John 6:41–42

Followeth their bad use of this sweet doctrine. The clearer Christ speaks, they discover the more of their disposition, and testifie their discontent of spirit, by murmuring. They passe over all that Christ had said beside, and do carp only at what he had said in direct answer to their desire, ver. 34. wherein he asserts himselfe to be that bread of life, ver. 35. which he had said did come down from heaven, ver. 33. This they carp at, that he, whom they supposed they knew to be but the Sonne of Joseph and Mary, should speak so great things of himselfe. Wherein they not only bewray their ignorance of his divine nature, and miraculous conception, but their grosse errour, in alleadging that he was the Sonne of Joseph. From ver. 41. learn. 1. Men may pretend to much affection and estimation of Christ, who yet will prove but inconstant, seeing they proceed not on solide grounds; for, they who cryed him up, ver. 14, 15. do now vilipend him, and carp that he should commend himselfe. 2. Such as do not get good of Christ and the Gospel, nor do embrace him when he is offered, will certainly grow worse; The powerful Gospel will bring out their heart, and their unsoundnesse will draw on more unstreightnesse; for, so fared it with them who sought and heard Christ for a wrong end, the longer and the more they heare, they grow the worse. 3. It is no strange thing to see corrupt men, not only not embrace saving doctrine, but that they murmure and fret against it, and spit out their gall against the messengers thereof, either secretly or openly; for, such is the entertainment Christ and his doctrine gets, The Jewes (as they were who followed and heard him) murmured at him, or, secretly muttered against what he said. 4. Such as turn carpers and secret grudgers at the doctrine of Christ, do not only prove their present unsoundnesse, but are on the way to further and more horrid apostacy; for, so doth the sequel prove in these, this was the beginning of a breach betwixt him and them, which came at length to a greater height. The highest degrees of apostacy would not be digested at first by many, but murmurings, grudgings, and mistakes, do by little and little habituate them unto it. 5. Such as carp at Christs doctrine, and deny unto him the glory of his excellency, in his person and offices, do not only wrong him, but ingrately despise their own great mercy; for, this point which they murmured at; that he is the bread which came down from heaven, doth not only set forth his glory, but was most sweet and comfortable to lost sinners, as holding out his rich offer, and his gracious condescendence and love, that he would stoop and come down, to give life and refreshment to them. 6. Though Christ had spoken much more then this, and that which concerned them very nearly, yet they take notice of no more but this one word. We may conceive the reasons to be. 1. This having displeased them, it casts down all the test; as oft times one word, crossing carnal hearts, will irritate their corruptions, to reject all they heare, were it never so useful and inoffensive, Jer. 26.3, 6. with 9. 2. It may be conceived, that, however they understood, and did resent the hard newes that were insinuate against them, ver. 37. yet, they will not quarrel upon that, but upon a more plausible ground: To shew, how subtile unfriends to Christ are, that can mask their discontent with fairest colours, and not discover the bottome of their hearts. Or. 3. It may be conceived, that not only passion because of what Christ said, but their own conceit of themselves, hindred them from taking up that sentence indirectly hinted at, and therefore Christ doth inculcate it again, ver. 44, 45. And so it teacheth, That, men who are puffed up with a conceit of themselves, will not readily take with a reproofe or discovery of their condition, especially if it be done but indirectly, and not held forth in expresse tearmes. Doctrine. 7. When enquiry is made, it will be found, that it is not Christs doctrine, but mens own corruptions and mistakes, that cause them to stumble; for, if they understood his meaning to be, that his very body descended from heaven (as their following reasoning doth import they did) this was but their own fancy; for, he speaks of his Godhead and of the manner of his conception. And to deny his divinity and miraculous conception, was but their own ignorance of the Scriptures, Isa. 7.14. and 9.6.

From ver. 42. learn. 1. Sinnes of progeniters may bring posterity very low, and put even the posterity of Kings into a mean condition; for, Joseph, the supposed father of Christ, and his mother, were both of the blood royal of the Kings of Judah, and yet they lived in a poor condition, which occasioneth this mentioning of them with contempt. 2. It pleased our Lord not only to stoop and become man, but to be born of base and mean parentage; That so he might accomplish prophecies, Isa. 11.1. and 53.1. That he might shew, that his Kingdome is not of this world; might sanctifie a mean condition to his own, and by his poverty make many rich, 2 Cor. 8.9. And, that, in Gods righteous judgement, reprobates might stumble at him; for, so was it with him here, his supposed father, and his mother, were in no great account at this time. 3. It is the disposition and plague of hypocrites and belly-gods, that they stumble at Christs outward base estate, and do not see his true and spiritual glory shining through that vaile; for, such were they who see not the mystery of his Incarnation, nor the glory of his Godhead, but do stumble on this, Is not this Jesus the Sonne of Joseph whose father and mother we know. 4. It is a great engine of Satan, to oppose Christ and his truth, by raising and spreading untruths, to bear him and it down; for, this was a grand cause of their stumbling, that they falsly supposed him to be the Sonne of Joseph, which did obscure the glory of his miraculous conception and birth. Thus also did Satan labour to bear him down by a general reproach cast upon his countrey, Joh. 1.46. and 7.52. Thus did he endeavour to obscure his resurrection, Matth. 28.13, 14, 15. And it is no wonder to see Christ and his truth suffer prejudice, by hereditary misreports and calumnies in all ages. 5. Much outward familiarity with Christ and his servants, will readily breed contempt of him in carnal hearts; for, their knowing of him, his mother, and supposed father, makes them sleight him, notwithstanding his miracles, is not this Jesus, whose father and mother we know? 6. Corrupt and blinded reason in men, is a great enemy to God, and their own souls, while it musters up things, partly false, and partly true in their own kinde, to oppose against supernatural truth, and to drive men from embracing of Christ; for, they please themselves in their reasonings against Christs assertions, partly, alledging false principles, that he was the Sonne of Joseph, and nothing but a meer man, and partly, measuring his miraculous conception by their principles of reason, whence they reason it to be absurd that he should say, I came down from heaven. Men had need to subject their reasonings to divine revelation in the things of God, lest they wrong him and themselves both.