New Testament Blog Post #5

Read the following scriptures and respond in writing to the corresponding questions and tasks:

·      What miraculous event had taken place the day before the Savior preached the sermon on the bread of life? (See John 6:1–14)

     He took 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes, gave thanks to God for them, and fed them to a multitude of 5,000 until that multitude was filled. After they were, he had his Apostles gather the remaining bread, and it filled 12 baskets.

·      According to John 6:22–26, why were many people seeking out the Savior at this time?

     Because they “did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” I would say that this is a metaphor for the Lord’s word, but it could be that it’s meant to be literal.

·      What motivates you to “seek” the Lord today?

To be honest, often fear. Sometimes it’s hope for a better life. And I think it would be good for me to get to the point where I don’t give that first answer anymore.

·      What did the Savior teach in response to these people in John 6:27–51?

     That they should labor for the “meat which endureth unto everlasting life,” which, again, I think was a metaphor for the word.

     That they should believe on “him whom God hath sent” (presumably Christ in this situation, but I would contend that that is a principle that can be applied elsewhere—that God respects and appreciates when we believe in the words of his servants. But most of all, I think it is important to him that we place our faith in Christ.

     That God, not Moses, gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness, and that Christ himself is the true bread from Heaven sent by the father—the bread of life—and that “he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” and “shall live for ever.”

     That he will not turn away those who come unto him.

     That he came from Heaven to do the will of the father.

     That the father’s will was for him to be resurrected, and for those who saw Christ and believed on him to have everlasting life and be raised up at the last day.

     That no man can come to Christ unless he is guided by the Father, and that every man that has heard and learned of the Father comes to Christ.

     That he which is of God hath seen the Father (perhaps Christ is referring to himself here).

     That he that believeth on Christ has everlasting life.

·      In John 6:27, the Savior spoke of “the meat which perisheth” and “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” Read Matthew 6:19–21, and identify another way the Savior described the difference between that which perishes and that which endures. In what ways do people today labor for “the meat which perisheth” or “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life”?

     He used the metaphor of treasure to describe things that perish and things that last. Things that perish are “treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal,” and things that last are “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
To answer the second question, people often say things like “you can’t take it with you,” referring to the physical things that you have when you are alive and how you won’t have them when you die. I suppose money and status and cars and houses and other physical things are “all the meat which perisheth,” but things like obedience to the gospel and kindness and service are treasures that come with you or at least things for which you are rewarded in Heaven. We members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also believe that knowledge and relationships are things you can take with you. I want to stress, however, that the “meat which perisheth” is, to some extent, necessary for survival on the Earth. You have to eat. Money helps you get things like property so you can more easily and safely support a family. But perhaps we ought to remember that these things are a means to an end, and they don't last forever.

·      After the Savior taught the bread of life sermon, what was the response of many of the people described in John 6:60, 66?

     They left him. They didn’t want to follow him anymore.

·      From John 6:67–69, what was the response of the Apostles?

     Simon Peter told Christ that they wouldn't leave him because he had what was most important—the words of eternal life. Why should they leave him when he could give them the most valuable thing they could ever want?

·      According to verse 69, what enabled Peter and the other Apostles to respond in this way?

     They believed and were sure that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God.

·      What examples can you think of (in the scriptures, Church history, or the lives of people you know) where someone responded to a “hard saying” with faith like Peter?

     I think that anyone who was commanded to leave the home they had built for themselves during Church history or who was told that their persecution would benefit them and did not leave the Church or stop listening to God, but were obedient, is a good example of this. Joseph receiving revelation in Liberty Jail heard from Heavenly Father that “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” He could have easily just rejected that idea and not acknowledged that anything good would come from the suffering of the saints, but he didn’t. The members of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois, were told at one point in time that they had to leave behind everything they had built, including their beloved temples, and go somewhere else. Many of them did, following Joseph Smith to Nauvoo and then Brigham Young to the West. Others did not.

·      Explain what John 6 teaches you about following Jesus Christ even when it’s not convenient.

That it’s important, and that it would be wise for us not to allow superficial obstacles to get in the way of our following Christ, because he has the words of everlasting life. He has the greatest gift of all, and although life—and following the commandments—can be incredibly difficult, it would be shortsighted to consider the difficulty we experience more worthy of our avoidance than the prize we will receive at judgment worthy of our strivings for it.