The Gospel According to John--"I Am The Bread of Life" (John 6:35)

Indeed

“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭

“And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭10:42‬ ‭KJV‬‬


“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom.

For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

….And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:36-38, 46-49‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

therefore we should choose the judgements of Christ that are about imperfect people being saved through mercy the law of mercy

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:21-22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As you show there that’s what Paul’s discussing the judgement of Christ in the gospel that if we don’t stop judging others guilty when we’re imperfect also we’re going to have just our deeds to be judged and. It the mercy orimised by the lord if we hear what he’s actually saying in the promise

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

but if ye forgive not men their trespasses,

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We’ve all sinned and we all still sometimes mess up and fall down and do something not right at least I can say I’ve experienced that more than once but we have this in Christ

“but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:7-10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He knows we’re I perfect and not what we’re going to be yet so we have his words and law of truth and mercy wher we can be merciful to others who sin against us , understsnding Jesus not o my died for my sins but the sins of the offender and I now have become part of Christ who loves sinners and came to save them

Great thoughts brother! It's amazing what Jesus said at the end of the festival, and it shows the ultimate judgement He desires for His people:

John 7:37-39

New King James Version

The Promise of the Holy Spirit
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [a]believing in Him would receive; for the [b]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

God's festivals are all tied together, and they give us a glimpse into His plan of salvation for mankind. Here Jesus ties in with a key theme of Pentecost in the gift of the Holy Spirit that believers receive, that "living water" that comes flowing out of our hearts by the power of God.

So what does this have to do with a key message Jesus had for them to "judge with righteous judgement" (v. 24)? The Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles may foreshadow the "great white throne" judgement period after the millennium as described in Revelation chapter 20. This event culminates in the great second resurrection of the majority of people who died during human history, and Jesus Christ is their judge:

Revelation 20:11-15

New King James Version

The Great White Throne Judgment
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before [a]God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second [b]death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

This is the ultimate judgment of humanity, and the goal is to have our name written in the Book of Life (I think that will be a large percentage of mankind). Those who willfully reject God, like Satan, will be thrown into "the lake of fire," which is "the second death." Even death and the "abode of the dead", Hades, are thrown into the lake of fire. So, death will die and never take hold of us again!

Jesus desires us to choose life. And, the judgement He wants to render is to give us life like he describes during the last great day of that Feast of Tabernacles in John 7: 37-39. If we are thirsty and desire to live, we must go to Jesus, and He will give us life through the Spirit, "rivers of living water"!

Indeed he is the light of the world the bright and morning star

Great point and fits in nicely with John chapter 8:

John 8:12

New King James Version

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

I've always loved being out in the woods or on a lake well before sunrise. It's so amazing how dark, quiet, and apparently void of life it can appear to be. Once the rays of the sun start penetrating the darkness, life starts amping up, and it can be the best time of the day for fishing and hunting. Salmon in particular love feeding on Lake Michigan at the first signs of light on the horizon.

Light is so much more powerful than darkness. When the sun rises on a clear day, darkness flees instantly. We need to follow Jesus through the darkness of this world, controlled to some degree by the prince of darkness, Satan our adversary.

Jesus really lays into the Pharisees in this chapter and tells them in contrast to Him, they are "of this world" (v. 23) and of their "father the devil" (v. 44). Jesus makes it very clear to them that He is the great "I AM" (v. 58) who brings light to a dark and dank world that has been blinded by the prince of the power of the air, this fallen world, and our own sinfulness through rebelling against our God who said "Let there be light"!

Amen

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2, 6-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬


“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:19-21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Love those verses from Isaiah! "...the government shall be upon his shoulder...to establish it with judgement and justice" is the one I look forward to with Jesus Christ as our King! We have done a poor job at "governing" ourselves on our own. That will change drastically when Christ returns!

I am seeing an "I am" theme in the book of John:

"I am the bread of life"

"I am the light of the world"

And to sum it all up from Jesus--"I AM"

Praise the Lord!

Ash Wednesday and the season of lent is upon us (for those Christians who observe this season), and we are making our way to Holy Week during the last week of March.

I thought it would be profitable to take a fresh look at the Gospel according to John to gain some new insights into Jesus' ministry and His commitment to fulfilling His calling and purpose to finish the Father's work (John 4: 34).

John's Gospel is so chuck full of spiritual meat, and I think it's the most important book in the Bible (of course, all of God's Word is important and valuable). John gives us insights the other Gospels don't have on Jesus' teachings, and I'd like to highlight a few verses that are standing out to me as I take another journey through this remarkable testimony.

I'll try to keep these postings short and sweet and would appreciate additional observations from my brethren here in Christian Chat.

John 1:1-3

New King James Version

The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Jesus was with God "in the beginning", and they have always coexisted together in eternity. Everything was created through Jesus--the universe, the earth, all the creatures of the earth, and man who was made in God's image.

What a beginning to this book, and it ties in nicely and amplifies the beginning of creation from Genesis by showing us our true "beginning" in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

John chapter six is one of the most important and powerful chapters in the Bible. I like your emphasis on Jesus as the great "I Am"--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of the New Testament as well (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--one God).

The disciples just could not grasp what Jesus was explaining to them about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Many of them said "this is a hard saying, who can understand it" (v. 60), and many disciples deserted Jesus after this critical teaching (v. 66). It was only after His death and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that the apostles and disciples could grasp this teaching, and it correlated with the communion the disciples had with Jesus at the last supper of their final Passover meal together.

From a spiritual perspective, we partake of the bread which is Jesus' body, and the wine, which is Jesus' blood that provides forgiveness/remission of sins as you noted. It is belief in our Lord and Savior and faith in the promises He has made to us. We will never hunger or thirst again once we receive the gift of eternal life.

The Gospel According to John--"I Am The Bread of Life" (John 6:35)

That sure puts more clarity into the single sentence of the Lord's Prayer He taught to His disciples. Give us this day our "Daily Bread."

The great commission of the church is wonderful work for all of us as Christians. God uses us to teach and baptize disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and then it's up to all of us to observe Jesus' teachings and follow His example. The power comes from our Lord, and He promised that He would be with us until the end.

As I look at chapter 3 in John, the pharisees in general are not put in a positive light by Jesus overall. But, here comes Nicodemus to visit Jesus at night to learn more about Him. Nicodemus acknowledged that Jesus was "...a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (John 3: 2).

Jesus' response was not what Nicodemus expected,

John 3:3

New King James Version

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

While this is clear to us as Christians, this was certainly a new concept for Nicodemus who asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (v. 4). Nicodemus was thinking in practical terms about this fleshly mortal existence, but Jesus introduces him to a life that transcends mortality.

"Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (v. 5-6)

As you noted above from Matthew, we as Christians are baptized in water (born of water) and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (the Spirit). It is a spiritual existence that transcends the finite and allows us to enter the kingdom of God, which is infinite.

Jesus answered Nicodemus' question about how a person can be born again by being "born of water and the Spirit." If we think of traditional water baptism, the believer enters the watery grave and then emerges in a new spiritual life as a child of God.

Wrong again

Jesus told nicodemus how to be born again

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [b]who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should [c]not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

No water involved..

Actually this is not true.

It is not the communion.

Peter understood it.

You have the words of eternal life.

John 6 speaks about eating the food which endures forever, which one can eat and not die.

The communion does not promise that, and we are told to do it often in remembrance of him

I have no problem with the verses you quoted, but please be more specific on how I'm "wrong again"...

"Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (v. 5-6)

Matthew 28:19

New King James Version

19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

It may not be "true" from your point of view, but there are many Christians (e.g. Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans) who believe in the "real presence" of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine we partake at the communion ceremony at church.

I see communion from more of a symbolic and memorial perspective, and one of my wise pastors told me the "real presence" of the bread and wine being transformed into the body and blood of Jesus is a "mystery".

I love communion at church. It's a time for prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing in the relationship I have with my Lord and Savior. Those denominations who don't have communion every service are fine with me, too, as long as the focus is on Jesus and the Gospel.

Ash Wednesday and the season of lent is upon us (for those Christians who observe this season), and we are making our way to Holy Week during the last week of March.

I thought it would be profitable to take a fresh look at the Gospel according to John to gain some new insights into Jesus' ministry and His commitment to fulfilling His calling and purpose to finish the Father's work (John 4: 34).

John's Gospel is so chuck full of spiritual meat, and I think it's the most important book in the Bible (of course, all of God's Word is important and valuable). John gives us insights the other Gospels don't have on Jesus' teachings, and I'd like to highlight a few verses that are standing out to me as I take another journey through this remarkable testimony.

I'll try to keep these postings short and sweet and would appreciate additional observations from my brethren here in Christian Chat.

John 1:1-3

New King James Version

The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Jesus was with God "in the beginning", and they have always coexisted together in eternity. Everything was created through Jesus--the universe, the earth, all the creatures of the earth, and man who was made in God's image.

What a beginning to this book, and it ties in nicely and amplifies the beginning of creation from Genesis by showing us our true "beginning" in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

It may not be "true" from your point of view, but there are many Christians (e.g. Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans) who believe in the "real presence" of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine we partake at the communion ceremony at church.

I see communion from more of a symbolic and memorial perspective, and one of my wise pastors told me the "real presence" of the bread and wine being transformed into the body and blood of Jesus is a "mystery".

I love communion at church. It's a time for prayer, thankfulness, and rejoicing in the relationship I have with my Lord and Savior. Those denominations who don't have communion every service are fine with me, too, as long as the focus is on Jesus and the Gospel.

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Amen.

We're on the same page brother, and Paul reinforces how important communion is within our Christian lives. Jesus says the bread "...is my body" and the wine "is the new testament in my blood." I think this is the heart and core of orthodox belief in the "real presence" of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine shared during the communion ceremony.

Jesus says the bread is (not figuratively represents) His body, and it ties back to Jesus' teaching that He is the bread of life (I've heard several sermons from credible pastors who dive into John chapter 6 when they are talking about communion). If Christ is present in the communion bread, then we are partaking of the Bread of Life. Of course, we partake of Jesus, the "Bread of Life" in many ways such as consuming His Word, fellowshipping with like-minded Christians about Jesus, and serving others as He did.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:3-4‬ ‭

Paul's perspective of the baptism ceremony makes the most sense to me, too, and that's why I think full immersion into the watery grave best represents our burial with Jesus "by baptism into death." We rise out of the watery grave "born again" if you will with a new life in Jesus Christ. There is a reference in my Bible for John 3:5 (i.e. "unless one is born of the water") to Acts 2:38:

Acts 2:38

New King James Version

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

This is the traditional interpretation of being "born of the water" referring to being baptized in the name of Jesus. Belief is foundational, of course, but belief prompts action, too, and the steps in the process from Acts 2: 37-38 are:

1. Belief
2. Repentance
3. Baptism
4. Remission of Sins
5. The gift of the Holy Spirit

All of these are important steps to become a new creation in Jesus Christ.