When Jesus told those listening to Him that He had come down from heaven (John 6:38) to do God's will, they began to reason and whisper about His childhood in Nazareth, which was about forty miles from where He was teaching beside the Sea of Galilee. Some of them, perhaps, knew His father and mother. How can He say that He came down from heaven? Jesus' response was to speak about the drawing power of the Spirit of God.
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" 43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father (John 6:41-46; emphasis added).
What did Jesus mean by saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him?” (v. 44). In my late teens and early twenties, I had many questions about life's mysteries brought on by the many near-death close calls in my job as a commercial fisherman. The questions often revolved around life after death and whether there was a heaven and hell. Working with my father as a commercial fisherman allowed me to take extended time off when I had someone experienced to replace me. My spiritual hunger grew as I traveled to Asia, seeking answers to life through philosophy, Buddhism, and Hinduism, believing these religions would fill the missing piece of my life's puzzle. Something was missing, and no matter where I traveled, it continued to slip away from me.
I eventually traveled to the USA and South America. I was searching for truth and trying to fill the emptiness in my heart. Whenever I thought about exploring Christianity, I would immediately dismiss it because I mistakenly believed it was about someone who died two thousand years ago as a martyr. The enemy of my soul suggested anything but biblical Christianity. I heard it said that all one had to do was believe, but that seemed too simple to me. I thought the truth would come at a significant cost or be out of reach! My idea of being a spiritual person started to feel like an unreachable goal, yet when I began reading the Bible, Jesus revealed truths that even a child could understand. Could it really be that simple? Simply believing was the opposite of everything I had learned about life so far. My problem was that I didn't know what God was like— that He is a Lover and a Giver, and the only One who can satisfy the hunger in my soul, and yours too, because He is the Bread of Heaven.
After coming to Christ, I realized that the Spirit of God had been drawing me, which was why I had such a deep inner longing. Here's how Jesus described God's drawing power:
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away (John 6:37).
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44).
When you came to Christ (if you are a Christian, and there’s no better time than now if you're not), the Lord reached out to you and drew you to Himself. It might have been a friend whose life seemed "different." Perhaps it was a message that somehow touched you deeply. Maybe it was the deep dissatisfaction we’ve already talked about. It could also have been a book where a particular sentence grabbed you like a hook that held fast in your soul, and it was just a matter of "reeling you in" to Christ. All of these are signs of the Spirit of God at work, wooing you to Christ so you may receive the gift of eternal life in Him. In verse 45, Jesus again describes how God works this way: "Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me" (v. 45). If you don't yet know Him, maybe today is the day to ask Him to come into your life. You never know if there will be another opportunity. Keith Thomas
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Shortened from the extended study at the following link: Jesus, the Bread of Heaven.