Thursday 13 July 2023
- Bible Book:
- John
Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.' (vs 43-44)
Background
In the verses before today’s passage, it was a general ‘crowd’ who challenged Jesus, but here it is ‘the Jews’. We’re told that there was a lot of grumbling going on, which makes this group just like the Israelites in the Old Testament wandering in the desert, who repeatedly complained about their lot, and even began to think it would have been better to have stayed in Egypt. Just as their leader Moses got an earful from them, so Jesus got some personal putdowns.
I’m a fan of the TV programme ‘Who Do You Think you Are?’ which traces a celebrity's ancestry. The stories behind some of the people involved is often fascinating. But, of course, the question ‘Who do you think you are?’ has another connotation which is relevant to our passage today. "Who do you think you are to claim all this?" is what Jesus’ critics were asking when they referred to his parents and background. Sceptical, they were thinking "Never mind telling us you’re from heaven, we know you came from Nazareth."
Jesus didn’t directly address their criticism. Instead, he told them to stop grumbling, and that no-one would come to him unless drawn by God. Their grumbling may suggest they were feeling threatened by Jesus’ claims about himself. Jesus was attempting to reassure them that this wasn’t something being forced upon them, but rather something about the God they believed in drawing people closer through Jesus. It’s not about any ‘magic’ or pressure or delusion, but about attraction.
Starving as they wandered in the desert, the Israelites were sustained in life by the perishable manna. In our everyday wanderings we can be sustained by the living bread from heaven. Jesus may have come physically from lowly Nazareth, but his life poured out in ministry, death and new life reveal who he really is.
To Ponder:
- Have I dismissed someone through whom God may have been drawing me closer, just because that person’s background wasn’t up to much?
- Am I a ‘glass half empty’, or a ‘glass half full’ person? How does that sit with my relationship to God?
Prayer
Father, draw me closer to you that I may have life in all its fullness. Amen.