Exposition of John, Chapter 6 · Verse 19
Verſe 30. They ſaid therefore unto him, What ſigne ſheweſt thou then, that we may ſee, and beleeve thee? What doeſt thou work?
31. Our Fathers did eat Manna in the deſert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
This anſwer produceth a new queſtion from them; wherein they bewray more of their carnal minding of their own belly. For whereas Chriſt hath taken them off their errour of leaning to the works of the law and Moſes, and hath directed them to faith in himſelfe; for attaining life and ſalvation; They (finding that he was not like to ſatisfie their carnal expectations) do object, that they cannot take his word to renounce Moſes and the works of the law given by him, in the point of juſtification and acceptance with God, and to believe in him as a new doctour till he ſhew greater ſignes, for confirmation of that doctrine, then hitherto he had done, ſeeing Moſes had done the like, or greater works, then yet he had ſhewed them. He had indeed fed many of them miraculouſly, but it was only with courſe barley loaves, and for one time: But Moſes had fed all their fathers, and that for the ſpace of fourtie years, and with excellent Manna from heaven, for which they cite Scripture. And thus they reſolve, that either he ſhall ſatisfie their deſires, in feeding them and filling their bellies, or they ſhall have ſome plauſible pretext for forſaking him, as not being ſuch a one as Moſes was in their fathers dayes. From ver. 30. learn. 1. Albeit it behooved Chriſt to confirme his doctrine, at the firſt promulgation thereof, by miracles and ſignes; Yet men did ſinne many waies in ſeeking of them; as theſe do here. And namely. 1. When men only tempt him in ſeeking them; not purpoſing to beleeve, how gloriouſly ſo ever he work, as the Phariſees did, Matth. 16.1. and here, they are rather ſeeking a quarrel, then edification. 2. When men do not firſt believe the Word, and then ſeek theſe as helps to confirme their faith, but they require ſignes to induce them to beleeve, and would have ſenſe ſatisfied, before they will act faith; for, they will have a ſigne, that they may ſee, and beleeve. 3. When men ungrately forget and ſle…ght Chriſts former working, unleſſe he work more as they deſire; for, they undervalue all he hath done, unleſſe he do more. 4. When men limit Chriſt, and are not content with any works, but what they preſcribe and carve out to him to do; for, though they ſaw many miracles, ver. 2. yet their inſtanding in what Moſes had done, in the next ver. ſheweth that they would be pleaſed with nothing, but with filling their bellies in a miraculous way, without their pains. Now albeit ſignes are not now to be expected, Chriſts doctrine being already ſufficiently confirmed; Yet this is a cleare Embleme of the carriage of misbeleevers, who do not magnifie the Word, nor are willing to cloſe with Chriſt, but take pleaſure in quarrelling his dealing, and do preſcribe to him and limit him in his dealings, and ſeek to have their ſenſe firſt ſatisfied, otherwiſe they will not beleeve Doctrine 2. Faith in Chriſt is not only a way whereof we are ignorant by nature, but a courſe we are very averſe from when we know it, and a courſe that naturally we encline not to follow, unleſſe we ſee ſignes and wonders; for, when he hath directed them in this way of beleeving, ver. 29. now they ſhew their diſaffection to it, and that nothing but ſignes will perſwade them to it, what ſigne ſheweſt thou then, that we may ſee, and believe thee, &c. 3. Let unſound men flatter Chriſt never ſo much for a time; yet their unſoundneſſe will end in cavillations and quarrellings at laſt; for, albeit they were much affected with Chriſts work, v…r. 19. and ſeeme even now to give up themſelves to be his ſchollars, yet now the m…at being out of their belly, and finding that they are not like to come ſpeed in what they accounted their main errand, they fall a quarrelling. 4. Such as cannot endure the ſharp edge of the Word, nor are profited by it, will ſoon undervalue Chriſts working, and forget any impreſſion it made upon them; for, they who cannot endure this his doctrine, do now make light account of the miracle they lately ſo much eſteemed of. 5. Such as are taken up with earthly things and their own belly, will not only lightly eſteem of Chriſts works, if they contribute not to their ends, but things ſpiritual and eternal will have little bulk in their eyes in compariſon of theſe; for, notwithſtanding all they had ſeen, and that Chriſt even now had promiſed to do a greater work, in giving them the bread of life, yet ſay they what doeſt thou work? as thinking little of all that, ſince they get not their bellies filled.
From ver. 31. learn. 1. God hath extraordinary and miraculous wayes of ſupplying the wants of his own, when ordinary means faile; And the diſtreſſe of his people tends but to render his providence and care about them, the more remarkable; for, ſo much is pointed out in the hiſtory of the Manna, and in that teſtimony, (which they ſummarily cite from Pſal. 78.23, 24, 25.) wherein it is recorded. 2. However hypocrites may mask themſelves, and carry themſelves plauſibly for a time; yet they will not alwayes lu…k, but at laſt will bewray themſelves, and their carnal diſpoſitions and deſires; for, while they inſiſt only on this miracle in Moſes time, neglecting other great works done by his Miniſtry, they declare that that challenge, ver. 36. was true, and that it was only me…t and the loaves they were ſeeking, however they even now pretended to more. 3. As men may have much knowledge of the Scripture, who are never a whit the nearer to cloſe with Chriſt; ſo they who make not a right uſe of knowledge, are juſtly given up to abuſe it, to their own deſtruction; for, here they have ſuch knowledge, not only of the hiſtory, but of other Scriptures, ſpe…king of the Manna, as is a clear proof… of their parents inſtructing them, according to the law. Deut. 6.6, 7. and may ſhame the ignorance of men in times of greateſt light; And yet they will not diſcerne nor embrace the ſpiritual things of Chriſt; yea, they employ their knowledge as a weapon to fight againſt him. 4. Chriſt, in the offer of his Goſpel, hath not only to do with men who are ſo groſſe and abſurd, that on no tearmes they will cloſe with him, but with the ſtrong holds and reaſonings of witty men, who will dare to rub affronts on him, and pretend much reaſon, yea and Scripture, for not embracing him; for, ſuch are theſe here; they will not refuſe to beleeve on him, but upon ſome ſhew of reaſon and Scripture, and if they leave him, they will ſo carry it, as if he ſhould beare the blame, and not they, as being (in their account) inferiour to Moſes. 5. It is a great ſin of men, and a great injury d…ne to any of the faithful ſervants of God, when they are cried up, to obſcure and bear down Chriſt and his truth: And this is all the end for which wicked men do, at any time, commend any of them; for, ſuch was their ſcope here, in commending Moſes and what was done in his time, though unjuſtly, ſeeing it was not needful to feed them miraculouſly now when they were in a fruitful land, and not in a barren wilderneſſe. So alſo, Joh. 4.12, 6. It is one fruit of the perverſe and luſtful diſpoſitions of men, that they are never ſatisfied with things that are preſent, and will be ready to cry up a formerly deſpiſed mercy, that they may undervalue a preſent offer; for, this Manna was much loathed by their fathers when they had it, though now their children eſteeme of it when it is gone, that ſo they may undervalue Chriſts preſent offer: