36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
Jesus turned to the persistent unbelief of the Jews. He argued the Father’s role in salvation. Salvation is theocentric.
6:36
But
The “but” here indicates strong contrast between the crowd’s response to Jesus and the reaction they should have had.
I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
Seeing is not believing. The Jews of Jesus’ day had the privilege of seeing Jesus and meeting Him personally, yet they still did not believe on Him. They saw His humanity but not His true glory; they did not seek Him and His works in all their majesty.
The crowd had actual interaction with the humanity of Christ, but they failed to come to grips with who and what He was; they did not understand the Father’s purpose for the Christ.
6:37
All that
Note the comprehensive statement here. The grammar of “all” is singular in number and neuter in gender. Jesus will receive anyone and everyone whom the Father gives Him.
the Father gives Me will come to Me,
The Father works provisionally and concurrently in bringing people to Jesus. It is a supernatural work, not human effort. The Father’s work will always do its job. This is a certainty. This is the divine side.
and the one who comes to Me
The human side is the “one who comes to Me.” These are the ones that the “Father gives” of the previous clause. There is human responsibility for coming to Jesus.
I will by no means cast out.
Jesus will never reject anyone who believes in Him. The words “no means” is a double negative in the Greek, making the statement emphatic. This assertion highlights God’s taking the initiative (Jn 6:44, 65) in salvation. Man must respond to God’s initiative.
PRINCIPLE:
God is sovereign in salvation.
APPLICATION:
Christ is the Father’s gift of salvation.
The movement of the Father toward us and our movement toward Him are two sides of the same coin. The former is divine; the latter is human. Salvation always involves both dynamics. Salvation involves a tension between God’s work and our response by faith. We find both election and free will in verse 37.
