2 Sam 11: 26 – 12: 13 John 6:: 24-35.
Last week the crowd had recognised Jesus as their prophet and king. This was as a result of the amazing miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 plus the women and children. The crowd would have taken Jesus by force to make him their king, but this would have been rebellion against the Sanhedrin and God.
Jesus knew that this was wrong and slipped away by himself up on a mountain. The religious fever was coming from head knowledge the spirit of the world rather than the Spirit of God. They were under law the Holy Spirit fell on people for particular tasks under law.
Catchphrases
The world cannot understand the things of God without the Holy Spirit.
A stitch in time saves nine –sewing up a small tear with one stitch saves nine stitches when the tear gets bigger.
What it means in relation to our reading many people having had the incentive (worldly) by witnessing the feeding of the 5,000 afterwards they went searching for Jesus seeking signs.
The crowd arrived at Capernaum and they found him and in the conversation that followed Jesus said that they had not understood the miracle in the way God had intended. They took it upon themselves to make him their king and they had satisfied their hunger eating the food, but they were to look for the food that would last for eternity.
Romans 8: 5 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
In our Old Testament reading, the prophet Nathan gave a message to King David in the form of a story that reflected God’s displeasure over his adultery with Bathsheba and his cruel plot to send Uriah her husband to his death on the battle field.
The rich man had a lot of sheep and herds. Poor man had nothing, but one ewe lamb. It grew up with him and his family, it was the family pet.
The rich man rather than take a sheep from his own flock to feed a visitor took the poor man’s sheep.
In response to Nathan’s story David’s reaction he was angry at the rich man taking the pet lamb when he had herds of his own. David would have the rich man restore fourfold under law because he had no compassion.2 Samuel 12: 5,6.
Nathan told David that he was the rich man in the story. David saw his wrongdoing, but he couldn’t discern it for himself without the Holy Spirit revealing it to him. Romans 8: 7. “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
There’s an advert on the telly for Finnish dishwasher tablets. which uses a Christian song to sell their product, “This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine,”
We know it means this little light shining in us, is Jesus. But the world doesn’t understand its meaning, the world cannot discern the things of God.
The crowd in John 6: 28 this conversation asked him, ”What must we do?” some had realised their wrongdoing in wanting to force Jesus to be King in a way that wasn’t lawful.
Jesus replied, “What God wants you to do, is to believe in the one he has sent.”
The message is for today
- God wants people to believe in Jesus, to accept him by faith as our Saviour King.:
We put our faith in people like: the doctor we go with our complaint and believe that he will diagnose and treat our problem with the right medication, so faith in Jesus is to believe that he is the true way to find God, and in him is eternal life.
- Jesus is the Heavenly Bread that satisfies our hunger and thirst for God.
Jesus said that he was the ‘Bread of life’ and in the conversation that followed he declared that “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” and to the Jews hearing this it was sacrilege, cannibalism, they didn’t understand and some of his own followers turned away. John 6: 47, 54, 66.
Mark records in his gospel that Jesus had declared to his disciples that all foods were clean and it was what came from their heart that defiled a person. Mark 7: 19.
Jesus sacrifice was the end of foods that they were not allowed to eat under law, and also for every sin against God and its causes, so we know it was by the sacrifice of his body and blood he made foods clean in his resurrected body and we have forgiveness of our sins.
We remember what he has done for us in his life laid down by sharing the bread and wine at our communion service these are symbols of Jesus’ wonderful victory over sin and death.
Jesus revealed that the eternal heavenly bread is in fact his words: In verse 63 in gave understanding 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
The Holy Spirit had acted upon Jesus’ words.
When he took the bread and fish and blessed it, the Holy Spirit then miraculously satisfied their hunger by providing the bread and fish.
Later on in Jesus’ ministry he informed his disciples about the Holy Spirit’s coming into the world to continue his ministry with them. Jesus said, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine; and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16: 14, 15
At Pentecost that these words of Jesus were acted upon by the Holy Spirit. Peter told them that Jesus was the Messiah and God in his foreknowledge had allowed Jesus to die on the cross and God had raised him from the dead as King David had prophesied.” Acts 2: 25-28. Psalm 16: 8-11.
The crowd responded saying, “What shall we do? Just as they had said to Jesus in our reading in John 6, but now there was a difference, the coming of the Holy Spirit enabled them to discern the Spirit of God from the spirit of the world satisfying their hunger and thirst for God.
Jesus thirsted for God on the cross while he was separated from God. He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27. 46 and in John 19: 28, 29. “After this Jesus knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil scripture), “I thirst” they took a sponge full of vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.”
It wasn’t that Jesus needed a drink, at that moment he was bearing the sins and the causes of sin, all that separated us from God, he was spiritually separated from God and he thirsted for God.
In his resurrection Jesus’ was united with his Father and the Holy Spirit.
The people listening to Peter now they understood, the Holy Spirit was present convicting them of their sins. Peter said, if they would repent and be baptised they would receive forgiveness of their sins and the Holy Spirit. They were washed by the water of the word. Ephesians 5: 26
Today the world cannot understand the things of God or live according to his word, unless the Holy Spirit is present in people’s lives.
We, his people are empowered by Holy Spirit and appointed by Jesus to bear fruit. The fruit of the kingdom is for people to come to faith in Jesus.. We must not be afraid of receiving or being refreshed by the Holy Spirit. God loves us and wants us to understand the things that belong to his kingdom.
Prayer
Lord God, We have called to mind in our worship the things we have said that have grieved your Holy Spirit, so through repentance and forgiveness, please refresh and renew us by our faith in Jesus with the Holy Spirit to discern the Spirit of God from the spirit of the world.. In Jesus’ name. Amen.