John 6:41-44 41Then the Jews grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Some from the crowd continued to think on the earthly level in the next dialogue with Jesus. The word Jews (Ioudaioi) in John’s Gospel generally has a negative response to Jesus and probably includes the leaders of the community. The Synoptic Gospels show how some of these leaders followed Jesus and tried to create problems for him and find ways to get rid of him. This group grumbled like their ancestors in the wilderness complained to Moses because of their unbelief in God’s promises. These Jews understood Jesus’ key point that he came from heaven. They just could not fathom how this could be the case.
The Jews give their evidence or basis for complaining in verse 42. Evidently, they knew or knew of Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary. There are several possibilities about this statement. One is that Jesus’ family followed him around, as Mark 3:31 indicates. There is no mention of Joseph in the Mark passage, so the mention of Joseph in verse 42 does not necessarily mean Joseph was still alive. A person’s last name was often his father’s name: Jesus son of Joseph. Another possibility is that some people had come from Nazareth who knew Jesus’ family. A third option is that Jesus’ notoriety in Galilee led to rumors and news of his background: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph and Mary. That Mary is mentioned in this verse, though not by name, indicates her popularity to some degree. This family was well-known in some way. This fact led the Jews to conclude that Jesus could not have come from heaven but from Joseph and Mary. In other words, he was just a human like everyone else. They could not picture in their minds any concept of the Incarnation because such an idea requires faith, which they did not have.
Jesus’ response is a repeat of his earlier statement. The Jews’ grumbling showed their lack of faith and their refusal to heed to drawing witness of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts were hardened. Their grumbling was keeping them from the Father’s invitation. The answer was to stop grumbling and start believing. They wanted evidence, but they had all the evidence they needed. They witnessed miracles and heard the most powerful teaching ever, yet they refused to accept Jesus. God had presented the answer to them in the person of Jesus, but they refused to accept it. Jesus’ response is another invitation for them to believe. God’s part was clear in Jesus’ preaching. The human part was lacking. The key theme of John again stands in the background: the necessity of believing in Jesus. The promise of future resurrection should be a powerful, inviting, and motivating promise.
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