Sunday School Lesson
March 15
Lesson 3 (KJV)
Consequences for Injustice
Devotional Reading: Psalm 130
Background Scripture: Habakkuk 2
Habakkuk 2:6–14
6. Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
7. Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
8. Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on
high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
10. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
13. Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. List some characteristics and consequences of injustice.
2. Contrast “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” with human knowledge and its consequences.
3. Make a plan to exchange unholy human thought for “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” in one regard in the week ahead.
HOW TO SAY IT
| Babylonians | Bab-ih-low-nee-unz. |
| Chaldeans | Kal-dee-unz. |
| Coniah | Ko-nye-uh. |
| Edom | Ee-dum. |
| Habakkuk | Huh-back-kuk. |
| Obadiah | O-buh-dye-uh. |
| seraphim | sair-uh-fim. |
| Zechariah | Zek-uh-rye-uh. |
Introduction
A. Gone with the Fire
One of the most riveting scenes in the classic movie Gone with the Wind is the burning of Atlanta. The scene is incredible to watch—the intensity of the flames, the collapse of all the buildings. As the city burns, Rhett Butler says to Scarlett O’Hara, “There goes the last of the Old South.” Everything they had amassed was gone with the fire.
The destruction of all that Judah had amassed took several years to accomplish. However, when God had finished with His discipline of the people, the old Judah was just as surely gone.
B. Lesson Context
Today’s lesson is taken once again from the writings of the prophet Habakkuk (see lesson 2). The Lesson Context from last week’s study therefore applies, and so that material need not be repeated here. Even so, more can be said. Habakkuk 2 begins with Habakkuk’s description of himself standing watch on a tower to wait for the Lord’s response to his objections (Habakkuk 2:1). The Lord tells Habakkuk to record on tablets the “vision” he is about to receive so that a messenger can deliver it (2:2). Though the prophecy could be read and understood easily, it was ambiguous regarding its timing. But when the time came, events unfolded quickly (2:3).
The Lord also described the lawless, arrogant attitude and lifestyle of the typical Chaldean leader (Habakkuk 2:4, 5). In this way, God emphasized that He was not unaware of their faults; nevertheless, He had work for them to do.
I. First Woe
(Habakkuk 2:6–8)
A. Unbridled Greed (v. 6)
6a. Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say.
Him refers to the Babylonian Empire, personified as a single representative person. The Babylonians are the same as the Chaldeans (Ezekiel 23:15). The word these refers to nations and people who are the victims of the Chaldeans’ aggression and brutality (Habakkuk 2:5). The Chaldeans will experience an unpleasant role reversal: the people they victimize will be in a position to ridicule them (see also Isaiah 23:13).
The Hebrew word translated parable can also be rendered “proverb” (examples: 1 Kings 4:32; Proverbs 1:1; Ezekiel 12:22). In certain contexts, the word can take on negative overtones, such as “byword” (example: Psalm 44:14). In context, Habakkuk describes a mocking kind of speech, perhaps similar to what is referred to today as trash talk. It is only fitting that such language be directed toward the Chaldeans, a people who have become renowned for ravaging other peoples and their lands and possessions.
6b. Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his!
Woe introduces judgment (Amos 5:18; see lesson 1). This particular woe is the first of five within Habakkuk 2 (see also Habakkuk 2:9, 12, 15, and 19). The judgment introduced is directed against the one who takes what is not his, a clear violation of Israel’s eighth commandment (Exodus 20:15).
| What Do You Think? Which problem should take priority in being addressed: greed that leads to injustice, or the injustice itself? Digging Deeper |
We do well to note that the Chaldeans never pledged faithfulness to a covenant with God. Though they have their own laws that prohibit stealing and other offenses, they are not bound by the Ten Commandments in the same way that the Israelites are. Even so, the Chaldeans still violate what they know to be right (compare Romans 2:14, 15). The Chaldeans simply do not care about theft when conquered people are concerned. The wealth of weaker nations is theirs for the taking.
6c. How long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
The prophet himself has already asked the question how long? (Habakkuk 1:2; see lesson 2). Here the question is a part of the taunt that the people of the earth direct against the seemingly invincible Chaldeans.
The phrase him that ladeth himself with thick clay probably is an idiom that implies involvement in extortion. Such a person is part of a group whose members are as “thick as thieves.”
The Hebrew word rendered clay is difficult to translate because there is no other occurrence of it in the Old Testament. It appears to be a word related to trade. The Babylonians’ trade practices burden their trade partners and take no concern for the needs of others. Habakkuk points out that even the Babylonians’ normal legal practices are unethical and immoral.
B. Unexpected Punishment (vv. 7, 8)
7a. Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee.
The word they refers to those in the previous verse whose possessions have been unjustly seized by the Chaldeans. The vagueness of this pronoun could refer to many different groups of people since Babylon oppresses many different nations. This prophecy therefore expresses God’s concern not only for Judah but for all who suffer because of Babylon. Eventually, however, the Chaldeans will be on the receiving end of hostile treatment as a result of God’s judgment on their wickedness.
Although this verse is addressed to thee—the Chaldeans—this text may never be read by any of them. Even if they do read it, they are not the intended audience. Judah remains Habakkuk’s focus. The prophecy’s intent is to reassure Judah that the people’s oppressors will not always have the upper hand.
The role reversal pictured will be sudden and unexpected. This agrees with the Lord’s earlier word that when the fulfillment of the prophet’s “vision” occurs, it will come without delay (Habakkuk 2:3). God says that the problem will not continue indefinitely. The Chaldeans will receive their just deserts. The tables will be turned when the abuser becomes the abused.
The language anticipates the description of the suddenness of Jesus’ return. People will be feeling quite comfortable and at ease when sudden destruction comes—destruction they cannot escape (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3).
| What Do You Think? What are some practical ways to exercise a faith that says “God is still in charge” during periods of societal unrest? Digging Deeper |
7b. And thou shalt be for booties unto them?
This idea builds on the previous one. The word translated booties refers to the spoils of victory (compare the translation of the same word in Isaiah 42:24). The Chaldeans take an abundance of booty from those they conquer. But soon it will be their turn to experience the trauma of powerlessness in the face of a stronger foe (compare Proverbs 29:1; Ezekiel 39:10; Zechariah 2:8, 9). Indeed, Babylon will fall to the Persians in 539 BC (see 2 Chronicles 36:20).
8. Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
This verse again emphasizes the reversal of fortunes that the Chaldeans will suffer. Those who have suffered because of the Chaldeans’ cruelty will no doubt take pleasure in gaining the upper hand on their tormenter. Obadiah’s rebuke of Edom also applies to Babylon: “as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee” (Obadiah 15; compare Isaiah 33:1; Habakkuk 2:17; Galatians 6:7).
Condemning the Chaldeans for violence in both the land and the city is a way of holding them accountable for the mistreatment that happens throughout every nation where they hold power (compare Jeremiah 50:17, 18). The note of violence against all that dwell therein further emphasizes the totality of Chaldean guilt. They have not harmed just one city or one group of people; everyone who deals with Babylon suffers.
To Rob a Thief
A popular genre of movies is the heist flick, in which characters assemble to commit a bold robbery. The victim of the theft is usually a person who gained wealth by dishonest means. Such a movie has an appeal across cultures, as the existence of such movies originally produced in many of the world’s languages demonstrates.
In the comedic Spanish-language heist movie To Rob a Thief, two former thieves plot to rob the biggest thief they know: a TV infomercial producer. That shyster had made a fortune by selling worthless products to poor Latino immigrants. The two would-be thieves assemble a team of ordinary refugees to pull off a bold crime of revenge. The plot involves gaining entry into a well-guarded mansion, accessing a vault, and then getting the money off the property.
To Rob a Thief has joined the ranks of many other Hollywood “caper” movies. But the basic plot is centuries old. Though the Chaldeans had long stolen from others, they would be stolen from by the very people they had wronged. There’s more than a ring of truth to the axiom “What goes around, comes around.” How do we keep from getting caught in that vicious loop?
—J. E.
II. Second Woe
(Habakkuk 2:9–11)
A. Built to Escape Evil (vv. 9, 10)
9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
This is the second of the woes uttered by Habakkuk in our lesson text. It calls attention to the Chaldeans’ breaking of the tenth commandment by their covetousness (Exodus 20:17; see on Habakkuk 2:6b, above). Such a person constructs his house with self-centered pride (compare Jeremiah 22:13). Habakkuk compares him to a bird that sets its nest on high in order to escape potential threats. The higher the structure, the more secure is the resident from evil or harm—or so he thinks (contrast Isaiah 10:12–14). This person seeks to remove himself or herself from the problems of society by residing above it all. This person wants to live in the fortress of an enclave of wealth, which is untouched by the poor and needy.
| What Do You Think? How can you recognize when your desire for something crosses the line into greed or covetousness? Digging Deeper |
Once again the prophet’s language may be compared to what the prophet Obadiah says of the arrogance of the people of Edom. They have built their dwellings in “the clefts of the rock,” and they feel safe from any danger (Obadiah 3). But the Lord says, “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down” (v. 4).
Living High
Since the eighteenth century, the phrase high life has been an English expression describing a lifestyle of luxury. In the 1920s, however, the term developed a very literal application.
The economic growth of the roaring twenties brought a construction boom to New York City. The wealthiest business people in the city sought to live above it all—literally. The idea of a penthouse apartment was born. Those who could afford them built luxury apartments on the top floors of buildings, apartments with views of the city above the crowds.
Habakkuk’s description of the proud Chaldeans sounds eerily like the financial high rollers of the 1920s. But just as the financial boom raised them up high, the stock market crash of 1929 brought them down. What “penthouses” might God be preparing to bring low in our lives?
—J. E.
10. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
The Lord highlights the violence wrought by the Chaldeans against many people. The Chaldeans view what they do as a legitimate expression of their power and dominance. The cutting off described here may refer to the way in which the Chaldeans abuse helpless people and take their goods in the process of constructing their own lavish homes.
| What Do You Think? In what contexts of modern injustice will declarations of shame be either effective or ineffective? Why? Digging Deeper |
According to the Chaldeans’ worldview, “might makes right.” But God sees their actions for what they really are: a sin against Him and against themselves (compare Jeremiah 26:19; Habakkuk 2:16, not in our text). From the safety of a fortress-home, the covetous person continues to oppress the poor. The sin is so serious that God says this person has sinned against his or her own soul. Therefore, that person’s life is now forfeit; the God of justice will respond with wrath.
B. Buildings Protest Evil (v. 11)
11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
We sometimes say, “If these walls could talk.” Oh, the stories an old house could tell! The aforementioned house has been constructed with suspect motives and methods. Habakkuk pictures each stone and every wooden beam crying out against their selfish builders (compare Joshua 24:27; Luke 19:40). The house may be solid structurally and made of the highest quality materials, but it will not be able to withstand the Lord’s judgment.
The prophet Jeremiah, a contemporary of Habakkuk, speaks of how King Coniah of Judah has constructed his house unrighteously. He has done so by withholding fair wages from those who did the work (Jeremiah 22:13). A king who rules the Lord’s covenant people should possess an understanding of what He requires (Deuteronomy 17:18–20). But this king has acted no better than the Chaldeans.
For this reason, Coniah and his people will find themselves in Babylonian captivity (Jeremiah 22:25–27). This will happen even though the Chaldeans overall are arguably more wicked than the people of Judah.
III. Third Woe
(Habakkuk 2:12–14)
A. Fiendish Cities (v. 12)
12. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
Habakkuk now presents his third woe against the Chaldeans. This woe builds on the previous two. The prophet pronounces judgment on the Chaldeans for the heartless way in which they have built entire towns and cities. Accusing them of building a town with blood does not mean that blood is literally a building material. Instead, the accusation focuses on the means by which the people came to build. In this case, violence and iniquity account for the prosperity that built the cities (compare Ezekiel 22:2). Spilled blood will cry out like the stones and beams in Habakkuk 2:11 (above), and it will cry out for the Lord’s vengeance, even as Abel’s blood cried out from the ground to indict his brother Cain (Genesis 4:10).
Once more the Chaldeans are not alone in their guilt for such deplorable actions. The leaders in Jerusalem, the site of Solomon’s great temple, built that city using the same resources highlighted by Habakkuk: blood and iniquity (Micah 3:9, 10; see lesson 4).
B. Futile Human Efforts (v. 13)
13. Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
Thus far in this series of charges directed against the Chaldeans, the Lord’s name has not been mentioned. Now it becomes explicit that He is the one who will hold these people accountable for their actions. His intention is that all that the Chaldeans have constructed—the houses and towns of which they are so excessively proud—will be cast into the fire (compare Isaiah 50:11). The builders are willing to weary themselves as they pour themselves into their work, since they are certain that what they do will last far into the future. But God says that their work will come to nothing.
Jeremiah uses language very similar to Habakkuk’s as part of an extensive message of judgment on Babylon (see Jeremiah 50; 51). The walls and gates of Babylon will be destroyed by fire (51:58). Centuries later, the apostle Peter will write of a similar conflagration to occur on the day of the Lord, the day when Jesus returns (2 Peter 3:10).
C. Future Divine Plan (v. 14)
14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Like many passages from the prophets, the predictions of doom and gloom are not the last word. Habakkuk ends this section with a word of hope, looking forward to a time when there will be universal acknowledgment of the Lord God.
The prophet Isaiah, whose ministry began well before Habakkuk’s, also spoke of a global knowledge of the glory of the Lord, even using the same water comparison that Habakkuk does (Isaiah 11:9). All people will be engulfed by this spiritual deluge. There will be no holdouts who continue to deny the greatness and majesty of the Lord.
| What Do You Think? What are some ways to use Habakkuk 2:14 as a faith anchor in the face of injustice? Digging Deeper |
People such as the Chaldeans, who view themselves as invincible, will find themselves brought to their knees before almighty God. They will learn what real glory is (compare Exodus 16:6, 7). It is not found in the accomplishments of empires such as Babylon, which are destined for the fire as Habakkuk has just declared. Rather, it is found in the worldwide recognition that the Lord reigns supreme as “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
It is true, as the seraphim proclaimed to Isaiah during his prophetic call, that even now “the whole earth is full of [God’s] glory” (Isaiah 6:3; see also Numbers 14:21). But the knowledge or recognition of that glory is something that proud, defiant individuals and nations refuse to acknowledge. Individuals see evidence of that glory every day, but will not humble themselves in worship to the source, the creator God.
But a day is coming when “every knee should bow … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10, 11; compare Isaiah 45:23). Habakkuk sees that day of global glory coming. The administration of final judgment at the end of time when Jesus returns may well be part of what Habakkuk meant when he declared that the whole earth will fully know the glory of the Lord. True justice carried out by an all-wise God will be something glorious indeed!
In the last chapter of his book, Habakkuk looks forward to a time when God’s glory will cover the heavens and the earth will be filled with His praise (Habakkuk 3:3). This promise comforted the suffering saints of Habakkuk’s day and gives hope to Christians today. Centuries after Habakkuk, the apostle Peter offered similar hope when he wrote that we “are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, [we] may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).
Conclusion
A. Justice for All
What Gone with the Wind so dramatically portrayed about the 1864 burning of Atlanta is what Habakkuk said awaited the Chaldeans. All their possessions would be fuel for the fire (Habakkuk 2:13). This is in fact the future that awaits the entire world (again, 2 Peter 3:10). Today’s lesson reminds us that the Lord will make certain that justice is carried out against evildoers.
“Justice for all” is very easy to say and desire. But putting hands and feet to this desire is quite another matter. Cries for justice echo throughout every society. Acts of violence against individuals or groups are followed by demands that justice be served and those responsible for the violence be punished. Systems that methodically keep people in positions to be mistreated are protested because they perpetuate injustice—sometimes on a massive scale. The whole world longs for justice.
Today’s study from Habakkuk, along with the testimony of Scripture as a whole, assures us that God will right all wrongs committed by human beings. Sinners may escape the punishment required by human law, but they cannot dodge Heaven’s law so cleverly.
B. Prayer
Father, may the works of our hands anticipate the day when the earth will know Your glory. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
The Lord, the righteous judge, makes certain that justice prevails.[1]
KID’S CORNER
Jesus Helps Believers Understand
Sunday, March 15, 2020
John 6:47-59
John 6:47-59
(John 6:46) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
With the words, “Very truly,” “Verily verily,” or in the Greek “Amen, amen,” Jesus once again put emphasis on taking the truth of His words very seriously for they represent reality, objective truth, and what God requires of people. Notice: the content of “whoever believes” is “I am the bread of life” and includes ALL of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus requires people not only to believe in Him, but to also believe ALL He taught and to act accordingly. In the last verse of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus requires His followers “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus gives eternal life those who believe Him, and those who believe Him will seek to observe all things whatsoever Jesus has commanded.
(John 6:48) “I am the bread of life.
With the words, “I am,” Jesus once again emphasized that the divine name for God, that God gave to Moses at the burning bush, applied to Him (see Exodus 3:14). Jesus is the “I am,” the Word made flesh, that the Father sent into the world to speak the words of God directly to the world. As the Son of God, Jesus said He was (and is) the Bread of Life that must be eaten if someone was to have eternal life. To eat the Bread of Life is not to “Once upon a time, I took a bite of Jesus to live forever;” rather, just as we eat physical food daily to continue living physically, so we eat of Jesus daily, take Jesus and His words into our lives, minds, and hearts daily, so we can continue to live spiritually forever in relationship with Jesus and our heavenly Father. To have and enjoy eternal life involves more than saying we believe some facts about Jesus are true. Rather, if Jesus has given us eternal life, we eat spiritually of Jesus daily; we know we prayerfully seek to observe whatsoever Jesus commanded with the help of the Holy Spirit—these are some of the signs that Jesus has given us eternal life.
(John 6:49) “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
The Jews expected the Messiah to feed them daily as Moses had fed the Hebrews in the wilderness. Jesus gave a sign that He could do that when He fed a large crowd using only a few loaves of bread and fishes—for He was the Messiah that God promised to send. But Jesus did not come to feed people physical food and then have them die. Jesus wanted people to look beyond their earthly expectations to what He came to give physically and spiritually. Jesus came to give people eternal life, a life of peace and joy in relationship with God and God’s children that would begin here and now and last forever. Before Jesus Christ comes again, our human bodies will live and die, but those who believe Jesus will live as recipients of eternal life, and on the last day Jesus will raise them with glorified human bodies.
(John 6:50) “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
No doubt, Jesus pointed to himself when He said, “This is the bread that comes down from heaven.” Jesus himself, not just His teachings but including His teachings, is the bread of life that believers may eat and not die. At death, the human body separates from the believer, but the believer lives on with Jesus until the last day, the day of resurrection, when Jesus gives each believer a new glorified human body that will never die again. If His hearers believed Jesus, each day they would make the effort do what He said and they would eat (take into themselves, into their hearts and minds) ALL that Jesus taught, for He is the Word made flesh. They would want a living, eternal, relationship with Jesus that included learning and doing the will of God, not a list of commands to obey apart from knowing Jesus personally, but a lasting relationship where they would do the works of God with Jesus as the Holy Spirit inspired, led and helped them.
(John 6:51) “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
The manna in the wilderness gave physical life to the Hebrews; still, all except Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness during forty years of wandering. Manna was not alive, but it gave physical life when eaten. As living bread, Jesus was alive and lives forever, and He came from heaven to earth though His listeners did not know how—it was not for them to know or for Jesus to explain at that time. Day-by-day Jesus’ followers were to take Jesus and His words into their lives and thereby live forever and never die. Jesus came to give His life for the world and not just for the Jews; so, Jews and Gentiles who follow Jesus in the Church now make up His body on earth. When Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, He suffered and died in the flesh as a real human being, and then He rose from the dead in a real human body that could be touched.
(John 6:52) Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
When Jesus said the bread from heaven was His flesh to eat, some of the Jews disputed among themselves when they took Him literally, but Jesus was not talking about cannibalism. In a similar incident, we remember how Nicodemus took Jesus literally and asked Jesus in John 3:4, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” If Jesus had been literal, He would have advocated the breaking of the Law of God, which Jesus never advocated. In Leviticus 17:11-12, we read, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel: No person among you shall eat blood, nor shall any alien who resides among you eat blood.” But Jesus would give His life, give His flesh, shed His blood and die in the flesh as an atonement for our sins as Paul described in Romans 3:23-25, “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed.” But it was not yet time for Jesus to begin talking specifically in detail about His coming death.
(John 6:53) So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
We have the advantage of having the entire Bible to read to glean the meaning of Jesus’ words and how they might apply to His death and resurrection and our lives. We know about the Lord’s Supper that Jesus had not yet instituted. At this point in Jesus’ ministry, those hearing Him did not have the advantages that we have. So, what could Jesus have intended them to learn from Him with these words? At the very least, Jesus probably intended them to understand their responsibility, if they were to be one of His followers, to take Him wholly and completely and personally into their lives. Unlike other rabbis, who taught this and that and whose followers could believe or reject whatever suited them depending on what other rabbis taught, Jesus expected His followers to take everything He said as true, as representing reality, as truths they must believe if they were to follow Him because the truths He taught came directly from God. Jesus expected them to believe whatever He said about himself whether they understood Him or not; for given time and the Holy Spirit, they would eventually remember and understand what He taught and who He was and is. Jesus wanted them to take Him to themselves as they would take God, and no other rabbi or teacher taught with that authority. Jesus wanted them to keep in mind what He said in these verses so they would apply His words to His coming death and resurrection and not be offended by His death as the Messiah as many Jews would be when they learned about a crucified Messiah. Later, the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
(John 6:54) “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
More than only believing the true facts about Jesus’ nature as fully God and fully man, “the Word made flesh,” and more than believing Jesus’ teaching as the Word of God, those Jesus will raise on the last day need to believe and receive Jesus and accept Jesus’ death on the cross as God’s loving means of being both perfectly just and perfectly merciful when forgiving us for our sins and granting us eternal life. Those who believe, believe in, and accept ALL of Jesus will be raised up on the last day to the resurrection of life (see John 5:28-29). Jesus expects His followers to take and believe all of Him, not just part of Him.
(John 6:55) “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
In John 3:16, we learned that God expressed His love for the world when Jesus died on the cross. As the only possible sacrifice for our sins, Jesus upheld the justice of God and made possible God’s merciful forgiveness of our sins. In this sense, Jesus’ death on the cross is true spiritual food and drink, and because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead we can have fellowship with God in Jesus Christ moment-by-moment daily. As true food and true drink, remembering His broken body and shed blood given for them will give believers assurance of forgiveness. Believers need to receive Jesus and His death on the cross in their behalf and as the God-ordained means by which God can ultimately grant eternal joy, peace, love, and life to those who believe in Jesus.
(John 6:56) “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
To “abide” or “remain” means maintaining a close and personal relationship with Jesus that involves continually taking the Word of God into ourselves and continually taking the Word of God into account when considering and evaluating all our words and actions. If we allow Jesus to abide in us, Jesus will become a part of everything we say and do. The Word of God became flesh and then ascended into heaven leaving us the Bible as we have it today inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the Bible is the truth the Holy Spirit uses to help us remain in Jesus and Jesus in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There can be a true and conscious sense of remaining in Jesus according to His words and Jesus remaining in us that indicates an ongoing day-by-day relationship with Jesus that is far more than simply trying to live according to Jesus’ value system and teachings.
(John 6:57) “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
By continuing to speak in different ways of eating His flesh and drinking His blood and living because of Him and abiding in Him, Jesus pointed to His coming death that His disciples would understand later and to His resurrection from the dead, without which they could not abide in Him or be raised from the dead by Him. In previous chapters, Jesus said He did what He saw the Father doing and He came to do the will of God. He and the Father always spoke and acted together. Unlike the idols of their Gentile neighbors, Jesus said His Father was living and He was alive because of His Father, and He will give eternal life to those who take Him into their daily lives and have a personal relationship with Him.
(John 6:58) “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
The Hebrews in the wilderness had to eat God-given manna daily to live. If they had not eaten the food and drank the water that the Father provided them, they would have quickly died. As disciples of Jesus, believers keep taking Jesus’ words, Jesus’ commands, Jesus’ example, Jesus’ leadership as expressed in the Bible into their minds as they prayerfully study the Bible, and the Holy Spirit enables them to have a personal relationship with Jesus in their hearts that begins in this life and will continue forever.
(John 6:59) These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
John did not tell us when Jesus’ discourse in the synagogue began. We might think of Jesus’ serious synagogue teaching beginning with verse 47, and His previous teaching being to the crowd that found Him after He crossed the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus put all the focus on himself and eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He knew that He would lose many followers, but those who stayed with Him would learn and experience what He meant by this teaching that offended many. From the disciples’ example and experience, we learn the value of staying with Jesus and continuing to pray and study the Bible even when we do not understand Jesus and the Bible as we might like at the time.
Jesus Helps Believers Understand
Sunday, March 15, 2020
John 6:47-59
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 (John 6:51—KJV). I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh (John 6:51—NASB). I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh (John 6:51—NRSV).
Those who have read the New Testament understand the words of Jesus better than those who first heard Him teach. After hearing Jesus teach about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, many jumped to the conclusion that Jesus expected them to eat His flesh and drink His blood, which violated the Jewish Law, so they refused to follow Him any longer. On the other hand, His disciples had heard Jesus teach for so long and had seen so many of His miraculous signs that they continued with Jesus and expected Him to teach them what He meant in the future. Later, they learned that Jesus gave the world His flesh and blood when He died sacrificially on the cross to take away the sin of the world (see John 1:29). They also learned to participate regularly in the Lord’s Supper, that Jesus instituted, to commemorate His death for them and remind them of His forgiveness of their sins. During the communion service, Jesus’ followers eat bread and drink wine representing His body and blood, which He gave to take away their sin. The disciples did not always understand all that Jesus taught each day, but they knew Jesus’ words gave them new life, meaning, and the promise of living with God forever after their bodies died. As we read the Bible, we will come to passages we do not understand, but we can think back upon what we do understand and know to be true with the hope of understanding new truths in the future.
Thinking Further
Jesus Helps Believers Understand
Sunday, March 15, 2020
John 6:47-59
Name ____________________________
- Jesus said He was the bread of life. How often do you suppose believers are to eat the bread of life?
- Where did the bread of life come from and what is its purpose?
- What do you think Jesus meant when He said His followers needed to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood?
- What will happen to Jesus’ followers on the last day?
- What does it mean to abide in Jesus?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- Jesus said He was the bread of life. How often do you suppose believers are to eat the bread of life? Daily and throughout the day as we maintain a personal relationship with Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Friend.
- Where did the bread of life come from and what is its purpose? The bread of life came from heaven, and its purpose was to give eternal life to the followers of Jesus.
- What do you think Jesus meant when He said His followers needed to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood? I think He meant that they needed to accept all of Him and all He said whether it was offensive or not or understandable or not. They were not just to pick and choose what they wanted to believe and obey about Him and His teachings, for He was not like one of their rabbis or teachers. They needed to accept His death of the cross as God’s loving, just and merciful means of forgiving their sins.
- What will happen to Jesus’ followers on the last day? Jesus will raise them up and give them glorified, human, bodies that will enable them to live in the presence of God and one another forever.
- What does it mean to abide in Jesus? To maintain a close, conscious, personal, relationship with Jesus and seek to please Him day-by-day and moment-by-moment according to the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Word Search
Jesus Helps Believers Understand
Sunday, March 15, 2020
John 6:47-59
Name ____________________________
S M B E D M T M T H E A V E N
K D V M V O H P G L K X S L G
S A I N D X O W H A B R D V J
D W E S U F N L E Z O S J T N
G F G I P E W J B T E W I A B
H K Z T J U R P S J D M Z F E
R B M G F Y T E F A T H E R L
E D L R O W C E R C O R L V I
V B E N G N Q X D J V A F P E
E R F H A I R F Q U N M L J V
O E I Z B M U I A R D P E N E
H A L K N I R D E E J K S L S
W D G M L V S T H K U I H P U
P Z C N W A E F M Z G R Q Z B
E J E S U S B A B I D E T S Y
Whoever
Believes
Eternal
Life
Bread
Heaven
World
Flesh
Disputed
Blood
Drink
True
Abide
Father
Ancestors
True and False Test
Jesus Helps Believers Understand
Sunday, March 15, 2020
John 6:47-59
Name ____________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
- It does not matter what you believe, just believe, and God will give you eternal life. True or False
- Jesus said He is the bread of life that came down from heaven, and people should believe Him. True or False
- The ancestors of the Jews ate manna seven days a week when they were in the wilderness. True or False
- The Jews were excited about the opportunity to eat Jesus as the bread of life. True or False
- Jesus gave His life only for the Jews, so most of them believed in Him. True or False
- Jesus condemned those who wanted to eat Him. True or False
- To “drink Jesus’ blood” must have a spiritual meaning. True or False
- Jesus said His flesh was true food. True or False
- If we will take just one bite of Jesus’ flesh, we will live forever because of its magical qualities. True or False
- Jesus wants those who say they believe in Him to abide in Him. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- True
- True
- False
- False
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
Prayer
Father, may the works of our hands anticipate the day when the earth will know Your glory. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.