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This afternoon, gentlemen, in two shorter sessions, I aim to try to get across the major ideas, not all the detail, of chapter six of the gospel. We've already noticed that chapter f- in chapter five, our Lord is presented as the source of life, whereas in chapter six, he is presented as the means of life. In chapter five, the discussion is introduced by one miracle, the miracle of, uh, the healing of the weak man at the pool of Bethesda. Here in chapter six, the discussion is introduced not simply by one miracle, but by two. And seeing that in chapter six, both miracles are significant for the understanding of the discussion, we must perhaps, we would be wise to begin by considering the significance of the two miracles that in chapter six introduce the discussion. The first miracle is the so-called feeding of the five thousand. And we have already noticed that in this miracle, our Lord deliberately goes out of his way to use means. He could have said a prayer, and the bread could have come down from heaven. But no, he first of all asked his disciples what was their opinion and what means would suffice. And then he took the absurdly small amount of the five loaves and two small fishes on the young boy and used it to feed the multitude. It is a thing, of course, to be observed in passing, gentlemen. How comes it that the almighty creator of heaven and earth, our blessed Lord himself, whose work it is to regenerate and, uh, to save, should on times use us as his means of extending the bread of life... to others. But that much in passing. Shall we next notice that in verse four of chapter six, John tells us that the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Interesting because in chapter five, our Lord goes up to a feast that we are told, but what feast it was, we are not told. Oceans of ink have been spent by biblical scholars trying to ascertain what was the feast in chapter five to which the Lord went. My simple answer would be that if, if, if, if it were necessary for us to know the holy Spirit would have told us. But we are told in chapter six that the feast of the Passover, the pa- the feast of the Jews, was at hand. We're not here told that Jesus went to it. And anyway, in chapter six, we are back north in Galilee, are we not? Not in Jerusalem. Why then does John tell us that the Passover was near at hand? He tells us that because the Passover will form a very helpful background to the discussion that is to follow. At the Passover, Israel were delivered, as we know, from the wrath of the destroying angel by the blood of the Passover lamb sprinkled on doorpost and on lintel. Then the people went out and were saved by the power of God at the Red Sea. Thereafter, presently, provision was made for them as they went for their forty years through the wilderness, of daily food in the form of the manna that came down from heaven. At least it came down six days of the week, in the seventh it didn't get any, but on the Friday they had to collect twice as much, uh, so as there would be enough, uh, for the Sabbath day. So we think at Passover in chapter six, of the journey that Israel took across the wilderness, and how that God gave them manna from heaven to eat. The Jews themselves remind our Lord of this. They said, you see, what sign do you sow? This is verse thirty. that we may see and believe thee. What do you work? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Our Lord replies to it eventually by saying, but I am the true bread. So he is not only the fulfillment of that prototype of the manna sent down from heaven. Uh, Uh. but uh, he is the actual bread itself. So then we perceive that the feeding of the five thousand with literal bread was a sign, a miraculous sign, pointing to himself as the bread of life. It is interesting to notice, therefore, the usage of the word sign here in chapter six. We are told that when he had gone away the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, a great multitude followed him because he, they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick. Having fed the people, the multitude, he went up a mountain, his apostles went into a boat to cross the sea, he eventually joined them. On the next day, from verse twenty two onward, the crowd, wondering where he'd got to, came and sought him and found him. Our Lord replied to them, verse twenty six, Verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Now notice that. That is a very nice and exact distinction. They had witnessed a miracle, a sign in that sense, in seeing the, our Lord feed the multitude with that slender, uh, uh, means as the five loaves and two fishes. And they followed him. But as our Lord pointed out, the reason why they followed him is not because they had seen the significance of the sign. They followed him because their stomachs had been filled, because you were filled, gorged, and they were hoping for another stomach full. And our Lord says, you sought me then, not because you saw the sign. What do you mean? Surely they had seen the sign. Well, no, they hadn't. A sign of what? It stands almost to reason that if they had been there near enough to our Lord to see him take the loaves and the fishes, and somehow they were multiplied in his hand, that they would have come around to asking themselves the question, whose hands are these? Who could this possibly be, in whose hands five loaves and two fish are so multi- multiplied as to feed five thousand? m The physical miracle, therefore, was a sign that pointed to him. If you didn't see it pointed to him to raise the question, who and what is he, then you haven't seen the sign. That is, you haven't seen its significance. Miracles are there as wonders to call people's attention. The Greek uses the word teras for it, a wonder that makes, uh, calls people attention to it. Sign is used by John to show that the miracles, the physical miracles, were meant to be signs pointing to Jesus Christ. That becomes of importance. Uh, an unbeliever might, uh, uh, mock you by saying, you don't believe, do you, the story of this Jesus feeding a multitude? Well, if that is true, why doesn't he keep on feeding the multitudes anyway? There are millions of poor people, starving people. Why didn't he give himself to feeding the poor? And we Christians, of course, are, are under duty to feed the poor where we can. And a lot of people would be content if the church did no more than to feed the poor and heal the sick. That's true Christianity, they say, not all this preaching stuff. But wait a minute. To see Jesus feeding the poor and the hungry, and to miss the sign of who it spoke, is the giver of eternal life, is in the end to find that Earth's food end you in hopeless disaster. This is a personal universe, gentlemen. It is God that gives us our daily bread. If we take the bread and miss the giver, it is disastrous. Our daily bread is but one of his love gifts that points us to him. So then it is easy to see that the sign of, of, um, uh, feeding the five thousand, though a miracle itself, was also a parable pointing to our Lord Jesus as the bread of life. Now, of course, when the Jews say to him, as we have already s- uh, pointed out, what then do you do for a sign? Our father set the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Our Lord replies, but that wasn't Moses who gave them even that man, it was God, of course. But then my Father giveth you the true bread. They said, evermore give us this bread. He says, but gentlemen, I am the bread. You will see, uh, verse thirty five. I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And then he points out the parallel. The manna came from heaven, did they say? Our fathers, he gave them bread out of heaven to, to eat. Well, I have come down from heaven. You'll see verses, uh, thirty eight onwards. I have come down from heaven as the bread of life. Verse forty one, the Jews therefore murmured concerning him because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. They found that almost impossible to stomach. What did he know? Did he mean? And they find fault with him. Number one of their murmurings. When he had explained that, there came a second murmuring. Verse fifty two: The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have not life in yourselves. So he not only came down from heaven, he went to Calvary. And notice the flesh and blood apart. These things he said in the synagogue at Saper- Capernaum. So two objections and two explanations on the part of the Jews. But then, verse sixty, many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, this is a hard saying, who can hear it? You notice the distinction, not now just the Jews, but the disciples. That is, not the Jews who are around and religious and, and, uh, and came and questioned him as the crowd stood by, but those that professed to be following him in some sense, his disciples. Though whether they were all true believers is another thing, because these verses are going to distinguish between disciples, people who profess to be disciples and prove not to be true believers, and people that profess to be disciples and were true believers. So look at verse sixty, as I say, many therefore of his disciples, not now the Jews, but the disciples, when they heard this, said, this is a hard saying, who can hear it? Look at verse sixty six. Upon this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. And he challenges the rest of them. Jesus therefore said unto the twelve, you're not also going away, are you? And Peter responded on behalf of them all, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Yes? So much for the, uh, framework of the chapter, the miracles, and then their explanation. First, the explanation of the miracle of feeding the five thousand that points to Jesus as the bread of life. And to two facts about his, his coming, his coming down from heaven to be the bread of life. And secondly, his offering of his us his flesh and his blood as the means of life. But now there's going to be a third thing, which the manna itself won't teach us. For you will remember that when God delivered the Israel- Israelites out of, uh, uh, Egypt and brought them on their journey and fed them throughout the wilderness until they had crossed the Jordan, that was the temporary journey they were meant to arrive at their destination. And when they arrived in the promised land, the manna ceased. So Christ represents himself here as the manna from heaven that came down. The food from heaven that gave himself at Calvary for us. But that's not the end of the journey. Look then, if you will, to, um, verse sixty two, or verse sixty one following. Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, does this cause you to stumble? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I've spoken unto you are spirit and are life. This is the end of the journey, gentlemen. He came down from heaven. He went to Calvary. He has returned whither he was before, where he was before. You must have the whole picture then. Not just the manner to supply us with food on the journey, but we need the question of the end of the journey. For our Lord has ascended where he was before. It seems to me, therefore, that the second miracle recorded in chapter six at the very beginning is there to make us begin to think about the final stages of the journey, Christ ascending where he was before. This story of the disciples in the boat must be distinguished in our thinking from another story recorded in the Gospels about Jesus in the boat. For there was a, is another story told by the other gospel writers, of course, that Christ went into a boat with his disciples and fell asleep as they crossed the sea. And there came a tempest and a storm, and the wind blew and the waves ran high. And the apostles were afraid that they were about to sink, and they went and woke him up and said, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he stood up and rebuked the wind and wave, and there was a great calm. And then he gently chided the apostles, oh, you of little faith. They discovered Christ as the master of the material forces of the universe, the wind and the wave. This isn't that story. He didn't start with them in the boat. They got into the boat, he went up the mountain, you'll see. It is told very dramatically. They got into a boat, past tense. And it was now dark. The sea was rising. They rode about five and twenty or thirty furlongs. It's told you in the normal tense, of course, for recording a story, past tense. And then in verse nineteen, when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, John dramatically turns to the historic present, as we call it. Changing over from past tenses to present tense, though recording a past event. For the drama of it, when they had rode about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see... present tense. And it's not just a glance either. Their gaze was attracted and anchored. They see Jesus walking on the water. Don't read the passage too quickly, gentlemen. You need to take in each word and roll it under your tongue or around your heart or somewhere. Do get the impression of it. They, when they rode this, they, they see Jesus walking on the water. Wow. That was news to them. And it says, of course, they were afraid. What was he demonstrating? Well, of course, as we all know, men devise boats. They had a, the apostles had a boat, and you can get across water, lake or sea, by making a boat, of course. Hm. But to this day, it's highly difficult for an ordinary human being to walk on the water, or even try to crawl. Gravity gets the better of you now. Now, don't say that this miracle, you can't, um, you can't believe it or anything like that because it's unscientific. That's nonsense. No, the power of gravity is real enough. You and I already, even I in my senility, you see, can on times overcome the power of gravity, temporarily. Take a ball in my hand, throw it up in the air, and the ball goes up, woo, defying gravity. Doesn't get all that far. Gravity wins in the end, brings it back again, you see. And they of NASA have devised means by which they can propel a chap inside a rocket, outside Earth's gravity, or mostly outside it, not completely, of course, ever, but outside, so he goes, uh, you know, in in space, gravity free, yes. Well, it's a very big contraption, this rocket thing. They see Jesus walking on water. Had he the power to overcome gravity? Well, yes, he did indeed. Hence, using the very same word, he says at the end of chapter six, verse sixty two, what then if you should see, it's the same Greek word, contemplate, the Son of Man ascending where he was before. When Luke comes to write in the first chapter of his Acts of the Apostles, the story of our Lord's ascension, you will have noticed, gentlemen, how often he uses the verb to see. That is a very important observation, because the story of the ascension is not just a myth. It's not meant to be just a symbol. It was symbolic, but it was also literal. And Luke helps us to see how literal it was, do you see? Uh, and here is his account. This is Acts one verse nine. And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. Sight. You don't have to take any notice of the, um, absurd critics who think they're being very scientific and say, do you suppose then that heaven is up there, and if you go far enough, you'll see a door marked heaven with a bell on the side you can ring. Nonsense. Luke doesn't, uh, attempt to tell us how our Lord crossed from our space and time into the eternal. Doesn't attempt to tell you. They saw him going up as he made the journey. But then a cloud received him out of their sight. They did not see. Don't attempt to tell you how he crossed over, whatever that means, and where heaven is. And so forth and so on. And when, uh, uh, uh, uh, do you see? Verse ten? and while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you looking? You would have to be very dull, wouldn't you? You'd have to be half asleep just as you got into bed or something to miss the emphasis on seeing and beholding and looking and gazing. How many more times you want it said, uh, you see. Yeah, you men of Galilee, why stand you looking into heaven? This Jesus which was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you beheld him going into heaven. We believe, as the old hymn puts it, we believe that mortal eyes beheld that journey to the skies. Literal, physical, with all that it involves. What and if you shall see, said to the disciples, the Son of Man ascending where he was before. They did see it eventually, overcoming the power of gravity and ascending. Now, of course, the ascension is also symbolic, as well as being literal. That's another thing to remind the narrow-minded flat earthers, that the thing can be both literal and symbolic. Marvelous. If I said to you it was in the year nineteen fifty one, or was it fifty four? I wasn't ob- ob- observing it too closely. I can remember where I was when I first heard it. But anyway, have I told you the uh uh the year of our Lord, nineteen fifty one, Elizabeth II ascended the throne? What would you take me to mean by that phrase, ascended the throne? Do you, you say to me, do you think, and they say there's some big chair somewhere called a throne, and she climbed up and sat on it, is that what you're talking about? Well, not in the first place. No, no, I that this is this is a metaphor. She she became queen, you know, as a metaphor. Don't take it lit- literally. There wasn't any such... There wasn't any such chair. Oh yes, there is. It's in Parliament, you know. And there was a day when our Ma- Her Majesty climbed up and sat on that literal chair. For ascending the throne is both literal and symbolic and metaphorical at the same time. So was the Ascension, of course. Because on the, during the forty days after our Lord's, uh, resurrection, he would appear to the apostles for a while and speak to them, be with them, and even eat a meal, and then disappear. And where he went and how he went, we're not told. Where was he in the times when he disappeared out of the upper room on one Sunday evening, and then he'd come back the next Sunday and disappeared again. Where was he? We're not told. But we are told there came the fortieth day when he deliberately s- staged this final ascent that said he wouldn't be coming as hitherto, visiting them in their homes or on the journey, on the, uh, on the li- on the pa- on their roads or, or at their fishing boats. He would officially ascend. That would bring to an end a series of appearances after the resurrection. But we come back to John. In this chapter six, we shall need both miracles. Because we are talking about our Lord as the one given us to feed us on the journey and to bring us to the goal of that journey, which is ascending to where he is. Mark therefore the completion of Holy Scripture in having two miracles at the beginning of chapter six. So then, come down to verse twenty two. On the next day, the multitude which stood on the other side of the sea had seen that there was none other boat there save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples went away alone. What is it talking about? Well, it asks you to think back to the previous evening. When our Lord had told the apostles to go across the sea, and he himself went up the mountain. There was just one boat there. They went in it and rode off, and Jesus hadn't gone with them. The next day they came seeking Jesus. Where on earth was he? Couldn't find him. Well, where- where'd he gone then? He couldn't have crossed the sea. There was no other boat for him to- to use to cross the sea. Oh, of course, there came other boats from Tiberias, says verse twenty three, uh, near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Do you see, yeah, next morning other boats came, of course they did. But that didn't solve the problem. Where was Jesus gone when there was no boat for him, and the disciples left in the only boat there was? Where was he gone? So they took boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, whence ca- when do ca- camest thou hither? Notice they didn't say how, but when. When did you come here? How long have you been? Like you might ask a conference when you arrive in San Francisco at a friend of yours from Ireland you find is already there, but you are, we took the last plane, and you were there in Belfast when we took the last plane. Well, when did you come here then? He didn't trouble to answer them. He didn't say, well, gentlemen, I walked across. That might have been altogether too much for their understanding, you see. He just said, uh, you, verily I say, you seek me not because you saw the sign, but because you ate of the loaves and were fil- fil- and were filled. Work not for the meat that perishes, but for the meat, the food that is, that abides unto eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you, for him, the Father, even God, hath sealed, with his approval, of course. So notice here our Lord's reference to work. That's why I gave you this little bit of paper at the beginning of our studies today, showing that chapter five and six contain similar ideas. In chapter five, they criticize our Lord for working on the Sabbath, do they not? Notice in chapter six how he criticized their, criticizes their work. Labor not for the meat that perishes. Now, we must understand in context, our Lord doesn't say that if you're truly spiritual and living by faith, you don't have to work. You give up work and le- and and and live by faith or something. That's a misconception, if ever there was one. If the Lord calls you to give up your um uh uh physical work or worldly work, it's not so that you can live by faith and do nothing. It's because the spiritual work will take your time and energy, so there's no time for the other kind of work, that's all. If you're true, you'll work harder than you did before. But this is giving us our attitude, isn't it, to to get our proportions right. So in the good Hebrew sense, work not for this, work for that, meaning work primarily for this, you see. And what are we to work primarily for? Well, work not for the food which perishes, but for the food that biddeth unto eternal life. Gentlemen, it is hard work. Studying scripture. We are to work for it. There is a vast need in the church worldwide for people to take God's word and his, uh, all that goes with it, serving the Lord, as seriously as they take their physics and banking and goodness knows what else. I repeat, I'm not saying you should lose, uh, give up your jobs. I'm not saying that. It's a question of proportions, isn't it? And the seriousness with which you take things. If we work for our daily food, we should be prepared to work for the eternal food. Christ will give it to us, but we have to work. At least that's been my experience. You don't get very much out of scripture without hard work. They said therefore unto him, what work must we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent. They therefore said unto him, what then doest thou for a sign that we may see and believe thee, what workest thou? Of all the idiot remarks to ma- re- make, what had they been doing the day before? Gorging themselves on bread and fish. And now they ask her a sign. Our Father set the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, he gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Our Lord makes the point, it wasn't Moses actually that gave them the bread, God gave them the bread. But my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven. The bread of God is he that came down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, but I am the bread of life. He personally is the bread. It's not that he gives us something else, he personally is the bread. He that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that you have seen me and yet believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone that beholdeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Now, those verses contain a lot of theological implications, do they not? Let us take, uh, uh, to begin with at least, the superficial meaning. We are on a journey, gentlemen, as Israel was on a journey, and our journey is through life. The question it must raise is this, it's one thing to start the journey, but you know, there were a lot of Israelites who started out on the journey, they never got into the Promised Land. You're aware of that, aren't you? A whole generation of them perished in the wilderness. What about us? You say, why did they perish in the wilderness? Because they sinned against God, that's why. Oh. But then I... I sin. What will happen to me? Is it so that if I sin, I, I... I might miss getting in at last. This is such a fundamental point that John in his record comes round to telling us twice over. Let's anticipate the verse. First of all, verse forty nine. Our Lord says, your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which cometh down, down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. Verse fifty eight, this is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers did eat and died. He that eateth this bread shall live forever. Oh, thank God for the thing said twice over. The actual guarantee, not as your fathers ate the manna and then sinned and then died and never got in. Here's our Lord's own authority. It's not going to be like that. Who eateth this bread shall live forever. It's worth a hallelujah in anybody's coinage. You see. I tell I came down from heaven. How can we be sure? Oh, now the, the, the, the tremendous thing is, uh, our Lord's statement here. I have come down from heaven. What for? To save the lost, you say. Well, that is probably true. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. But in this context, he said, I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone that beholdeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Hallelujah for that. For, do you see, my eternal security rests on Christ doing the will of the Father. It is the Father's will that he should lose nothing. He will lose nothing, and none of those that the Father has given him. I like to think of it, you know, with a childlike mind. I didn't say childish, I hope, but childlike. Imagine the whole assembly of heaven presented to the Father and counted in by name, so to speak. And when he got to the end, the Father says, is that all? Yes. What about that chap called Gooding? What about him? Is he here? Well, no, he was an oddity. Well, that's true enough. A- a- and he lost his way, and so, yeah, let him be. And he's not here. And the Father says, but I thought you went to do my will, and my will was that you should lose nothing. Well, if Christ loses a genuine believer, he then has failed to do the will of God. That gentleman is unthinkable. He will bring home to the Father. All who have trusted him. Should lose nothing and should raise him up at the last. Twice spoken. For emphasis's sake. Notice the variation of, of, of phraseology, that of all that he should give, uh, given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone that beholdeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life. Everyone that beholdeth the Son and believeth on him. Tantamount in verse forty to the other phrase, all that the Father has given me. We should perhaps, uh, pause at this stage to think about the meaning of the term that which the Father has given me. It's not the last time we shall meet that phrase in the Gospel of John, and it is worth pondering. In what sense has the Father given people to the Son? Now, I submit to you, gentlemen, uh, and you may like to tell me the next time you have ha- you have thought about this thing, and the next time we meet. And if we don't meet again, we shall be in eternity, and perhaps we shall both know and not need each other to answer, you see. But our Lord speaks as being not only the Son of God, but truly man. He is Jesus of Nazareth, and he's standing before Jews. Do you notice the Jews that are arguing with him at this point? Not the disciples, the Jews. And for him to talk about people believing on him as they believe on God, would sound absolutely blasphemous. And as for him raising up the dead at the last day, that too would sound blasphemous. You should believe only in God, surely. And when our Lord said subsequently to disciples, you believe in God, then believe also in, in... Oof. You just imagine a preacher coming even to your careful, uh, establishment on a Sunday night and saying to the congregation, you believe in God? Yes. Well, believe in me as well then. Well, not in the same breath. Christ, yes. You believe in God? Believe also in me. How could it be that he could talk about people b- believing in him and he raising them? Well, he's not trying to take people away from the Father. It's the Father has given him the works to do. It is the Father that has sanctified him and sealed him as the bread of life. If he invites people to believe in him, it is because the Father has given him that glorious position and function. It's not stealing anybody away from the Father. It is either Father's gift that he can invite people to believe in him as they believe in God. Those whom that has given me, therefore. And because they'd given him in that sense by the Father, given him and put their trust in the Savior, believe in him as they believe in God. That Christ will do his Father's will, which is that he should lose none, but raise them up at the last day. Forgive me, but you say I can't help it as an old, old man, you see, old saying when you were a boy, well, well, never mind. Eh, you see, when I was a youth, I used to listen to preachers, when I began to take interest in spiritual things. And one man came, and he'd spend, uh, I said, a Wednesday night expounding the word and exhorting me to feed on Christ. I thought that would be a good thing to do if I could get started. And next week, another man came, and he said I should feed on Christ. I said, yeah, well, that is, I, it was a very good thing to do, but, but you see, they keep on telling me I should feed on Christ. I started to wonder, what on earth is the food? You see, if you invited me to dinner and you kept on saying, now I got, I do eat up, I'd say, what? Where is it? What is the food? Here you have it. Food, not just like manna that got them through the wilderness. Food, if you accept Christ, lasts you eternally. He will last you. He is the bread. And linked with him, become part of you. You will last eternally. How's that for food? Listen, not merely I give you food, but in the end I am the food. So he will raise us up at the last day. That's why he came down from heaven to rescue us, and he will raise us up at the last day. Did more than that, he has died for us, that he might become in us. But before we launch on the second half of the chapter, perhaps now we ought to take a breather, and then we shall be able to finish at half past three.