John 6: 45
” It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.”
In yesterday’s verse, we hear Jesus saying that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…” Today he quotes scripture saying, “They will all be taught by God,” and that “Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.”
Q: Is there a contradiction here or does this make sense somehow?
There is a connection. Jesus is God. Those who come to Him to be taught by Him are fulfilling this prophecy. If they are obeying the Scriptures they will come to Jesus and thus be taught by God. To be taught by Jesus is to be taught by the Father, because the Father and Son are One – Yahweh. It is amazing that God wants to teach us and relate to us personally.
Definitely not a contradiction – as Ben taught this weekend we all can be really bad at listening to God. In the Old Testament God repeatedly reminds Israel to hear/listen to Him – Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One…
Hearing or listening in the bible means more than just receiving auditory input, it refers to really hearing so that it changes one’s values and behavior. Listen and Learn
Those who are drawn and those who truly hear are the same group – there is a mystery in the reality of God’s sovereign will and humanity’s freedom of moral choice, but both are seen acted out throughout scripture (we could go into molinism.. but three min).
Blessings!
I think it makes sense in that the Father and Son are in perfect unity. It’s not like the Father says ‘yes’, the Son says ‘ no’, and the Holy Spirit is the tie-breaker.