Come...

As I studied John 6:35 this morning I thought back to our recent trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma and the wedding of our youngest son Jeremy.  In this particular scripture Jesus is telling us that “I am the bread that gives life.  No one who comes to me will ever be hungry.  No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty.” (CEV)  On a whim I looked up the simple verb “come” and discovered that in the original language the Bible was written in, this verb suggests the idea of “coming into being, to be established in, to follow one, or to make public.” (Thayer’s)

So, in my way of thinking it means more than just going to a person in friendship, for advice, or because you might need something they may be able to assist you with.  In this case it defines one who is coming into being with or like Jesus, becoming established in Him and His principles of life, to follow after and to make your close association and/or oneness with Him public to your world!

During this weekend in Tulsa, it all started on a Friday morning brunch, increased that night at the rehearsal dinner and came to its zenith at the wedding the next day.  People from literally all over the country converged and made their association with Jeremy and Aubrey known to all.  Those of us who filled the wedding chapel at Grace Church in Tulsa established themselves as being closely connected to the bride and groom.  You could say that we all followed the call and made our way to the wedding to demonstrate our love for the young couple.  It is very much like the way we make public our establishment, our oneness and our love for and with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

John 6:35 goes on to tell of the benefits of our “coming” to Jesus.  He declares that those who come and believe (or have faith) in Him will never hunger or thirst.  At the wedding reception the guests were treated to a wonderful display of finger foods and a large and delicious wedding cake!  I would doubt if anyone went away hungry or thirsty from the event… I must admit that I took full advantage of the situation and had two pieces of cake… I’m a sucker for rich creamy frosting that is thickly lavished upon a cake!

But there is one basic difference between being closely associated with Jeremy and Aubrey from that of a relationship with Jesus.  While the newly married couple are two of the most hospitable people I know and would give you a place to crash for the night, along with open rights to their refrigerator, they are probably not going to want you to move in with them on a full time basis (at least not for awhile)!  Jesus, on the other hand, wants you to make a full time commitment to being in and with Him 24/7!

According to Robertson’s Word Pictures the phrase “cometh to me” (KJV) infers “the first act of the soul in approaching Jesus” while the phrase “believeth on me” describes “a continuous relation of trust” following the initial event.  So, like I said previously, Jesus desires us to be in a close, continuously growing relationship with and in Him.  And as we do this we will discover that we have STOPPED hungering and thirsting after anything else but Him.  Robertson’s also states the “shall not hunger” as found in the King James Version employs a “strong double negative” while the “shall never thirst” uses an “even stronger form of negation.”  It would seem that Jesus was making a very definite statement about how our lives should be when we are established in Him and make it public through the actions of our daily lives.

Definitely something to consider, wouldn’t you say?  Do you ever find yourself hungering or thirsting for something more in your life?  I know that I do at times.  According to Jesus, the answer is to get ever closer to Him… and like Jeremy and Aubrey’s marriage, it is set up to be a long term and life time commitment.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”