Who Is Drawn?

John 6:  "⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." (NIV)


Calvinists like to use this verse to "prove" predestination, but in the context of St. John's Gospel, who exactly is it who is "drawn?"


John 12:  "³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (NIV)

Jesus Christ was "lifted up" upon the Cross - and thus "all people" are drawn to Him!  So much for "drawing" only "the Elect!" 


Let's look more at the context of John 6:


Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - 1-15


Jesus does not discriminate who receives the blessing of the multiplied loaves and fishes - ALL are fed.  Jesus demonstrates His authority over matter in multiplying the fish and the loaves for the five thousand gathered.


Jesus Walks On Water - 16-24


Jesus again demonstrates his authority over physical matter.

Jesus declares Himself to be the Bread of Life and Commands Us To Eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood (repeatedly) - 25-59


Jesus' theme throughout this section is food and bread to eat comparing this to the Bread of Life, which is His flesh.  It is also within this context which Jesus refers to those who are drawn by the Father and that no one can come to the Him unless they are so drawn.  The drawing is through the Bread of Life - being raised up on the Cross, as John clearly tells us in his twelfth chapter.  Back to the sixth chapter, repeatedly Jesus demands that we partake in His Flesh and Blood or we have NO LIFE in us.  One must DETRACT from what is written to say this is symbolic language!  No, it would be too EASY for us to just accept this as symbolic, but rather this is a HARD TEACHING to accept!  What of those who say it is a "hard teaching?"

Many of His Disciples Turn and Walk With Him No More - 60-69

Jesus doesn't stop them as they're walking away and yell out, "Hey, wait, I was speaking figuratively!"  No, He lets them walk away - for they DID UNDERSTAND HIM RIGHTLY and though they understood what He was telling them - they refused to ACCEPT the teaching and walked away from Him.

Even Though Jesus Himself chose The Twelve Apostles - He Declares One of Them is a Devil - 70-71.


He speaks of Judas Iscariot here.  If even one whom God Himself has chosen can fail, so can others.  This does not negate the role of all those who were selected for the bishoprick, for the eleven remaining, remained faithful to Him and His Church.

Jesus Gives Himself in the Eucharist when He declares, "This IS My body" and "This IS My blood."  There is nothing symbolic in the way He states this and gives us the opportunity to fulfill what He commanded in John 6!