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What comfort it is to know that our God is merciful and gracious to His children. Furthermore, He is slow to anger towards us. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we learn of these wonderful attributes. We biblically and experientially know that our God is good to us, even when we sin against Him. Every day, our God knows that we were made from dust and shows compassion to those who love Him. What a glorious reason to worship God: Our God is so good to us!

Our souls are commanded to bless the Lord because He is good to us. When we contemplate God's glorious works, how can our souls keep silent? When we dwell on God's attributes, how can our hearts cease from singing? When we remember the salvation brought to our hearts by the grace of Christ, how can our tongues refrain from joining the multitude of angels who cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” Praise the Lamb, for He is good to us forever.

One of the most precious words to a Christian is the word “grace.” The woman caught in adultery was guilty. According to the Law, this woman should have been stoned to death. Yet, Jesus intercedes, saves her, and commands her to live and sin no more. This story reminds us how much grace we have received from our Lord.

One might assume that the coming of the long-promised Messiah would bring joy to those in Jerusalem. However, the city is divided over Jesus. As is made clear elsewhere, division will occur in families and friends over Him. One must count the cost if they are to follow Jesus. For He alone is the only way by which sinners are saved from their sin.

Elders are a great gift to the church. They are undershepherds of Jesus, responsible for discerning His mind for the congregation. They are called to continually point their fellow brothers and sisters to Jesus, pursuing Him in love and holiness. Furthermore, they lead the congregation in love and grace. The office of elder is a high calling. As President James Garfield once said, “Today I resign from the highest office in the land (Elder of the Church) to become president of the United States.” Today we give thanks to Jesus for setting aside an elder to help us in being formed into Christlikeness.

Jesus offers the rivers of life to those who have nothing. He says, “Come and buy without money.” The cooling waters of life flow from Christ. They are refreshing and reviving to the soul. This water brings salvation. As salvation is applied to the soul, the Spirit of God is poured out into the hearts of those who have been Christ’s since before the foundations of the earth were created. He will continually sustain us as we pilgrim through this world, journeying to the eternal Promised Land.

Who is Jesus? This is now the question the crowd is forced to answer in this passage. The crowd has been silenced by the authorities during the Feast of Tabernacles, but now Jesus teaches openly in the temple. Do the authorities secretly believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Could this be the promised one in the midst of the temple during this festival? Is Jesus the fulfillment of the end-times Feast of Booths promised in Zechariah 14? Who is Jesus?

Jesus refers to the healing of the invalid in these verses. He does not simply heal a portion of the body, but the whole man. Jesus, with divine skill, speaks to the hearts of the crowd: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” The correct judgment would lead them to believe that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Christ does not simply heal one aspect of our lives, but provides redemption to the whole soul.

Jesus has come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He arrives at the temple and begins to teach the people. Yet again, there are those who reject Him and His Father’s authority. The Lord Jesus desired throughout His entire life to bring glory to the Father, from His ministry to His death on the cross for our sins.

Thus far in John’s Gospel, Jesus is a polarizing figure. The Jews, and their leaders, have complained about Him, argued with Him, and were seeking to kill Him. However, like the woman at the well and the royal official, there are those of Gentile descent who encounter Jesus and gladly receive Him. As Jesus will make clear, it is not His time; therefore, the world hates Him. The world is actively, not passively, against God and His Son, Jesus. Likewise, the world hates all those who belong to Him. Regardless, we have the hope of being secure in Christ forever, even if the world hates Him and us.

In John 6, the crowd, or “the Jews,” reveal their hard hearts towards Jesus as He speaks to the reality that He is the Bread of Life. He has with clarity claimed, “I AM.” Self-disclosed revelation that He is Yahweh incarnate. As the crowd rejects Jesus, we would expect that He would be welcomed by His disciples, but that is not the case. We will see in our passage that “many of his disciples turned back.” Here is a call to search our own hearts, as we can be easily self-deceived: “Am I like these disciples and Judas, or am I like the Eleven who will faithfully follow Christ Jesus all the days of my life?”

The greatest joy we will ever have is being in covenant with the Lord. We can only be in covenant with Him because of the substitutionary work of Jesus. We must never forget about the work of Christ Jesus on the cross. We must continually remind ourselves that Jesus freely and voluntarily gave His life as a sacrifice so that we would have life everlasting. Do we understand what happened at the cross, and do we give thanks to God for saving us from sin, condemnation, and eternal damnation? Praise yet our Christ again, Alleluia, Amen!

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” These are the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:28. Jesus, as the Bread of Life who has come down from heaven, gives true satisfaction to the mind, heart, and soul. Those who do not feed upon Christ do not have forgiveness of sins, nor do they have a relationship with God. In Jesus, all the blessings and privileges of the covenant are given to God’s children. Come, feast upon Jesus and let your souls be filled with eternal life and everlasting joy.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good!” is David’s command in Psalm 34. Each day, we eat food that sustains our bodies, yet it is earthly and temporary. Our souls need everlasting food whereby our sins are forgiven, our broken relationship with God Almighty is reconciled, and we receive endless joy. This type of provision does not come from fruits, nor does it come from within us, nor does it come from the world. This nourishment can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true Bread of Life.

Who is Jesus? This is the ultimate question that every person must ask. Furthermore, there is no getting around this question, for we will either answer this honestly in this life or on the day of judgment. As Jesus walks over the water, He is not merely bringing relief to His frightened disciples, though He certainly alleviates their fears. He is revealing that He is the Sovereign Creator over nature. Jesus is the great I AM.