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Reflections
A Crossroads Church Devotional
September 27, 2011
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Drawn by the Father
John 6:35-59
[35] Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. [36] But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. [37] All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. [38] For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. [39] 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. [40] 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." [41] So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." [42] They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ''I have come down from heaven''?" [43] Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. [44] No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. [45] It is written in the Prophets, ''And they will all be taught by God.'' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me- [46] not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. [47] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. [51] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." [52] The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [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 you. [54] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [55] For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [56] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57] 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. [58] 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." [59] Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
- John 6:35-59 (ESV)
This is a very crucial piece of material that Jesus delivers to those who have been following him up to this point. It is the first of the "I AM" statements in John's gospel. It is also at this time that Jesus begins to clarify to those who are listening that in order to be the disciple of Jesus certain things must take place.
Jesus begins this volume of scripture with the declaration that he himself is the Bread of Life. Later he will make that statement again. He will also follow up saying that he is the Bread that came down from heaven.
However, probably the most important statement that Jesus makes in this teaching is that no man can come to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. The journey of every believer is not one of personal choice due to a "try Jesus" message from a "have it your way" culture. No!!!
Becoming a true disciple of the Lord begins with an inner massage of the Father on the heart of a person. That touch awakens the individual up to the reality that he is living in darkness and that there is a God shaped hole in his life that he has been trying to fill with everything except the One who can fill it.
The Father draws the individual out of love and passion for His Son. The Father loves the Son and gives all things to Him, including all those who respond to the drawing of the Father and turn from their sins and trust in Jesus as their Savior.
The debate for me is not whether God draws all men. We will let that to the experts. The press for me is what does a man or woman do when they are drawn? Jesus said that if you come you will never hunger and if when you come to that drawing you believe, you will never thirst. In other words, the God filled hole of hunger and thirst that people attempt to fill with various fleshly and temporal things now find their fulfillment in Jesus.
I wish that each of us could clearly identify who was being drawn and at what moment that drawing was occurring. You and I are not privy to such information. Rather you and I must be sensitive to watch and listen to words and circumstances that appear as open doors for each of us to participate in that deep work of the Father.
The Father draws us initially to come to Jesus to experience salvation. The Father continues to draw us daily by the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Jesus. He never ceases to draw us to himself. This is not to control us but rather out of his great love for us to be with Him.
May each of us respond to his drawing and be sensitive to those around us that may be experiencing that drawing and are uncertain of what is happening. Give us a heart to follow and a willingness to share out of our own drawing with others.
- Written by Steve Shives | 
