what my sender wants

Devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2407

John 6:34-40

Joh 6:34 Then they said to him, “Sir, always give to us this bread .”
Joh 6:35 Jesus told them “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will not at all be hungry, and the one who believes in me will not at all ever be thirsty.
Joh 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen, and you are not believing.
Joh 6:37 Each one the Father is giving to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out.
Joh 6:38 Because I have come down from the sky, not to do what I want, but what my sender wants.
Joh 6:39 This is what my sender wants: that each thing given to me by him I will not destroy, but resurrect it on the last day.
Joh 6:40 Because this is what my Father wants: that everyone who is seeing the Son and believing in him has permanent life, and I will resurrect him on the last day.”

what my sender wants

This passage offers one of the clearest windows into the heart of God’s desire for humanity. When Jesus speaks about the will of the Father, He is not describing a list of tasks to perform or religious duties to fulfill. He is revealing God’s longing for people to reach a place where hunger and thirst—spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst—are gone forever. God wants permanent life for those He created. That is His aim, His intention, His desire.

Yet two obstacles stand in the way of that desire becoming reality. The first is sin. Sin separates, distorts, blinds, and destroys. It keeps the heart from God and the life of God from the heart. The second obstacle is mortality. Even if sin were removed, death would still claim every person. Humanity is both sinful and mortal, and neither problem can be solved by human effort.

Christ addresses both. His atoning death on the cross removes the barrier of sin. His resurrection and His promise to raise believers remove the barrier of mortality. Through His sacrifice, forgiveness becomes possible. Through His future return, permanent life becomes certain. The two greatest enemies of humanity—sin and death—are defeated by the two greatest works of Christ—atonement and resurrection.

But Jesus also makes clear that these gifts are not automatic. They are offered freely, but they must be received. Two conditions stand before every person: coming to Christ and believing in Christ. Knowledge alone is not enough. Admiration is not enough. Proximity is not enough. Even witnessing miracles, as many in the crowd did, is not enough. The heart must turn toward Him in trust. The will must come to Him in surrender. The mind must believe His words and rest in His promise.

The invitation is simple but profound: come and believe. Those who do will experience forgiveness now and resurrection later. Those who refuse remain in hunger, thirst, and death. Jesus does not hide this truth; He declares it openly because He desires life for all who hear.

LORD, draw the readers of this post to yourself through Christ. Forgive them and free them from death.