Nwsltr-090510-Cross-Contamination
“The Lessons of the aftermath of the loaves and fishes in John chapter six when Cross Contamination caused many to reject and become offended at the Son of Man.”

By the Watchman
Dana G Smith
Keywords: Watchman Newsletter, expose, biblical, jesus, christ, God, manna, loaves, disciples, fishes, offended, spiritual, carnal, belief
Words: 2741

John 6: 26 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.

John 6:
26  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.
27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28  ¶Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

The Jews in Jesus day were not without miracles, that is true miracles done by the Lord.  In fact, John describes the many miracles and signs he gave. In chapter six of John and verse twenty six the Lord pointedly says to the Jews gathered “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” I ask myself when I read this “How can Jews where Jesus said “salvation is of the Jews”, be filled with a miracle feed like the loaves and fishes and still not grasp that this was a totally creative miracle done to prove he was the “True bread out of heaven?”  Yet, the Jews who saw, did not believe the works he did. They were blinded by their own traditions, pride, and unbelief. The same Jews who  persecuted the prophets and killed them still rejected those whom God sent to them, including Jesus of Nazareth.

John 4:
22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

There were exceptions in Israel at the time, one such is found when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well telling her among other things that “Salvation is of the Jews.” Here it is sad and ironic that although “Salvation is of the Jews”, the Jews rejected him! This whole event is recorded in John chapter 4. The outcome is that the Samaritans who were shunned by the Jews, actually recognized and saw Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the world.  The Jews on the other hand were blinded to this.

Psalms 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Matthew 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Scripture does tell us of this blindness, in fact, Jesus being the stone the builders rejected.  The very religious Jews, Pharisees, and the  chief priest rejected Jesus outright in many cases. What is still unbelievable is that right after they sat around in groups, watching the disciples dispense the bread and fishes, the remaining baskets of fragments of bread was twelve. Jesus started with only five barley loaves. In the twelve basket of  fragments, I see a representation of  the twelve tribes of Israel to whom Jesus was sent. Here the lesson is obvious, the Messiah was sent to the twelve tribes of Israel first. God wanted to feed them, not with physical bread, but with spiritual. The object lesson would lead to the Lord telling them “he was the bread from heaven.” Just as the Lord God sent Manna down from heaven to feed Israel in the days of Moses, so the LORD had sent the Messiach to Israel at that time. The Twelve baskets also were taken from the fragments of the bread. This tells us of abundance in the LORD God available to his people. Out of Gods overflow and abundance, there is blessing and salvation for those, especially the twelve tribes. Yet for all of this, they did not believe.

John 6:
32  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36  But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

In the conversation shortly before Jesus saying “I am the bread of life”, the Jews asked to see a sign proving he was the one God had sent. Here is the incredulous blindness of Israel and the Jews, in that those who sat, witnessed, and saw the miracle of the bread and fishes still wanted to see a sign. What more would they need? I believe the hardness of their hearts were so firm that day that no matter the sign the Lord gave that day, they would not believe. If they did not believe on him after the Loaves and fishes miracle, neither would they believe on him now. So he told them, “Ye also have seen me, and believe not.”

The only way to understand this I believe is in what I call Cross Contamination. The Jews with their unbelief and their own ideas as to the true nature, characteristics, and ministry of the Messiah. It is here where man and his religious mind can make up ideas as to what God is doing. They convince themselves of truth, even half truths when the truth is staring them in the face. Thus the blindness of the religious Jews and leaders of Israel towards Christ. They kept putting all things in materialistic, worldly ideology and thought, when Jesus told them that it was otherwise. Add to this mixture unbelief and stubbornness of heart and you have a lethal mix that will bring about rejection.

On example of this is when the Lord spoke to the Jews “except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” Jesus not only told his disciples once, but six times, in somewhat differing ways.  The religious Jews only thought in the carnal and worldly sphere.

John 6:
53: Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you
54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day
55:  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him
57: I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58: 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.

This is true Spiritual and physical cross contamination. Where secular and carnal people get the truth mixed up with mans ideas and human spirit wisdom. By man’s wisdom nor by the worlds wisdom can you know God, through Jesus Christ. So too, here we find the Jews in the dark as to what he is saying. Jesus even goes on to say his words are spirit.  The Spirit is the only source which quickens and makes alive. It is the Spirit, through which men become born again. Jesus tells them this fact “It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing, the words I speak to you are Spirit and life.” It does no good to eat flesh, it is not actual eating of flesh and drinking of blood that our Lord is talking about. Today you and I know that, but then, the Jews did not. In fact this saying was so troubling, and an abomination to Jews regarding eating human flesh and drinking human blood, many of his disciples left him. It is here that Jesus also says a fact about those who can come to him. Jesus says here in John Six and verse sixty-five “that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”  Further scripture records, “many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.”

John 6:
60  ¶Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him

.

Truth is, many of the Revelations God gives us can be hard to understand, that is, until he reveals it through his Spirit to us. Just as the above illustrates, many disciples discontinued walking with Jesus.. Most of the time because they are ignorant, in the dark, and do not understand. Thinking of it in terms of Carnal, flesh, and worldly wisdom. I know of many churches, denominations, and preachers who do this. Many doctrines follow this. The truth is our God is a Spirit, we must worship him in Spirit and Truth. To know him, we must allow the Spirit to reveal the true things of God to us. We must be open to his ways and understand what he is telling us.  It is sad in the above context that the very disciples who witnessed the loaves and fishes did not walk anymore with him simply because they actually thought he was telling them to literally eat his flesh and drink his blood. Even this, today does not make sense!

Moreover, Jesus does tell his disciples and us today in John Chapter 15 of the true relationship his disciples were to have with him. I call this the Unity chapter, where Jesus tells us he is the vine, they, the disciples and all future disciples are the branches. From the vine you get the sustenance to live. You cannot live, exist, or continue without being connected to the vine. So too, you cannot live today without that same connection. Through his Spirit, his Word, in prayer, and in faith. You cannot live without this connection! This is the true Spirit explanation of the phrase “eat my flesh and drink my blood”.  It is a connection with God, our Father, through Jesus Christ the vine. It is a relationship in which we find all the sustenance of life and redemption in Him.

The first group of scriptures in this article bring in the truth that Jesus is the one that “God the Father sealed.” He tells them to “labor not for the meat which perishes” but for the “meat which endures unto everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you.” All this remember is in connection with the miracle of the Loaves and fishes. They were full, sought him out, and many followed him. But they did so out of carnal and worldly reasons. But in this conversation they ask Jesus simply “what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus then told them that “the work of God is to believe on him whom he hath sent.” It is here that they ask for a sign so they may see and believe thee? Saying further “what dost thou work.”

John 6:
26  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.
27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28  ¶Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

It is here then he starts telling these disciples and other crowded around about Moses and the Manna in the wilderness. He relates he is that “bread.” Again, through all of this, they are still in the dark. It is at the end of this that many turn away because of his “eating his flesh and drinking his blood” requirements. Totally not seeing the very experience of the loaves and fishes as a sign, then not connecting the “Son of man” whom they followed to this bread of heaven. This illustrates vividly that indeed it is the Father, who through his Spirit, makes alive, quickens, gives understanding, and brings people unto himself through Jesus Christ. This proves in short order the Spiritual nature and warfare of the redemption of men. Satan keeps them in the dark while their carnality works against belief.

This was so intense an exchange that the Lord then turned to his original disciples because he had heard them discussing it and said to them: “Doth this offend you?” As he was speaking this disciples who had been with him, turned away offended. Even today, disciples and believers do this regularly. When confronted with something they do not know or understand, they simply turn away.  Even at these times, discernment is truly through the Spirit. Although many believers think themselves such, the truth is, many walk away from real truth, missing out on Gods revelation on a matter simply because of offense and misunderstanding. Is it Spiritually carnal pride? Is it carnal ways getting in the way? It can be many things, but one lesson can be learned here. The original disciples did not understand it, but even though they did not fully comprehend what Jesus was saying here, they knew one thing and it is that one thing that kept them in his corner. This one thing made them truly trust the Son of Man even though the issue had caused many other disciples to turn away. This one issue was the fact that just as Peter said “Lord to whom shall we go? Thou has the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Even if they did not fully understand they trusted Jesus and believed that he would indeed make it plain so they could Spiritually understand these hard teachings.  It was after this that the Jews sought to kill him so he walked no more openly in Jewry [John 7].

John 6:
61  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

In conclusion, I call this cross contamination because of the divisions in the American Christianity. Many times we become offended at pastors, in church, with other believers, and walk in a pride of the human flesh carrying with us the same proud religious spirit the Jews had during the time of Christ. This kept many of them from truly ‘spiritually discerning’ who he was. Today it keeps us from the ‘spiritual truth’ that God wants to deliver to us. Yet he does deliver it and there are those who receive it. Let us learn the lesson from this and the disciples. The ones who kept with the Lord were those who knew that they knew, that they knew, this was the Son of man, the Son of God, the Messiah to come with the words of eternal life. This alone kept them, even though, they may not have fully understood his teaching at the time. Later in John chapter fifteen Jesus does indeed teach them more Spiritual truth on these matters. In all this it took believe and faith.

John 15:
1  ¶I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing

Originally posted 2010-09-05 01:00:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter