I will raise him up
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:35, 41–51 (ESV)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we continue in John 6 and Jesus’ declaration that He is the true bread from heaven that gives life to the world. One of the major themes in John’s gospel is that Jesus came into the world to give it eternal life. Think John 3:16. In John 6 alone, Jesus makes a specific promise four times: that He will raise His people up on the last day. Whenever Jesus repeats something, it means it’s worth paying attention to.
This promise of resurrection is absolutely central to the Christian faith. In the Nicene Creed, we even say that “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” are something we “look for”. It is the end goal of our faith, the primary objective, the thing that we are always directed toward.
So, we’re going to focus particularly on what Jesus has to say about resurrection.
What does Jesus raise from?
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
John 6:49–51a (ESV)
In short, Jesus raises us from death. But this isn’t as simple as it sounds because death is much more complicated than what happens when our heart stops beating. Death is not just a state of being—you’re either alive or you’re dead. Death is a terminal disease that we all live with every day. There are different kinds of medications and treatments that can ease the pain or suppress the symptoms, but it the condition of death remains.
The most obvious symptom of death is the effect on our physical bodies. I recently heard someone describe what happens when you turn 30. From childhood and into your young adulthood, you might get the odd pain like a sprained ankle or a strained muscle, but you can just walk them off and they go away. The moment you turn 30, though, they stop going away. Now, those of you who have been on the other side of the 30-threshold for a decade or five might think that’s a bit rich. I’ll let you know what my experience is when I cross it in 3-and-a-bit years’ time…
Some of us know more about the reality of the symptoms of death in our bodies than others. Prolonged pain—arthritis, muscular issues, nerve pain, whatever it is—has a big impact not just on our bodies but on our mood and even our spirit. It’s good that we can laugh about it, but it’s worth acknowledging that this all comes from the terminal disease we all share.
Outside of the physical impacts, this disease called death also effects our emotions, our minds, our relationships, and even our communities.
It causes us to protect ourselves and look inward rather than outwardly serving other people.
It creates tension between people when they see things differently or have expectations of each other that aren’t being met.
It causes us to fear what other people might think about us or worry about getting things wrong.
Everything in this world shows symptoms of this disease—nothing is free from it.
Not even manna, the bread from heaven, prevented physical niggles or conflicts within the Israelite community. Yes, they were physically sustained and no longer hungry for a few hours, but they still had the day-to-day symptoms of death to deal with. Eventually, every one of them faced the physical, final death that the disease leads towards.
Jesus says: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
You’ve seen the ads for skin cream that magically makes your skin look 10 years younger, or the carpet cleaner that removes wine stains in one swift, easy motion. You know the ads are tricking you with visual effects, but part of you wants to believe it.
The people in marketing know exactly what they’re doing: they know your face and your carpet have imperfections and you’re self-conscious about them, so they show you something that will take it all away so that people will look at your face and your carpet and think better of you. Advertising shows you what you want to see—the product itself is almost irrelevant. Ads for fragrances are a classic—some Frenchman wearing a cardigan and riding a horse is somehow meant to promote a spray to make you smell nice.
The bread that Jesus is selling is the miracle treatment for death, but there is one very important difference between Jesus and professionals in marketing: it actually works. Jesus doesn’t use any visual effects or twist the truth. The old way, great as it was, still resulted in death—my way will give you life forever. He’s not in it to make a sale and build his audience—He’s in it to raise you from death to life and bring you to Himself.
Who will Jesus raise up?
They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:42–44 (ESV)
Jesus promises resurrection to people who come to Him. To come to Jesus means firstly to believe in Him, but also to seek Him and His will, to listen to Him, and to be obedient to Him.
The people struggled to work out how a son of parents they knew could be from heaven. They couldn’t make it make sense. They tried to come to Jesus by their own strength and reason, but it just doesn’t work.
This is exactly what Luther’s explanation to the Third Article in the Creed teaches us:
I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.
Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation to the Third Article
We need to hear both the bad news and the good news. The bad news is that we can’t come to Jesus by our own determination, strength, will, or power. Sure, you can drag yourself to church or force yourself into regular Bible reading or prayer, but that does not mean you’re necessarily coming to Jesus. You can’t come to Jesus and, therefore, receive the resurrection He promises, simply by sheer grit and determination.
“No one can come to me unless the Father draws him,” Jesus says. During the week, ladies from around the region gathered for the annual Women’s Rally under the theme, “Let the children come to me.” In our ministry to children, and to anyone else for that matter, we do not draw them to Jesus by our own creativity or influence. That is the Father’s work, so we don’t make the children come to Jesus—we let them come. The more important thing for us to pay attention to are the next words: “and don’t hinder them.” We don’t have the power to draw people to Christ, but we can hinder it.
So, how does the Father draw people to Jesus? Luther says, “the Holy Spirit called me… enlightened me… made me holy and kept me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth…”
The Spirit called you to gather with fellow Christians today to be enlightened by knowing Christ so that you would be more like Him (or, “holy”). To be like Jesus is to share in His death and resurrection.
So, who will Jesus raise up? Those whom he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies. That’s you. That’s us. That’s the whole Christian Church on earth.
When will Jesus raise us up?
Jesus promises four times in John 6 alone that he will raise His people up specifically “on the last day.” In the Nicene Creed we confess that “we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” It is something we live anticipating, looking for, looking forward to.
And yet, there is a participation in the present as well. The rest of Luther’s explanation to the Third Article reads:
Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the Last Day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.
As the disease of death has its symptoms even in life, so the bread that Jesus gives has some welcome side-effects.
We believe in the forgiveness of sins, the community of God’s people, and the resurrection of the dead. The first two are things we regularly receive, have access to, and participate in now.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:51 (ESV)
Jesus has given us this bread and we have access to it now, in this life. As we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we proclaim His death until He comes again. Through the simple act of eating and drinking, Jesus gives life and life in abundance. Though we experience the symptoms of death while we are in this world, we will not taste the finality of death. Instead, the Spirit calls us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” In Him, we will find life.
May the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
