J. C. Ryle John

We are taught by these words that Christ has brought into the world a salvation open and free to
everyone. Our Lord draws a picture of it, from the story of the bronze serpent, by which bitten
Israelites in the wilderness were healed. Every one that chose to "look" at the bronze serpent
might live. Just in the same way, every one who desires eternal life may "look" at Christ by faith,
and have it freely. There is no barrier, no limit, no restriction. The terms of the Gospel are wide
and simple. Every one may "look and live."
We are taught, furthermore, that Christ will never allow any soul that is committed to Him to be
lost and cast away. He will keep it safe, from grace to glory, in spite of the world, the flesh, and
the devil. Not one bone of His mystical body shall ever be broken. Not one lamb of His flock
shall ever be left behind in the wilderness. He will raise to glory, in the last day, the whole flock
entrusted to His charge, and not one shall be found missing.
Let the true Christian feed on the truths contained in this passage, and thank God for them.
Christ the Bread of life--Christ the Receiver of all who come to Him--Christ the Preserver of all
believers--Christ is for every man who is willing to believe on Him, and Christ is the eternal
possession of all who so believe. Surely this is glad tidings and good news!
JOHN 6:41-51
Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, "I am
the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,
whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?"
Jesus replied, "Do not complain about me to one another. No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the
prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father
comes to me. (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God--he has
seen the Father.) I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the
bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread
that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living
bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The
bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
Truths of the weightiest importance follow each other in rapid succession in the chapter we are
now reading. There are probably very few parts of the Bible which contain so many "deep
things" as the Sixth Chapter of John. Of this the passage before as is a signal example.
We learn, for one thing, from this passage, that Christ's lowly condition, when He was upon
earth, is a stumbling-block to the natural man. We read that "the Jews murmured, because
Jesus said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the
son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he says, I came down
from heaven?" Had our Lord come as a conquering king, with wealth and honors to bestow on
His followers, and mighty armies in His train, they would have been willing enough to receive
Him. But a poor, and lowly, and suffering Messiah was an offence to them. Their pride refused to
believe that such an one was sent from God.
70 of 237