In our most recent “Evening Meditation” Bible Study we looked at John 6:60-71, that whole Paragraph.

Within its scope is this great Event … “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” That event being our Lord’s Ascension back to Heaven, John 6:63.

Jesus had repeatedly told His hearers, including His enemies, that He was the One Who “came down from Heaven.” And they were offended at His bold Claim!

Then the Saviour says something like this … “If you’re aghast at the Incarnation, what will you be at My Ascension?”

In explaining that crucial verse, “I forgot to say” some things. Facts about Jesus’ bodily return to His Father in Heaven!

First of all, not every Gospel covers, describes the Ascension!

Matthew does not. Neither does John! That’s astounding!

But little Mark does, briefly! “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19

And Luke? Both in in his Gospel and his New Testament Book of history, the Acts.

Luke 24:51 … “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.”

And Acts 1:9 … “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”

Wow!

It is even possible (probable I think) that the Old Testament predicts the Ascension too! Where?

“God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.” Psalm 47:5-6

For these Jews to be so shocked, offended at the Truth of Jesus’ Divinity is hard to understand.

He did come down from Heaven!

He did ascend back to Heaven!

Having secured eternal salvation for everyone who believes!

Luke’s fullest version of Jesus’ Return to Heaven is described like this: “8 Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem …” Acts 1:8-12

Hallelujah!

One more verse about the Ascension, startling nearly! In John 3:13 Jesus told Nicodemus … “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”

Historically Jesus was in Jerusalem when he conducted that interview (conversation) with Nicodemus … yet here He also plainly says that He is also “in Heaven!” Look again …“the Son of man which is IN HEAVEN!”

Oh yes, He is ascended.

And in His Mind, His Heart … Heaven was HOME!

Jesus, our Ascended Saviour, very inoffensive to me!

In fact, I adore and honor and worship Him!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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When Jesus Self-identified as the “Bread of Life” He claimed an amazing Truth about Himself.

By the way, “bread” is mentioned 361 times in the Bible! Enough to show us how vitally important it was in those ancient days.

It is the staple in the ancient middle eastern diet! Thus, it is essential for human existence!

In its second occurrence in Genesis … “Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” Genesis 14:18, already a veiled reference to Jesus’ Flesh and Blood, sacrificed on the old rugged Cross for sinners to be saved!

Actually “bread” was used to indicate a whole meal, looks to me like. For example … “And he (Ruel, Moses’ future Father-in-Law) said unto his daughters, And where is he (Moses)? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.” Exodus 2:20

Bread was so important to the Jew that God allowed him one whole “offering” (of the five named in Leviticus 1-7) to be used as an act of worship! That’s now called the “meal” (grain) offering. And in the King James Version it is even called a “Meat” offering, though it consisted of wheat, ground flour, bread!

And to show the spiritual “linkage” between bread and God … “That he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3, words the Lord Jesus later quoted to the devil in Matthew 4:4.

Bread in the Holy Land was so essential that one City at least was named after it, Bethlehem! (House of Bread) The City where Jesus (the Bread of Life) was born!

And in John 6:58 Jesus, speaking of Himself, said … “This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

Today we leave usually bread off the menu if we’re dieting. Never in those bygone days!

Bread was essential!

SO IS JESUS!

He is the Living Bread!

Believe in Him … and you have eaten of Him as the eternal Bread of Life!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

(I didn’t leave much material our of this most recent “Evening Meditation,” so I summarized the “Bible and Bread” thoughts you have just read.

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In John 6:44 we are told that God the Father “draws” people to Jesus!

Then in John 12:23 Jesus says that He Himself will “draw” men unto Himself. Excuse the redundancy please.

And in John 15:26 the Holy Spirit is clearly said to “testify” of Jesus, implying an act of drawing men and women to Christ as Saviour! The Spirit also “convicts” (“reproves”) people of sin as well, luring them toward Jesus! See John 16:8 for proof.

The Trinity, the Godhead … loving, nudging, wooing humankind to Salvation!

No wonder the Bible has so many great “whosoever will may come” verses! Romans 10:13 is coming to mind.

The New Testament verb for “drawing,” used twice in the above cited References … is spelled “helkuo.” It means “to lead,” particularly in a non-abusive way.

But I read a little note (I forgot to say) by a distinguished Bible scholar and able linguist who remarked that “helkuo” in the New Testament (found only 8 times in all) always implies opposition to the leading the verb represents!

The the good Doctor added … “opposition that can be resisted!”

Wow!

Yes, I see in the Bible times when men and women were clearly drawn to the Lord, only to turn and walk away!

Grace that is resistible!

God loves us enough to allow us to choose!

Something else I left out of our Bible Study video on John 6:41-51 … Jesus claims for Himself “Bread of Life” Status four times between verses 35 and 51! This Title or Name for Jesus must be critically important!

Our Paragraph here also uses the word “murmuring” (grumbling) a couple of times. Complaining like the Jewish people did long ago in the wilderness, under Moses’ leadership.

In Exodus 15:24 they grumbled about no water! In Exodus 16:3 they murmured about no bread, no food!

So Jesus names Himself as “living water” in John chapter 4 and as “living bread” in John 6.

Yet these Jews are still unhappy!

It just seems that in a 30 minute Bible Class one can’t say all that should be mentioned, hence this Article today.

Study with us.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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We have been studying (in our “Evening Meditation” Bible Classes) John chapter 6. It contains a total of 71 verses, and a lot of red ink in my Bible! (Which expresses all the Words of Jesus in that bright color, to mark them as vitally important.)

Come to think of it, John chapters 3 and 4 and 5 are loaded with “red” as well! As will be (our next chapters to study, the Lord willing) John 7 and 8 and 9, etc. (Nearly the rest of the Book of John until Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.)

Jesus’ very Words!

I say Jesus’ Words, but He said … “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me.” John 14:10, so God the Father’s Very Words!

But what about those Words?

Why a Lesson on the Website (“I forgot to say”) about their significance? These “red Words?”

Something Paul wrote one day.

In 1st Timothy 6:3 he called Jesus’ Words “wholesome words!” The adjective here (spelled in Greek “hugies”) gives us the common English word “hygiene!” And it does mean “wholesome,” but in this sense … “sound” or even “healthy!” 

This at least identifies Jesus’ Words (though all the Bible is divinely Holy-Spirit inspired) as particularly “helpful.”

But Paul says even more in 1st Timothy 6:3 … “Wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness.”

Wow!

Now our Lord’s Words are both “wholesome” and prone to produce “godliness” in our lives!

Doubly powerful!

They are here said to both keep me clean (on the outside) and keep me holy, godly (on the inside)!

That’s why, two reasons anyway, Jesus’ Word are often (in many Bibles) distinguished in some visible way.

I though this point was well worth making, since I forgot to say it in our current video Bible Study!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

What a Saviour we have!

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That’s what one writer called the “issue” in John 6:25-31. (We have a 30 minute video Bible Class available on this Text on our YouTube channel.) He called the spiritual disease the Jews (not all Jews, primarily their leaders) had in John 6 … “more-ism!” (Actually he did not hyphenate the word, “moreism.”)

Specifically John 6:26 lays the foundation for our discussion … “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”

They were not searching simply for Jesus’ Sake! Just because He is the Son of God! Because He is the Saviour, the Only One Who forgives sin! Not because of God’s Glory, either!

They were searching for their own sake. They wanted more “food” to eat! More “free” benefits! More days “off” work! They wanted a divine ‘hand-out!”

They wanted MORE than just Jesus! They desired Him not for Who He is, but for what He could do! What He could do for them!

Hence the term “moreism!”

Question this morning …

Is Jesus enough for you?

By the way, “moreism” is the basis for the modern day “Prosperity Gospel.” Also now called the “Health and Wealth Gospel.”

“Get saved, the blessings are phenomenal, tons of benefits, always healthy bodies, swelling bank accounts, and much more!” So they promise, preach, emphasize.

What about the countries (a growing number) in the world where getting saved means jail time? Maybe even death, martyrdom?

I see no “moresim” there!

I just see love for Jesus!

Obedience to His Word!

Again I ask you … is Jesus enough!

After all, He is God’s ALL-SUFFICIENT Son!

Just Him!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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