Willing?

 

READ John 5-8

How can anyone sum up who Jesus is and what He has done? He is incredible. I dazzled by Him and zeroing in on one truth is near impossible.

I noted today how He repeats the Gospel at every opportunity, telling people how to have eternal life. When His listeners go back to the human standard of earning it by doing good works, Jesus says: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29) How can it be that simple? They want more and ask, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” (John 6:30–31)

And Jesus replies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

They wanted that bread, but He directed them back to faith in Him and added their helplessness. They could not come to Him without divine help: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:32–37)

He also told them: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:38–40)

He was not telling them to keep the Law, nor to follow the rules of their religion. He was not telling them to merely trust Him but that they needed the Father to make faith happen.

In other words, their salvation and eternal life was of God, not their own doing. The rest of the NT repeats this clearly:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

No one wants to be told they are unable to do something. A child wants to try, and when they spill the batter, or miss the nail, some have a tantrum rather than hand the task to a parent. Such is the heart of sinners; “I will do this myself.”

Jesus’ words and life fly in the face of that determination. The proud Pharisees and other religious leaders hated Him because of it and because of His identity claims. The crowds loved His ability to feed them, but when He told them they must feed ON Him and live like He did, doing all that the Father asked, they turned away.

As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever”  . . . . When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”  . . . . And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (John 6:57–66)

Jesus totally relied on His Father. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30) He wanted us to do the same.

“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.” (John 7:16–18)

I hear this: totally rely on Jesus for every thought, word, action. Seek His will in all plans and decisions. Do not act without His direction or His Spirit giving me the ability. No wonder His hearers found this more than they could handle. Yet as Jesus said, if anyone is willing . . .

Dear Father, only You can grant faith and make me more like Jesus. You are faithful and will do it. With profound gratitude and assurance, I pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.