Scripture
60Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”61Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” 66At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave too?”
John 6:60-67
Observation
Jesus was never worried about offending people with the truth, but this message He just preached really shook His disciples. He was demanding complete allegiance to Him above even their own lives. Jesus used the graphic language of “eating His body and drinking His blood” which future Christians have the advantage of knowing refers to His sacrifice on the Cross for us as means to salvation. Can you imagine being in the crowd of followers that day and hearing that though? They had just seen Jesus feed the 5000 and they were on the hype train. Free food for all? Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t want a piece of that action? For an oppressed people under a tyrannical rule news of this miracle spread far and wide. So, instead of Jesus playing to the crowd, saying what they want to hear, He reminds everyone of why He is there and what it will take to be His disciple. He calls them on the fact that they are being led by the flesh and the flash rather than by The Spirit and by the commitment to sacrifice their own lives. This wasn’t a political rally to get more votes, this was a commitment of the heart, a covenant to lay down their lives. That was just a little too much commitment for these disciples to stomach no matter how much free bread and fish may be in their future. They were out! Notice, it’s disciples who “turned away and deserted him”. The crowd was gone by this time. We are looking at those who actually followed Jesus from town to town. Even they were offended at Jesus and how much He required. There was not bait and switch going on here. Many times in many places throughout the Gospel Jesus made it clear that following Him isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, many hearts will faint rather than follow, “9“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nationsc will hear it; and then the end will come.” (Mt. 24:9-14)
Application
I’m not sure why, but when I read this passage this morning and arrived at verse 67 where Jesus turned to His Twelve and asked, ““Are you also going to leave?” I felt like Jesus was looking right at me. Not with condemning eyes, but with compassion Jesus is looking at me, He’s looking at all of His disciples and asking this question of our souls. Even as we take part in the 31 Days of Devos and Praise challenge I know there will be many who start out strong, but then come across something like today’s passage and walk away. We will come up with some reasons why “we just don’t have time”, but it will be a choice to turn away from the offensiveness of God’s word nonetheless. As Peter writes the Gospel of Jesus is “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” (1 Peter 2:8). I wonder what happened to the 50% of Christians who simply “disengaged” with Church during the Pandemic. According to many statistics many have never come back, not even online. Why does this happen? The theme of His teaching here can be summed up with verse 63, “Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” If Christianity is works based, then we will stick around for the show. When the show got shut down, when the “quick fix” doesn’t fix it, when the behavior modification of religion doesn’t work long term then we are out just like the disciples in this passage. Yet, if it is a Spirit-led internal transformation, then even when my flesh is offended by the words of God’s Word, even when my problems don’t get solved quickly, even though I am rejected by many and find myself a part of a small remnant of faith on the fringe of a self-serving culture, my response to my Savior’s question will be the same as Peter’s, “Where else would I go to find the Words of life?”
Prayer
Lord, let me be ok with sitting with unanswered questions. Forgive me for trying to get you to fit in my box. There’s a mystery to You and a lot of what You do and ask me to do I don’t understand. And you know what? I’m so glad You’re like that. It’s past time to abandon the works based self-centered gospel that revolves around me and what I want in any given moment. This isn’t about me. This is about You and what You want to do and I want to be a part of what You are doing in these last days. Let my flesh get offended. Let me stop trying to fit in or be liked by others. Let me press in to Your Words of life! Forgive me for trying to tell You what to do. As Pastor Bill Johnson preached 3 days after his wife passed away... "I don't want to be the one who critiques God. He critiques me... Is God my friend? Yeah. But, He was my Lord before He was my friend. My friendship with God can only go where His Lordship has been."
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