It is the Spirit that quickeneth,— As a key to his former discourse, our Lord added, "As in the human frame, it is the indwelling spirit which quickens every part of it; and the flesh, how exactly soever organized and adorned, if separate from that, profits nothing, but is an insensible and inactive corpse; so also the words which I speak unto you, are spirit; that is to say, they are to be taken in a spiritual sense; and ifyou receive them in faith, my Spirit shall accompany them, and then you will find that they are life toyour souls. Whereas, to take them in a literal sense, would be most unprofitable and monstrous. It is indeed strange that you should think of them in this sense; but I know there are some of you who believe not, and would shelter your infidelity under these mean and disingenuous cavils."
We will here, as promised on John 6:30 consider our Saviour's discourse in reference to thesign which the Jews asked of him. The day after our Lord had first miraculously fed the great multitude, while he was teaching them in expressions borrowed from that miracle, and urging them to believe on him, they said, What sign shewest thou, &c. thus intimating, that it would be soon enough to receive him as the Messiah, when he assumed the kingdom in the manner which they imagined was fixed by Daniel's prediction. See Daniel 7:13-14 and on Matthew 12:38.—that without this no miracles of another sort could prove his claim; and they particularly insinuated, that his having given one meal to a multitude by miracle, was nothing extraordinary, but far inferior to that of Moses, who fed many more for a longer time with manna from heaven. His discourse on this occasion is much larger, and more complex, than any ofthe answers which he gave to the same demand at other times. There are many reasons for this; they expressed their contempt of the miracle of the loaves, as well as asked for a sign. He spake figuratively in allusion to that miracle, on purpose to inculcate its fitness for proving, that he was able to bestow eternal life. Several particular difficulties were moved in the course of his sermon; so that his answer to the demand of a sign is interspersed with a variety of other subjects. Many things, however, which he said, tended directly to shew them that they were mistaken in the nature of the sign which they expected, and to lead them into right apprehensions of the manner and purpose of the Messiah's coming. Thus, though he came not down in the manner which they imagined Daniel had foretold, he assures them several times, that he actually came down from heaven, John 6:32-33; John 6:35; John 6:38; John 6:58.Particularly, when they insinuated that this could not be, because he was descended of earthly parents, he affirms very expressly, that, notwithstanding this, he did come down from heaven, and intimates that, accordingto the ancient prophets, the Messiah ought not to come from heaven in such a manner as they expected, which would have made the Jews flock to him eagerly, without the need of any extraordinary means. See John 6:41-51. Our Lord uses such expressions as may at the same time imply, that they exaggerated the miracle of the manna most extravagantly. In order to lead them to rectify their mistake, he further informs them plainly, that the salvation and life which he would bestow, were very different from the temporal deliverance and prosperity which they expected under the Messiah. Whence they might easily collect, that the manner of the Messiah's appearance would likewise differ from their notion, which suited only a temporal king. He constantly represents what he promises, as salvation and life, which would be completed and consummated for the faithful at the last day, in consequence of their being raised again from their graves; and therefore, obviously, as wholly spiritual and eternal. He seems even anxiously to keep this in view; (see John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:47; John 6:50-51; John 6:54; John 6:58.) nay, he tells them expressly, that far from being such a triumphant Messiah as they looked for, he was to die, and that the blessings which he promised would result from his death. The meat that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world, John 6:51. He assures them likewise, that he would ascend again into heaven, What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? John 6:62. This is equivalent to the mention of his resurrection on similar occasions: it is an intimation that he would be proved the Messiah by an appearance as remarkable as the sign which they demanded; and it is an intimation of the true nature of his kingdom, and the manner of his entering of it. Finally, to this intimation, he subjoins the caution in the present 63rd verse, It is the Spirit, &c. which certainly implies a warning that his present discourse was designedly figurative, and therefore ought not to be grossly interpreted: but it may likewise imply a hint, that these mistakes about the Messiah, and particularly their expectation of what their called a sign from heaven, proceeded from their understanding the figurative expressions of the ancient prophesies in too strict and literal a sense, and that his account of himself and his kingdom was really agreeable to the spirit and truemeaning of them. Thus the substance of our Lord'sdiscourse on this occasion, is the same with that of his answer to the demand of a sign at all other times, though the form be different; and it had the directest tendency to shew them that they were mistaken; and to warn them against suspending their faith on a sign, the expectation ofwhich had no foundation except in their own imaginations; and against rejecting him, in opposition to the strongest evidence, merely because this fancied sign attended him not.