rabbi, when camest thou
hither? It should seem by v. 59 that they found him in the synagogue. They knew
this was the likeliest place to seek Christ in, for it was his custom to attend
public assemblies for religious worship, Luke iv. 16. Note, Christ must be
sought, and will be found, in the congregations of his people and in the
administration of his ordinances; public worship is what Christ chooses to own
and grace with his presence and the manifestations of himself. There they found
him, and all they had to say to him was, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? They
saw he would not be made a king, and therefore say no more of this, but call him
Rabbi, their teacher. Their enquiry refers not only to the time, but to the
manner, of his conveying himself thither; not only When, but, "How, camest thou
thither?" for there was no boat for him to come in. They were curious in asking
concerning Christ's motions, but not solicitous to observe their own.
IV. The answer Christ gave them, not direct to their question (what was it to
them when and how he came thither?) but such an answer as their case required.
1. He discovers the corrupt principle they acted from in following him (v. 26):
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I that search the heart, and know what is in
man, I the Amen, the faithful witness, Rev. iii. 14, 15. You seek me; that is
well, but it is not from a good principle." Christ knows not only what we do,
but why we do it. These followed Christ, (1.) Not for his doctrine's sake: Not
because you saw the miracles. The miracles were the great confirmation of his
doctrine; Nicodemus sought for him for the sake of them (ch. iii. 2), and argued
from the power of his works to the truth of his word; but these were so stupid
and mindless that they never considered this. But, (2.) It was for their own
bellies' sake: Because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled; not because
he taught them, but because he fed them. He had given them, [1.] A full meal's
meat: They did eat, and were filled; and some of them perhaps were so poor that
they had not known of a long time before now what it was to have enough, to eat
and leave. [2.] A dainty meal's meat; it is probable that, as the miraculous
wine was the best wine, so was the miraculous food more than usually pleasant.
[3.] A cheap meal's meat, that cost them nothing; no reckoning was brought in.
Note, Many follow Christ for loaves, and not for love. Thus those do who aim at
secular advantage in their profession of religion, and follow it because by this
craft they get their preferments. Quantis profuit nobis hæc fabula de Christo—This
fable respecting Christ, what a gainful concern we have made of it! said one of
the popes. These people complimented Christ with Rabbi, and showed him great
respect, yet he told them thus faithfully of their hypocrisy; his ministers must
hence learn not to flatter those that flatter them, nor to be bribed by fair
words to cry peace to all that cry rabbi to them, but to give faithful reproofs
where there is cause for them.
2. He directs them to better principles (v. 27): Labour for that meat which
endures to everlasting life. With the woman of Samaria he had discoursed of
spiritual things under the similitude of water; here he speaks of them under the
similitude of meat, taking occasion from the loaves they had eaten. His design
is,
(1.) To moderate our worldly pursuits: Labour not for the meat that perishes.
This does not forbid honest labour for food convenient, 2 Thess. iii. 12. But we
must not make the things of this world our chief care and concern. Note, [1.]
The things of the world are meat that perishes. Worldly wealth, honour, and
pleasure, are meat; they feed the fancy (and many times this is all) and fill
the belly. These are things which mean hunger after as meat, and glut themselves
with, and which a carnal heart, as long as they last, may make a shift to live
upon; but they perish, are of a perishing nature, wither of themselves, and are
exposed to a thousand accidents; those that have the largest share of them are
not sure to have them while they live, but are sure to leave them and lose them
when they die. [2.] It is therefore folly for us inordinately to labour after
them. First, We must not labour in religion, nor work the works thereof, for
this perishing meat, with an eye to this; we must not make our religion
subservient to a worldly interest, nor aim at secular advantages in sacred
exercises. Secondly, We must not at all labour for this meat; that is, we must
not make these perishing things our chief good, nor make our care and pains
about them our chief business; not seek those things first and most, Prov.
xxiii. 4, 5.
(2.) To quicken and excite our gracious pursuits: "Bestow your pains to better
purpose, and labour for that meat which belongs to the soul," of which he shows,
[1.] That it is unspeakably desirable: It is meat which endures to everlasting
life; it is a happiness which will last as long as we must, which not only
itself endures eternally, but will nourish us up to everlasting life. The
blessings of the new covenant are our preparative for eternal life, our
preservative to it, and the pledge and earnest of it.
[2.] It is undoubtedly attainable. Shall all the treasures of the world be
ransacked, and all the fruits of the earth gathered together, to furnish us with
provisions that will last to eternity? No, The sea saith, It is not in me, among
all the treasures hidden in the sand. It cannot be gotten for gold; but it is
that which the Son of man shall give; hen dosei, either which meat, or which
life, the Son of man shall give. Observe here, First, Who gives this meat: the
Son of man, the great householder and master of the stores, who is entrusted
with the administration of the kingdom of God among men, and the dispensation of
the gifts, graces, and comforts of that kingdom, and has power to give eternal
life, with all the means of it and preparatives for it. We are told to labour
for it, as if it were to be got by our own industry, and sold upon that valuable
consideration, as the heathen said, Dii laboribus omnia vendunt—The gods sell
all advantages to the industrious. But when we have laboured ever so much for
it, we have not merited it as our hire, but the Son of man gives it. And what
more free than gift? It is an encouragement that he who has the giving of it is
the Son of man, for then we may hope the sons of men that seek it, and labour
for it, shall not fail to have it. Secondly, What authority he has to give it;
for him has God the Father sealed, touton gar ho Pater esphragisen, ho Theos—for
him the Father has sealed (proved and evidenced) to be God; so some read it; he
has declared him to be the Son of God with power. He has sealed him, that is,
has given him full authority to deal between God and man, as God's ambassador to
man and man's intercessor with God, and has proved his commission by miracles.
Having given him authority, he has given us assurance of it; having entrusted
him with unlimited powers, he has satisfied us with undoubted proofs of them; so
that as he might go on with confidence in his undertaking for us, so may we in
our resignations to him. God the Father scaled him with the Spirit that rested
on him, by the voice from heaven, by the testimony he bore to him in signs and
wonders. Divine revelation is perfected in him, in him the vision and prophecy
is sealed up (Dan. ix. 24), to him all believers seal that he is true (ch. iii.
33), and in him they are all sealed, 2 Cor. i. 22.
Christ the True Bread from Heaven; Christ Welcomes All that Come to Him;
Necessity of Feeding upon Christ.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of
God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign
showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat. 32 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. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. 35 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. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe
not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him
that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews then
murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42
And they said, 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? 43 Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at
the last day. 45 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. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he
hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me
hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna
in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 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. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man
give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, 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. 59 These
things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Whether this conference was with the Capernaites, in whose synagogue Christ now
was, or with those who came from the other side of the sea, is not certain nor
material; however, it is an instance of Christ's condescension that he gave them
leave to ask him questions, and did not resent the interruption as an affront,
no, not from his common hearers, though not his immediate followers. Those that
would be apt to teach must be swift to hear, and study to answer. It is the
wisdom of teachers, when they are asked even impertinent unprofitable questions,
thence to take occasion to answer in that which is profitable, that the question
may be rejected, but not the request. Now,
I. Christ having told them that they must work for the meat he spoke of, must
labour for it, they enquire what work they must do, and he answers them, v. 28,
29. 1. Their enquiry was pertinent enough (v. 28): What shall we do, that we may
work the works of God? Some understand it as a pert question: "What works of God
can we do more and better than those we do in obedience to the law of Moses?"
But I rather take it as a humble serious question, showing them to be, at least
for the present, in a good mind, and willing to know and do their duty; and I
imagine that those who asked this question, How and What (v. 30), and made the
request (v. 34), were not the same persons with those that murmured (v. 41, 42),
and strove (v. 52), for those are expressly called the Jews, who came out of
Judea (for those were strictly called Jews) to cavil, whereas these were of
Galilee, and came to be taught. This question here intimates that they were
convinced that those who would obtain this everlasting meat, (1.) Must aim to do
something great. Those who look high in their expectations, and hope to enjoy
the glory of God, must aim high in those endeavours, and study to do the works
of God, works which he requires and will accept, works of God, distinguished
from the works of worldly men in their worldly pursuits. It is not enough to
speak the words of God, but we must do the works of God. (2.) Must be willing to
do any thing: What shall we do? Lord, I am ready to do whatever thou shalt
appoint, though ever so displeasing to flesh and blood, Acts ix. 6. 2. Christ's
answer was plain enough (v. 29): This is the work of God that ye believe. Note,
(1.) The work of faith is the work of God. They enquire after the works of God
(in the plural number), being careful about many things; but Christ directs them
to one work, which includes all, the one thing needful: that you believe, which
supersedes all the works of the ceremonial law; the work which is necessary to
the acceptance of all the other works, and which produces them, for without
faith you cannot please God. It is God's work, for it is of his working in us,
it subjects the soul to his working on us, and quickens the soul in working for
him, (2.) That faith is the work of God which closes with Christ, and relies
upon him. It is to believe on him as one whom God hath sent, as God's
commissioner in the great affair of peace between God and man, and as such to
rest upon him, and resign ourselves to him. See ch. xiv. 1.
II. Christ having told them that the Son of man would give them this meat, they
enquire concerning him, and he answers their enquiry.
1. Their enquiry is after a sign (v. 30): What sign showest thou? Thus far they
were right, that, since he required them to give him credit, he should produce
his credentials, and make it out by miracle that he was sent of God. Moses
having confirmed his mission by signs, it was requisite that Christ, who came to
set aside the ceremonial law, should in like manner confirm his: "What dost thou
work? What doest thou drive at? What lasting characters of a divine power does
thou design to leave upon thy doctrine?" But herein they missed it,
(1.) That they overlooked the many miracles which they had seen wrought by him,
and which amounted to an abundant proof of his divine mission. Is this a time of
day to ask, "What sign showest thou?" especially at Capernaum, the staple of
miracles, where he had done so many mighty works, signs so significant of his
office and undertaking? Were not these very persons but the other day
miraculously fed by him? None so blind as they that will not see; for they may
be so blind as to question whether it be day or no, when the sun shines in their
faces.
(2.) That they preferred the miraculous feeding of Israel in the wilderness
before all the miracles Christ wrought (v. 31): Our fathers did eat manna in the
desert; and, to strengthen the objection, they quote a scripture for it: He gave
them bread from heaven (taken from Ps. lxxviii. 24), he gave them of the corn of
heaven. What a good use might be made of this story to which they here refer! It
was a memorable instance of God's power and goodness, often mentioned to the
glory of God (Neh. xix. 20, 21), yet see how these people perverted it, and made
an ill use of it. [1.] Christ reproved them for their fondness of the miraculous
bread, and bade them not set their hearts upon meat which perisheth; "Why," say
they, "meat for the belly was the great good thing that God gave to our fathers
in the desert; and why should not we then labour for that meat? If God made much
of them, why should not we be for those that will make much of us?" [2.] Christ
had fed five thousand men with five loaves, and had given them that as one sign
to prove him sent of God; but, under colour of magnifying the miracles of Moses,
they tacitly undervalue this miracle of Christ, and evade the evidence of it.
"Christ fed his thousands; but Moses his hundreds of thousands; Christ fed them
but once, and then reproved those who followed him in hope to be still fed, and
put them off with a discourse of spiritual food; but Moses fed his followers
forty years, and miracles were not their rarities, but their daily bread: Christ
fed them with bread out of the earth, barley-bread, and fishes out of the sea;
but Moses fed Israel with bread from heaven, angel's food." Thus big did these
Jews talk of the manna which their fathers did eat; but their fathers had
slighted it as much as they did now the barley-loaves, and called light bread,
Num. xxi. 5. Thus apt are we to slight and overlook the appearances of God's
power and grace in our own times, while we pretend to admire the wonders of
which our fathers told us. Suppose this miracle of Christ was outdone by that of
Moses, yet there were other instances in which Christ's miracles outshone his;
and, besides, all true miracles prove a divine doctrine, though not equally
illustrious in the circumstances, which were ever diversified according as the
occasion did require. As much as the manna excelled the barley-loaves, so much,
and much more, did the doctrine of Christ excel the law of Moses, and his
heavenly institutions the carnal ordinances of that dispensation.
2. Here is Christ's reply to this enquiry, wherein,
(1.) He rectifies their mistake concerning the typical manna. It was true that
their fathers did eat manna in the desert. But, [1.] It was not Moses that gave
it to them, nor were they obliged to him for it; he was but the instrument, and
therefore they must look beyond him to God. We do not find that Moses did so
much as pray to God for the manna; and he spoke unadvisedly when he said, Must
we fetch water out of the rock? Moses gave them not either that bread or that
water. [2.] It was not given them, as they imagined, from heaven, from the
highest heavens, but only from the clouds, and therefore not so much superior to
that which had its rise from the earth as they thought. Because the scripture
saith, He gave them bread from heaven, it does not follow that it was heavenly
bread, or was intended to be the nourishment of souls. Misunderstanding
scripture language occasions many mistakes in the things of God.
(2.) He informs them concerning the true manna, of which that was a type: But my
Father giveth you the true bread from heaven; that which is truly and properly
the bread from heaven, of which the manna was but a shadow and figure, is now
given, not to your fathers, who are dead and gone, but to you of this present
age, for whom the better things were reserved: he is now giving you that bread
from heaven, which is truly so called. As much as the throne of God's glory is
above the clouds of the air, so much does the spiritual bread of the everlasting
gospel excel the manna. In calling God his Father, he proclaims himself greater
than Moses; for Moses was faithful but as a servant, Christ as a Son, Heb. iii.
5, 6.
III. Christ, having replied to their enquiries, takes further occasion from
their objection concerning the manna to discourse of himself under the
similitude of bread, and of believing under the similitude of eating and
drinking; to which, together with his putting both together in the eating of his
flesh and drinking of his blood, and with the remarks made upon it by the
hearers, the rest of this conference may be reduced.
1. Christ having spoken of himself as the great gift of God, and the true bread
(v. 32), largely explains and confirms this, that we may rightly know him.
(1.) He here shows that he is the true bread; this he repeats again and again,
v. 33, 35, 48-51. Observe, [1.] That Christ is bread is that to the soul which
bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life (is the staff of
it) as bread does the bodily life; it is the staff of life. The doctrines of the
gospel concerning Christ—that he is the mediator between God and man, that he is
our peace, our righteousness, our Redeemer; by these things do men live. Our
bodies could better live without food than our souls without Christ. Bread-corn
is bruised (Isa. xxviii. 28), so was Christ; he was born at Bethlehem, the house
of bread, and typified by the show-bread. [2.] That he is the bread of God (v.
33), divine bread; it is he that is of God (v. 46), bread which my Father gives
(v. 32), which he has made to be the food of our souls; the bread of God's
family, his children's bread. The Levitical sacrifices are called the bread of
God (Lev. xxi. 21, 22), and Christ is the great sacrifice; Christ, in his word
and ordinances, the feast upon the sacrifice. [3.] That he is the bread of life
(v. 35, and again, v. 48), that bread of life, alluding to the tree of life in
the midst of the garden of Eden, which was to Adam the seal of that part of the
covenant, Do this and live, of which he might eat and live. Christ is the bread
of life, for he is the fruit of the tree of life. First, He is the living bread
(so he explains himself, v. 51): I am the living bread. Bread is itself a dead
thing, and nourishes not but by the help of the faculties of a living body; but
Christ is himself living bread, and nourishes by his own power. Manna was a dead
thing; if kept but one night, it putrefied and bred worms; but Christ is ever
living, everlasting bread, that never moulds, nor waxes old. The doctrine of
Christ crucified is now as strengthening and comforting to a believer as ever it
was, and his mediation still of as much value and efficacy as ever. Secondly, He
gives life unto the world (v. 33), spiritual and eternal life; the life of the
soul in union and communion with God here, and in the vision and fruition of him
hereafter; a life that includes in it all happiness. The manna did only reserve
and support life, did not preserve and perpetuate life, much less restore it;
but Christ gives life to those that were dead in sin. The manna was ordained
only for the life of the Israelites, but Christ is given for the life of the
world; none are excluded from the benefit of this bread, but such as exclude
themselves. Christ came to put life into the minds of men, principles productive
of acceptable performances. [4.] That he is the bread which came down from
heaven; this is often repeated here, v. 33, 50, 51, 58. This denotes, First, The
divinity of Christ's person. As God, he had a being in heaven, whence he came to
take our nature upon him: I came down from heaven, whence we may infer his
antiquity, he was in the beginning with God; his ability, for heaven is the
firmament of power; and his authority, he came with a divine commission.
Secondly, The divine original of all that good which flows to us through him. He
comes, not only katabas—that came down (v. 51), but katabainoi—that comes down;
he is descending, denoting a constant communication of light, life, and love,
from God to believers through Christ, as the manna descended daily; see Eph. i.
3. Omnia desuper—All things from above. [5.] That he is that bread of which the
manna was a type and figure (v. 58), that bread, the true bread, v. 32. As the
rock that they drank of was Christ, so was the manna they ate of spiritual
bread, 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. Manna was given to Israel; so Christ to the spiritual
Israel. There was manna enough for them all; so in Christ a fulness of grace for
all believers; he that gathers much of this manna will have none to spare when
he comes to use it; and he that gathers little, when his grace comes to be
perfected in glory, shall find that he has no lack. Manna was to be gathered in
the morning; and those that would find Christ must seek him early. Manna was
sweet, and, as the author of the Wisdom of Solomon tells us (Wisd. xvi. 20), was
agreeable to every palate; and to those that believe Christ is precious. Israel
lived upon manna till they came to Canaan; and Christ is our life. There was a
memorial of the manna preserved in the ark; so of Christ in the Lord's supper,
as the food of souls.
(2.) He here shows what his undertaking was, and what his errand into the world.
Laying aside the metaphor, he speaks plainly, and speaks no proverb, giving us
an account of his business among men, v. 38-40.
[1.] He assures us, in general, that he came from heaven upon his Father's
business (v. 38), not do his own will, but the will of him that sent him. He
came from heaven, which bespeaks him an intelligent active being, who
voluntarily descended to this lower world, a long journey, and a great step
downward, considering the glories of the world he came from and the calamities
of the world he came to; we may well ask with wonder, "What moved him to such an
expedition?" Here he tells that he came to do, not his own will, but the will of
his Father; not that he had any will that stood in competition with the will of
his Father, but those to whom he spoke suspected he might. "No," saith he, "my
own will is not the spring I act from, nor the rule I go by, but I am come to do
the will of him that sent me." That is, First, Christ did not come into the
world as a private person, that acts for himself only, but under a public
character, to act for others as an ambassador, or plenipotentiary, authorized by
a public commission; he came into the world as God's great agent and the world's
great physician. It was not any private business that brought him hither, but he
came to settle affairs between parties no less considerable than the great
Creator and the whole creation. Secondly, Christ, when he was in the world, did
not carry on any private design, nor had any separate interest at all, distinct
from theirs for whom he acted. The scope of his whole life was to glorify God
and do good to men. He therefore never consulted his own ease, safety, or quiet;
but, when he was to lay down his life, though he had a human nature which
startled at it, he set aside the consideration of that, and resolved his will as
man into the will of God: Not as I will, but as thou wilt.
[2.] He acquaints us, in particular, with that will of the Father which he came
to do; he here declares the decree, the instructions he was to pursue.
First, The private instructions given to Christ, that he should be sure to save
all the chosen remnant; and this is the covenant of redemption between the
Father and the Son (v. 38): "This is the Father's will, who hath sent me; this
is the charge I am entrusted with, that of all whom he hath given me I should
lose none." Note, 1. There is a certain number of the children of men given by
the Father to Jesus Christ, to be his care, and so to be to him for a name and a
praise; given him for an inheritance, for a possession. Let him do all that for
them which their case requires; teach them, and heal them, pay their debt, and
plead their cause, prepare them for, and preserve them to, eternal life, and
then let him make his best of them. The Father might dispose of them as he
pleased: as creatures, their lives and beings were derived from him; as sinners,
their lives and beings were forfeited to him. He might have sold them for the
satisfaction of his justice, and delivered them to the tormentors; but he
pitched upon them to be the monuments of his mercy, and delivered them to the
Saviour. Those whom God chose to be the objects of his special love he lodged as
a trust in the hands of Christ. 2. Jesus Christ has undertaken that he will lose
none of those that were thus given him of the Father. The many sons whom he was
to bring to glory shall all be forth-coming, and none of them missing, Matt.
xviii. 14. None of them shall be lost, for want of a sufficient grace to
sanctify them. If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let
me bear the blame for ever, Gen. xliii. 9. 3. Christ's undertaking for those
that are given him extends to the resurrection of their bodies. I will raise it
up again at the last day, which supposes all that goes before, but this is to
crown and complete the undertaking. The body is a part of the man, and therefore
a part of Christ's purchase and charge; it pertains to the promises, and
therefore it shall not be lost. The undertaking is not only that he shall lose
none, no person, but that he shall lose nothing, no part of the person, and
therefore not the body. Christ's undertaking will never be accomplished till the
resurrection, when the souls and bodies of the saints shall be re-united and
gathered to Christ, that he may present them to the Father: Behold I, and the
children that thou has given me, Heb. ii. 13; 2 Tim. i. 12. 4. The spring and
original of all this is the sovereign will of God, the counsels of his will,
according to which he works all this. This was the commandment he gave to his
Son, when he sent him into the world, and to which the Son always had an eye.
Secondly, The public instructions which were to be given to the children of men,
in what way, and upon what terms, they might obtain salvation by Christ; and
this is the covenant of grace between God and man. Who the particular persons
were that were given to Christ is a secret: The Lord knows them that are his, we
do not, nor is it fit we should; but, though their names are concealed, their
characters are published. An offer is made of life and happiness upon gospel
terms, that by it those that were given to Christ might be brought to him, and
others left inexcusable (v. 40): "This is the will, the revealed will, of him
that sent me, the method agreed upon, upon which to proceed with the children of
men, that every one, Jew or Gentile, that sees the Son, and believes on him, may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up." This is gospel indeed, good
news. Is it now reviving to hear this? 1. That eternal life may be had, if it be
not our own fault; that whereas, upon the sin of the first Adam, the way of the
tree of life was blocked up, by the grace of the second Adam it is laid upon
again. The crown of glory is set before us as the prize of our high calling,
which we may run for and obtain. 2. Every one may have it. This gospel is to be
preached, this offer made, to all, and none can say, "It belongs not to me,"
Rev. xxii. 17. 3. This everlasting life is sure to all those who believe in
Christ, and to them only. He that sees the Son, and believes on him, shall be
saved. Some understand this seeing as a limitation of this condition of
salvation to those only that have the revelation of Christ and his grace made to
them. Every one that has the opportunity of being acquainted with Christ, and
improves this so well as to believe in him, shall have everlasting life, so that
none shall be condemned for unbelief (however they maybe for other sins) but
those who have had the gospel preached to them, who, like these Jews here (v.
36), have seen, and yet have not believed; have known Christ, and yet not
trusted in him. But I rather understand seeing here to mean the same thing with
believing, for it is theoron, which signifies not so much the sight of the eye
(as v. 36, heorakate me—ye have seen me) as the contemplation of the mind. Every
one that sees the Son, that is, believes on him, sees him with an eye of faith,
by which we come to be duly acquainted and affected with the doctrine of the
gospel concerning him. It is to look upon him, as the stung Israelites upon the
brazen serpent. It is not a blind faith that Christ requires, that we should be
willing to have our eyes put out, and then follow him, but that we should see
him, and see what ground we go upon in our faith. It is then right when it is
not taken up upon hearsay (believing as the church believes), but is the result
of a due consideration of, and insight into, the motives of credibility: Now
mine eye sees thee. We have heard him ourselves. 4. Those who believe in Jesus
Christ, in order to their having everlasting life, shall be raised up by his
power at the last day. He had it in charge as his Father's will (v. 39), and
here he solemnly makes it his own undertaking: I will raise him up, which
signifies not only the return of the body to life, but the putting of the whole
man into a full possession of the eternal life promised.
2. Now Christ discoursing thus concerning himself, as the bread of life that
came down from heaven, let us see what remarks his hearers made upon it.
(1.) When they heard of such a thing as the bread of God, which gives life, they
heartily prayed for it (v. 34): Lord, evermore give us this bread. I cannot
think that this is spoken scoffingly, and in a way of derision, as most
interpreters understand it: "Give us such bread as this, if thou canst; let us
be fed with it, not for one meal, as with the five loaves, but evermore;" as if
this were no better a prayer than that of the impenitent thief: If thou be the
Christ, save thyself and us. But I take this request to be made, though
ignorantly, yet honestly, and to be well meant; for they call him Lord, and
desire a share in what he gives, whatever he means by it. General and confused
notions of divine things produce in carnal hearts some kind of desires towards
them, and wishes of them; like Balaam's wish, to die the death of the righteous.
Those who have an indistinct knowledge of the things of God, who see men as
trees walking, make, as I may call them, inarticulate prayers for spiritual
blessings. They think the favour of God a good thing, and heaven a fine place,
and cannot but wish them their own, while they have no value nor desire at all
for that holiness which is necessary both to the one and to the other. Let this
be the desire of our souls; have we tasted that the Lord is gracious, been
feasted with the word of God, and Christ in the word? Let us say, "Lord,
evermore give us this bread; let the bread of life be our daily bread, the
heavenly manna our continual feast, and let us never know the want of it."
(2.) But, when they understood that by this bread of life Jesus meant himself,
then they despised it. Whether they were the same persons that had prayed for it
(v. 34), or some others of the company, does not appear; it seems to be some
others, for they are called Jews. Now it is said (v. 41), They murmured at him.
This comes in immediately after that solemn declaration which Christ had made of
God's will and his own undertaking concerning man's salvation (v. 39, 40), which
certainly were some of the most weighty and gracious words that ever proceeded
out of the mouth of our Lord Jesus, the most faithful, and best worthy of all
acceptation. One would think that, like Israel in Egypt, when they heard that
God had thus visited them, they should have bowed their heads and worshipped;
but on the contrary, instead of closing with the offer made them, they murmured,
quarrelled with what Christ said, and, though they did not openly oppose and
contradict it, yet they privately whispered among themselves in contempt of it,
and instilled into one another's minds prejudices against it. Many that will not
professedly contradict the doctrine of Christ (their cavils are so weak and
groundless that they are either ashamed to own them or afraid to have them
silenced), yet say in their hearts that they do not like it. Now, [1.] That
which offended them was Christ's asserting his origin to be from heaven, v. 41,
42. How is it that he saith, I came down from heaven? They had heard of angels
coming down from heaven, but never of a man, overlooking the proofs he had given
them of his being more than a man. [2.] That which they thought justified them
herein was that they knew his extraction on earth: Is not this Jesus the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know? They took it amiss that he should say
that he came down from heaven, when he was one of them. They speak slightly of
his blessed name, Jesus: Is not this Jesus. They take it for granted that Joseph
was really his father, though he was only reputed to be so. Note, Mistakes
concerning the person of Christ, as if he were a mere man, conceived and born by
ordinary generation, occasion the offence that is taken at his doctrine and
offices. Those who set him on a level with the other sons of men, whose father
and mother we know, no wonder if they derogate from the honour of his
satisfaction and the mysteries of his undertaking, and, like the Jews here,
murmur at his promise to raise us up at the last day.
3. Christ, having spoken of faith as the great work of God (v. 29), discourses
largely concerning this work, instructing and encouraging us in it.
(1.) He shows what it is to believe in Christ. [1.] To believe in Christ is to
come to Christ. He that comes to me is the same with him that believes in me (v.
35), and again (v. 37): He that comes unto me; so v. 44, 45. Repentance towards
God is coming to him (Jer. iii. 22) as our chief good and highest end; and so
faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ is coming to him as our prince and Saviour,
and our way to the Father. It denotes the out-goings of our affection towards
him, for these are the motions of the soul, and actions agreeable; it is to come
off from all those things that stand in opposition to him or competition with
him, and to come up to those terms upon which life and salvation are offered to
us through him. When he was here on earth it was more that barely coming where
he was; so it is now more than coming to his word and ordinances. [2.] It is to
feed upon Christ (v. 51): If any man eat of this bread. The former denotes
applying ourselves to Christ; this denotes applying Christ to ourselves, with
appetite and delight, that we may receive life, and strength, and comfort from
him. To feed on him as the Israelites on the manna, having quitted the fleshpots
of Egypt, and not depending on the labour of their hands (to eat of that), but
living purely on the bread given them from heaven.
(2.) He shows what is to be got by believing in Christ. What will he give us if
we come to him? What shall we be the better of we feed upon him? Want and death
are the chief things we dread; may we but be assured of the comforts of our
being, and the continuance of it in the midst of these comforts, we have enough;
now these two are here secured to true believers.
[1.] They shall never want, never hunger, never thirst, v. 35. Desires they
have, earnest desires, but these so suitably, so seasonably, so abundantly
satisfied, that they cannot be called hunger and thirst, which are uneasy and
painful. Those that did eat manna, and drink of the rock, hungered and thirsted
afterwards. Manna surfeited them; water out of the rock failed them. But there
is such an over-flowing fulness in Christ as can never be exhausted, and there
are such ever-flowing communications from him as can never be interrupted.
[2.] They shall never die, not die eternally; for, First, He that believes on
Christ has everlasting life (v. 47); he has the assurance of it, the grant of
it, the earnest of it; he has it in the promise and first-fruits. Union with
Christ and communion with God in Christ are everlasting life begun. Secondly,
Whereas they that did eat manna died, Christ is such bread as a man may eat of
and never die, v. 49, 50. Observe here, 1. The insufficiency of the typical
manna: Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. There may be
much good use made of the death of our fathers; their graves speak to us, and
their monuments are our memorials, particularly of this, that the greatest
plenty of the most dainty food will neither prolong the thread of life nor avert
the stroke of death. Those that did eat manna, angel's food, died like other
men. There could be nothing amiss in their diet, to shorten their days, nor
could their deaths be hastened by the toils and fatigues of life (for they
neither sowed nor reaped), and yet they died. (1.) Many of them died by the
immediate strokes of God's vengeance for their unbelief and murmurings; for,
though they did eat that spiritual meat, yet with many of them God was not
well-pleased, but they were overthrown in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x. 3-5. Their
eating manna was no security to them from the wrath of God, as believing in
Christ is to us. (2.) The rest of them died in a course of nature, and their
carcases fell, under a divine sentence, in that wilderness where they did eat
manna. In that very age when miracles were daily bread was the life of man
reduced to the stint it now stands at, as appears, Ps. xc. 10. Let them not then
boast so much of manna. 2. The all-sufficiency of the true manna, of which the
other was a type: This is the bread that cometh down from heaven, that truly
divine and heavenly food, that a man may eat thereof and not die; that is, not
fall under the wrath of God, which is killing to the soul; not die the second
death; no, nor the first death finally and irrecoverably. Not die, that is, not
perish, not come short of the heavenly Canaan, as the Israelites did of the
earthly, for want of faith, though they had manna. This is further explained by
that promise in the next words: If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for
ever, v. 51. This is the meaning of this never dying: though he go down to
death, he shall pass through it to that world where there shall be no more
death. To live for ever is not to be for ever (the damned in hell shall be for
ever, the soul of man was made for an endless state), but to be happy for ever.
And because the body must needs die, and be as water spilt upon the ground,
Christ here undertakes for the gathering of that up too (as before, v. 44, I
will raise him up at the last day); and even that shall live for ever.
(3.) He shows what encouragements we have to believe in Christ. Christ here
speaks of some who had seen him and yet believed not, v. 36. They saw his person
and miracles, and heard him preach, and yet were not wrought upon to believe in
him. Faith is not always the effect of sight; the soldiers were eye-witnesses of
his resurrection, and yet, instead of believing in him, they belied him; so that
it is a difficult thing to bring people to believe in Christ: and, by the
operation of the Spirit of grace, those that have not seen have yet believed.
Two things we are here assured of, to encourage our faith:—
[1.] That the Son will bid all those welcome that come to him (v. 37): Him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. How welcome should this word be to our
souls which bids us welcome to Christ! Him that cometh; it is in the singular
number, denoting favour, not only to the body of believers in general, but to
every particular soul that applies itself to Christ. Here, First, The duty
required is a pure gospel duty: to come to Christ, that we may come to God by
him. His beauty and love, those great attractives, must draw us to him; sense of
need and fear of danger must drive us to him; any thing to bring us to Christ.
Secondly, The promise is a pure gospel promise: I will in no wise cast out—ou me
ekbago exo. There are two negatives: I will not, no, I will not. 1. Much favour
is expressed here. We have reason to fear that he should cast us out.
Considering our meanness, our vileness, our unworthiness to come, our weakness
in coming, we may justly expect that he should frown upon us, and shut his doors
against us; but he obviates these fears with this assurance, he will not do it;
will not disdain us though we are mean, will not reject us though we are sinful.
Do poor scholars come to him to be taught? Though they be dull and slow, he will
not cast them out. Do poor patients come to him to be cured, poor clients come
to him to be advised? Though their case be bad, and though they come
empty-handed, he will in no wise cast them out. But, 2. More favour is implied
than is expressed; when it is said that he will no cast them out the meaning is,
He will receive them, and entertain them, and give them all that which they come
to him for. As he will not refuse them at their first coming, so he will not
afterwards, upon every displeasure, cast them out. His gifts and callings are
without repentance.
[2.] That the Father will, without fail, bring all those to him in due time that
were given him. In the federal transactions between the Father and the Son,
relating to man's redemption, as the Son undertook for the justification,
sanctification, and salvation, of all that should come to him ("Let me have them
put into my hands, and then leave the management of them to me"), so the Father,
the fountain and original of being, life, and grace, undertook to put into his
hand all that were given him, and bring them to him. Now,
First, He here assures us that this shall be done: All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, v. 37. Christ had complained (v. 36) of those who, though they
had seen him, yet would not believe on him; and then he adds this,
a. For their conviction and awakening, plainly intimating that their not coming
to him, and believing on him, if they persisted in it, would be a certain sign
that they did not belong to the election of grace; for how can we think that God
gave us to Christ if we give ourselves to the world and the flesh? 2 Pet. i. 10.
b. For his own comfort and encouragement: Though Israel be not gathered, yet
shall I be glorious. The election has obtained, and shall though multitudes be
blinded, Rom. xi. 7. Though he lose many of his creatures, yet none of his
charge: All that the Father gives him shall come to him notwithstanding. Here we
have, (a.) The election described: All that the father giveth me, pan ho didosi—every
thing which the Father giveth to me; the persons of the elect, and all that
belongs to them; all their services, all their interests. As all that he has is
theirs, so all that they have is his, and he speaks of them as his all: they
were given him in full recompense of his undertaking. Not only all persons, but
all things, are gathered together in Christ (Eph. i. 10) and reconciled, Col. i.
20. The giving of the chosen remnant to Christ is spoken of (v. 39) as a thing
done; he hath given them. Here it is spoken of as a thing in the doing; he
giveth them; because, when the first begotten was brought into the world, it
should seem, there was a renewal of the grant; see Heb. x. 5, &c. God was now
about to give him the heathen for his inheritance (Ps. ii. 8), to put him in
possession of the desolate heritages (Isa. xlix. 8), to divide him a portion
with the great, Isa. liii. 12. And though the Jews, who saw him, believed not on
him, yet these (saith he) shall come to me; the other sheep, which are not of
this fold, shall be brought, ch. x. 15, 16. See Acts xiii. 45-48. (b.) The
effect of it secured: They shall come to me. This is not in the nature of a
promise, but a prediction, that as many as were in the counsel of God ordained
to life shall be brought to life by being brought to Christ. They are scattered,
are mingled among the nations, yet none of them shall be forgotten; not a grain
of God's corn shall be lost, as is promised, Amos ix. 9. They are by nature
alienated from Christ, and averse to him, and yet they shall come. As God's
omniscience is engaged for the finding of them all out, so is his omnipotence
for the bringing of them all in. Not, They shall be driven, to me, but, They
shall come freely, shall be made willing.
Secondly, He here acquaints us how it shall be done. How shall those who are
given to Christ be brought to him? Two things are to be done in order to it:—
a. Their understandings shall be enlightened; this is promised, v. 45, 46. It is
written in the prophets, who spoke of these things before, And they shall be all
taught of God; this we find, Isa. liv. 13, and Jer. xxxi. 34. They shall all
know me. Note,
(a.) In order to our believing in Jesus Christ, it is necessary that we be
taught of God; that is, [a.] That there be a divine revelation made to us,
discovering to us both what we are to believe concerning Christ and why we are
to believe it. There are some things which even nature teaches, but to bring us
to Christ there is need of a higher light. [b.] That there be a divine work
wrought in us, enabling us to understand and receive these revealed truths and
the evidence of them. God, in giving us reason, teaches us more than the beasts
of the earth; but in giving us faith he teaches more than the natural man. Thus
all the church's children, all that are genuine, are taught of God; he hath
undertaken their education.
(b.) It follows then, by way of inference from this, that every man that has
heard and learned of the Father comes to Christ, v. 45. [a.] It is here implied
that none will come to Christ but those that have heard and learned of the
Father. We shall never be brought to Christ but under a divine conduct; except
God by his grace enlighten our minds, inform our judgments, and rectify our
mistakes, and not only tell us that we may hear, but teach us, that we may learn
the truth as it is in Jesus, we shall never be brought to believe in Christ.
[b.] That this divine teaching does so necessarily produce the faith of God's
elect that we may conclude that those who do not come to Christ have never heard
nor learned of the Father; for, if they had, doubtless they would have come to
Christ. In vain do men pretend to be taught of God if they believe not in
Christ, for he teaches no other lesson, Gal. i. 8, 9. See how God deals with men
as reasonable creatures, draws them with the cords of a man, opens the
understanding first, and then by that, in a regular way, influences the inferior
faculties; thus he comes in by the door, but Satan, as a robber, climbs up
another way. But lest any should dream of a visible appearance of God the Father
to the children of men (to teach them these things), and entertain any gross
conceptions about hearing and learning of the Father, he adds (v. 46): Not that
any man hath seen the Father; it is implied, nor can see him, with bodily eyes,
or may expect to learn of him as Moses did, to whom he spoke face to face; but
God, in enlightening men's eyes and teaching them, works in a spiritual way. The
Father of spirits hath access to, and influence upon, men's spirits, undiscerned.
The Father of spirits hath access to, and influence upon, men's spirits,
undiscerned. Those that have not seen his face have felt his power. And yet
there is one intimately acquainted with the Father, he who is of God, Christ
himself, he hath seen the Father, ch. i. 18. Note, First, Jesus Christ is of God
in a peculiar manner, God of God, light of light; not only sent of God, but
begotten of God before all worlds. Secondly, It is the prerogative of Christ to
have seen the Father, perfectly to know him and his counsels. Thirdly, Even that
illumination which is preparative to faith is conveyed to us through Christ.
Those that learn of the Father, forasmuch as they cannot see him themselves,
must learn of Christ, who alone hath seen him. As all divine discoveries are
made through Christ, so through him all divine powers are exerted.
b. Their wills shall be bowed. If the soul of man had now its original rectitude
there needed no more to influence the will than the illumination of the
understanding; but in the depraved soul of fallen man there is a rebellion of
the will against the right dictates of the understanding; a carnal mind, which
is enmity itself to the divine light and law. It is therefore requisite that
there be a work of grace wrought upon the will, which is here called drawing,
(v. 44): No man can come to me except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him.
The Jews murmured at the doctrine of Christ; not only would not receive it
themselves, but were angry that others did. Christ overheard their secret
whisperings, and said (v. 43), "Murmur not among yourselves; lay not the fault
of your dislike of my doctrine one upon another, as if it were because you find
it generally distasted; no, it is owing to yourselves, and your own corrupt
dispositions, which are such as amount to a moral impotency; your antipathies to
the truths of God, and prejudices against them, are so strong that nothing less
than a divine power can conquer them." And this is the case of all mankind: "No
man can come to me, can persuade himself to come up to the terms of the gospel,
except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him," v. 44. Observe, (a.) The nature
of the work: It is drawing, which denotes not a force put upon the will, whereby
of unwilling we are made willing, and a new bias is given to the soul, by which
it inclines to God. This seems to be more than a moral suasion, for by that it
is in the power to draw; yet it is not to be called a physical impulse, for it
lies out of the road of nature; but he that formed the spirit of man within him
by his creating power, and fashions the hearts of men by his providential
influence, knows how to new-mould the soul, and to alter its bent and temper,
and make it conformable to himself and his own will, without doing any wrong to
its natural liberty. It is such a drawing as works not only a compliance, but a
cheerful compliance, a complacency: Draw us, and we will run after thee. (b.)
The necessity of it: No man, in this weak and helpless state, can come to Christ
without it. As we cannot do any natural action without the concurrence of common
providence, so we cannot do any action morally good without the influence of
special grace, in which the new man lives, and moves, and has its being, as much
as the mere man has in the divine providence. (c.) The author of it: The Father
who hath sent me. The Father, having sent Christ, will succeed him, for he would
not send him on a fruitless errand. Christ having undertaken to bring souls to
glory, God promised him, in order thereunto, to bring them to him, and so to
give him possession of those to whom he had given him a right. God, having by
promise given the kingdom of Israel to David, did at length draw the hearts of
the people to him; so, having sent Christ to save souls, he sends souls to him
to be saved by him. (d.) The crown and perfection of this work: And I will raise
him up at the last day. This is four times mentioned in this discourse, and
doubtless it includes all the intermediate and preparatory workings of divine
grace. When he raises them up at the last day, he will put the last hand to his
undertaking, will bring forth the topstone. If he undertakes this, surely he can
do any thing, and will do every thing that is necessary in order to do it. Let
our expectations be carried out towards a happiness reserved for the last day,
when all the years of time shall be fully complete and ended.
4. Christ, having thus spoken of himself as the bread of life, and of faith as
the work of God, comes more particularly to show what of himself is this bread,
namely, his flesh, and that to believe is to eat of that, v. 51-58, where he
still prosecutes the metaphor of food. Observe, here, the preparation of this
food: The bread that I will give is my flesh (v. 51), the flesh of the Son of
man and his blood, v. 53. His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink
indeed, v. 55. Observe, also, the participation of this food: We must eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood (v. 53); and again (v. 54), Whoso
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood; and the same words (v. 56, 57), he that
eateth me. This is certainly a parable or figurative discourse, wherein the
actings of the soul upon things spiritual and divine are represented by bodily
actions about things sensible, which made the truths of Christ more intelligible
to some, and less so to others, Mark iv. 11-12. Now,
(1.) Let us see how this discourse of Christ was liable to mistake and
misconstruction, that men might see, and not perceive. [1.] It was misconstrued
by the carnal Jews, to whom it was first delivered (v. 52): They strove among
themselves; they whispered in each other's ears their dissatisfaction: How can
this man give us his flesh to eat? Christ spoke (v. 51) of giving his flesh for
us, to suffer and die; but they, without due consideration, understood it of his
giving it to us, to be eaten, which gave occasion to Christ to tell them that,
however what he said was otherwise intended, yet even that also of eating of his
flesh was no such absurd thing (if rightly understood) as prima facie—in the
first instance, they took it to be. [2.] It has been wretchedly misconstrued by
the church of Rome for the support of their monstrous doctrine of
transubstantiation, which gives the lie to our senses, contradicts the nature of
a sacrament, and overthrows all convincing evidence. They, like these Jews here,
understand it of a corporal and carnal eating of Christ's body, like Nicodemus,
ch. iii. 4. The Lord's supper was not yet instituted, and therefore it could
have no reference to that; it is a spiritual eating and drinking that is here
spoken of, not a sacramental. [3.] It is misunderstood by many ignorant carnal
people, who hence infer that, if they take the sacrament when they die, they
shall certainly go to heaven, which, as it makes many that are weak causelessly
uneasy if they want it, so it makes many that are wicked causelessly easy if
they have it. Therefore,
(2.) Let us see how this discourse of Christ is to be understood.
[1.] What is meant by the flesh and blood of Christ. It is called (v. 53), The
flesh of the Son of man, and his blood, his as Messiah and Mediator: the flesh
and blood which he assumed in his incarnation (Heb. ii. 14), and which he gave
up in his death and suffering: my flesh which I will give to be crucified and
slain. It is said to be given for the life of the world, that is, First, Instead
of the life of the world, which was forfeited by sin, Christ gives his own flesh
as a ransom or counterprice. Christ was our bail, bound body for body (as we
say), and therefore his life must go for ours, that ours may be spared. Here am
I, let these go their way. Secondly, In order to the life of the world, to
purchase a general offer of eternal life to all the world, and the special
assurances of it to all believers. So that the flesh and blood of the Son of man
denote the Redeemer incarnate and dying; Christ and him crucified, and the
redemption wrought out by him, with all the precious benefits of redemption:
pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the adoption of sons, access to the throne
of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life; these are called the
flesh and blood of Christ, 1. Because they are purchased by his flesh and blood,
by the breaking of his body, and shedding of his blood. Well may the purchased
privileges be denominated from the price that was paid for them, for it puts a
value upon them; write upon them pretium sanguinis—the price of blood. 2.
Because they are meat and drink to our souls. Flesh with the blood was
prohibited (Gen. ix. 4), but the privileges of the gospel are as flesh and blood
to us, prepared for the nourishment of our souls. He had before compared himself
to bread, which is necessary food; here to flesh, which is delicious. It is a
feast of fat things, Isa. xxv. 6. The soul is satisfied with Christ as with
marrow and fatness, Ps. lxiii. 5. It is meat indeed, and drink indeed; truly so,
that is spiritually; so Dr. Whitby; as Christ is called the true vine; or truly
meat, in opposition to the shows and shadows with which the world shams off
those that feed upon it. In Christ and his gospel there is real supply, solid
satisfaction; that is meat indeed, and drink indeed, which satiates and
replenishes, Jer. xxxi. 25, 26.
[2.] What is meant by eating this flesh and drinking this blood, which is so
necessary and beneficial; it is certain that is means neither more nor less than
believing in Christ. As we partake of meat and drink by eating and drinking, so
we partake of Christ and his benefits by faith: and believing in Christ includes
these four things, which eating and drinking do:—First, It implies an appetite
to Christ. This spiritual eating and drinking begins with hungering and
thirsting (Matt. v. 6), earnest and importunate desires after Christ, not
willing to take up with any thing short of an interest in him: "Give me Christ
or else I die." Secondly, An application of Christ to ourselves. Meat looked
upon will not nourish us, but meat fed upon, and so made our own, and as it were
one with us. We must so accept of Christ as to appropriate him to ourselves: my
Lord, and my God, ch. xx. 28. Thirdly, A delight in Christ and his salvation.
The doctrine of Christ crucified must be meat and drink to us, most pleasant and
delightful. We must feast upon the dainties of the New Testament in the blood of
Christ, taking as great a complacency in the methods which Infinite Wisdom has
taken to redeem and save us as ever we did in the most needful supplies or
grateful delights of nature. Fourthly, A derivation of nourishment from him and
a dependence upon him for the support and comfort of our spiritual life, and the
strength, growth, and vigour of the new man. To feed upon Christ is to do all in
his name, in union with him, and by virtue drawn from him; it is to live upon
him as we do upon our meat. How our bodies are nourished by our food we cannot
describe, but that they are so we know and find; so it is with this spiritual
nourishment. Our Saviour was so well pleased with this metaphor (as very
significant and expressive) that, when afterwards he would institute some
outward sensible signs, by which to represent our communicating of the benefits
of his death, he chose those of eating and drinking, and made them sacramental
actions.
(3.) Having thus explained the general meaning of this part of Christ's
discourse, the particulars are reducible to two heads:—
[1.] The necessity of our feeding upon Christ (v. 53): Except you eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. That is, First,
"It is a certain sign that you have no spiritual life in you if you have no
desire towards Christ, nor delight in him." If the soul does not hunger and
thirst, certainly it does not live: it is a sign that we are dead indeed if we
are dead to such meat and drink as this. When artificial bees, that by curious
springs were made to move to and fro, were to be distinguished from natural ones
(they say), it was done by putting honey among them, which the natural bees only
flocked to, but the artificial ones minded not, for they had no life in them.
Secondly, "It is certain that you can have no spiritual life, unless you derive
it from Christ by faith; separated from him you can do nothing." Faith in Christ
is the primum vivens—the first living principle of grace; without it we have not
the truth of spiritual life, nor any title to eternal life: our bodies may as
well live without meat as our souls without Christ.
[2.] The benefit and advantage of it, in two things:—
First, We shall be one with Christ, as our bodies are with our food when it is
digested (v. 56): He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, that lives by
faith in Christ crucified (it is spoken of as a continued act), he dwelleth in
me, and I in him. By faith we have a close and intimate union with Christ; he is
in us, and we in him, ch. xvii. 21-23; 1 John iii. 24. Believers dwell in Christ
as their stronghold or city of refuge; Christ dwells in them as the master of
the house, to rule it and provide for it. Such is the union between Christ and
believers that he shares in their griefs, and they share in his graces and joys;
he sups with them upon their bitter herbs, and they with him upon his rich
dainties. It is an inseparable union, like that between the body and digested
food, Rom. viii. 35; 1 John iv. 13.
Secondly, We shall live, shall live eternally, by him, as our bodies live by our
food.
a. We shall live by him (v. 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. We have here the
series and order of the divine life. (a.) God is the living Father, hath life in
and of himself. I am that I am is his name for ever. (b.) Jesus Christ, as
Mediator, lives by the Father; he has life in himself (ch. v. 26), but he has it
of the Father. He that sent him, not only qualified him with that life which was
necessary to so great an undertaking, but constituted him the treasury of divine
life to us; he breathed into the second Adam the breath of spiritual lives, as
into the first Adam the breath of natural lives. (c.) True believers receive
this divine life by virtue of their union with Christ, which is inferred from
the union between the Father and the Son, as it is compared to it, ch. xvii. 21.
For therefore he that eateth me, or feeds on me, even he shall live by me: those
that live upon Christ shall live by him. The life of believers is had from
Christ (ch. i. 16); it is hid with Christ (Col. iii. 4), we live by him as the
members by the head, the branches by the root; because he lives, we shall live
also.
b. We shall live eternally by him (v. 54): Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, as prepared in the gospel to be the food of souls, he hath eternal
life, he hath it now, as v. 40. He has that in him which is eternal life begun;
he has the earnest and foretaste of it, and the hope of it; he shall live for
ever, v. 58. His happiness shall run parallel with the longest line of eternity
itself.
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