Jesus said to His disciples, "gather together the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost."1
Jesus had just performed a miracle of feeding many thousands from a few loaves of bread and two fish, and He asks the disciples to gather up the left overs. As I heard on Sunday He did this as a reminder to the disciples of this great miracle. Jesus would later say on several occasions, referring to people, that none would be lost, they too would be gathered up unto eternal life. Eternal life is in the Son, Jesus the Bread from Heaven, and He proclaims to be the only Way to the Father. If they would eat this bread they would be raised up on the last day.
Jesus performed many signs and many rejected Him. Jesus said those truly of the Father would come to Him. These would be a people called out by God, to be consecrated, of the Father. He told them they must labor for food that does not perish. After seeing many signs the people still ask Jesus what sign He would perform so they could believe, they said Moses fed their fathers manna from heaven. Was not the miracle feeding from five loaves, manna from heaven? was it not enough to believe? after seeing the miracle they said surely this is the Prophet, but they did not believe the prophet. Sound familiar? yes, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, if they do not believe the prophets, why would they believe if someone is raised from the dead.
"They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me."2 This was prophesied of, that God would write His laws on the hearts of men, through the Word and the promise of the Holy Spirit men are taught by God. The Jews who ate manna from heaven in the wilderness died, but he who eats this Bread from heaven and drinks this living water will live forever. Here we see the conditions of eternal life; he who has the Father has the Son, and eternal life is in the Son, the Son is the bread of life, He who eats this Bread lives forever, He who does not eat will not see life.
Highest Praise
Jesus had just performed a miracle of feeding many thousands from a few loaves of bread and two fish, and He asks the disciples to gather up the left overs. As I heard on Sunday He did this as a reminder to the disciples of this great miracle. Jesus would later say on several occasions, referring to people, that none would be lost, they too would be gathered up unto eternal life. Eternal life is in the Son, Jesus the Bread from Heaven, and He proclaims to be the only Way to the Father. If they would eat this bread they would be raised up on the last day.
Jesus performed many signs and many rejected Him. Jesus said those truly of the Father would come to Him. These would be a people called out by God, to be consecrated, of the Father. He told them they must labor for food that does not perish. After seeing many signs the people still ask Jesus what sign He would perform so they could believe, they said Moses fed their fathers manna from heaven. Was not the miracle feeding from five loaves, manna from heaven? was it not enough to believe? after seeing the miracle they said surely this is the Prophet, but they did not believe the prophet. Sound familiar? yes, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, if they do not believe the prophets, why would they believe if someone is raised from the dead.
"They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me."2 This was prophesied of, that God would write His laws on the hearts of men, through the Word and the promise of the Holy Spirit men are taught by God. The Jews who ate manna from heaven in the wilderness died, but he who eats this Bread from heaven and drinks this living water will live forever. Here we see the conditions of eternal life; he who has the Father has the Son, and eternal life is in the Son, the Son is the bread of life, He who eats this Bread lives forever, He who does not eat will not see life.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, if not you shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man and shall have drunk of him the blood you have not life in you."3 Eternal life is in the Son of man, it is this physical aspect of Jesus, the flesh and blood, the Word of God who became flesh, the Son given for the world who dwelt among us, it is this flesh and blood we must eat and drink, we must believe in the Son of Man. The flesh profits nothing but the Spirit gives life and the words of Jesus are Spirit and Life. If they were of the Father they would know the Son, be drawn to Jesus. Many were not of the Father, as they rejected the Son, as they reject Him today. Eternal life is only in the Son.
"The one eating the flesh of me and drinking the blood of me has eternal life and I will raise Him in the last day."4 Who is he that is raised up in the last day? there can be no other Way, Jesus gives the conditions for the statement "I will raise Him up in the last day," and several times He states this is who will be raised up. First, as the sign of Moses lifting up the Serpent for salvation was, so Jesus would be lifted up. "For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."5 Those who look to Jesus, the Jew and Gentile, will be raised up the last day.
Second, Jesus was sent by the Father that none would be lost, "this is the will of the One having sent Me, that all that he has given me nothing I will loose of it but will raise it up at the last day."6 Third, the Spirit draws men to the Son, "no one is able to come to Me if not the Father, the one having sent me draws him and I will raise up him at the last day."7 Finally, the signs of Moses, manna and water, "the one eating of me the flesh and drinking of me the blood has life and I will raise him up in the last day."8
He who is raised up on the last day is; he who looks to the Son lifted up, is given by the Father, drawn by the Spirit, and who eats the flesh and drinks the blood of the Son of Man, this is he who will be raised up. He who looks to Christ lifted up, shall have eternal life. Christ is the head of the Church. The Church are people drawn to Christ by the Father, called out by God, it is founded on the Apostles and prophets, and in Christ all nations are blessed. All who believe in Christ are grafted into the root of Jesse, whose son is David, who Jesus is a descendant of.
David foresaw Christ and proclaims honor and praise to the King of Israel.9 The promises of God have been accomplished in Christ therefore the king David cries out to the assembly of Israel, "all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and revere Him, for He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted... All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations... future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: it is accomplished!"10
Yes, it is accomplished, it is finished in Christ! And what has been accomplished if not the purpose of God which was hidden in God in the beginning and accomplished through Christ? if not the manifestation of this mystery through the Church, to authorities and rulers in the heavenly realms, "through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known... according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."11 And what is this wisdom being made known through the Church if not the adoption into the Kingdom? it is that "In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence."12 We have received a Spirit of Adoption as a guarantee of this inheritance.
"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and everyone living and believing on me never shall not die to the age. Believe you this?"14