Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

John 6:43-71 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ So then many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This statement is very unpleasant; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them, “Is this offensive to you? ⁶² What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was who would ^[c]betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His disciples left, and would no longer walk with Him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ And we have already believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot; for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.

Today’s text says: Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”2 Peter 3:8-9 says: Do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.  If God is not willing that any should perish, but for all to come to repentance, then He also draws everyone to Jesus. Romans 8:28-29 says: God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. John 3:16 says: God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.  So, it is not a question of God’s love, but rather of whether we love God.  If we respond to the things that happen in our lives by loving God, He will cause them to work for our good and we will not only be drawn to Jesus, but also conformed to His perfect image.

God also uses His word to draw everyone to Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, all scripture is meant to reveal Jesus and God’s plan to redeem mankind from sin through Him. The Old Testament law was not meant to make people righteous. It was given to demonstrate that there needed to be another way to righteousness. Romans 3:10-12 says: as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one; There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God; They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, There is not even one.” No one seeks after God.  Still, He loves and draws us.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says: He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

For those who have not read or heard God’s word or known His love, still He draws them by the very creation that surrounds us. Romans 1:18-22 says:  The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.  Creation itself testifies with absolute certainty, that there must be a creator. Any other explanation of the magnitude and the intricacy of creation is foolishness. Human wisdom, scientific theory and speculation which says that all that we see is the result of a series of cosmic events and millions of years of evolutionary occurrences, is not born out in probability or possibility with the scientific math that would prove it.

Here's the thing. In John 10:30 Jesus says: “I and the Father are one.” Just as no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them, neither can anyone come to God except by Jesus. In John 14:6-7 Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” In Revelation 3:19-22 the Lord says: “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”  Revelation 22:17;20-21 say: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost… He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.