Can't come to Jesus unless the Father draws them? (John 6:44) | What did Jesus mean by ...? pt. 2

Feb 23, 2021

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What did Jesus mean by ....? pt. 2

Jesus said "no one comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6).

But He also said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them" (John 6:44).

This seems like a catch 22 - you can't get to Father without Jesus and you can't get to Jesus without the Father. What's going on here?

When reading the Bible it's always critical to pay attention to the original context, both historical context and literary context. So in this episode we seek to listen to what Jesus was saying to His original audience and then figure out how these two passages fit together.

John 14:1-6

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know thse way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 6:41-45

41 So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 And they were saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.