John 6:69

“More so,” Peter adds, “We are convinced and know with all certainty that you are the Holy One sent from Almighty God.” John 6:69 EFP

Peter is not satisfied with telling Jesus there is no place to go other than him.  He finds it necessary to add to his passionate declaration describing Jesus as the only Life-Giver available to them.  He adds to that a confession of faith that ranks among the pantheon of all-time confessions of the Christian faith!  “We believe you are the Holy One of God!”  There it is—not just a teacher.  Not merely a holy teacher.  Not even a holy man amongst men.  Peter confesses Jesus as the Holy One sent from God.

This lays waste to all the cotemporary concessions made to Jesus as a great man, or a giant amongst history’s best teachers, or even a powerful prophet of God.  This is not a half-baked realization of Jesus’ miracle-making power or earth-shaking preaching prowess.  No—this is a confession that Jesus is unique.  He is the Holy One of God!  I am either convinced Jesus is these things or not.  Acknowledging he is amazing is fine, but it does not qualify as a confession that he is unique among all revelations sent by God to the human race.  To have Jesus make the claims of himself is bold and amazing.  To acknowledge his claims as true is life-changing.

John 6:68

To which Peter answers, “Lord, where do you suppose we could go if we left you? No one but you shares a message that leads to eternal life.” John 6:68 EFP

Leave it to Peter to respond to Jesus’ question with a classic answer. He takes the liberty of responding for the entire crew.  There is no other place for them to go.  Their place is with Jesus! 

Those words could have been interpreted as a resignation that they had cast their lot with Jesus and at this point they were too far down the line to turn back.  But Peter’s follow up statement leaves no doubt as to the reason they are staying.  Jesus offers something that no one else offers—words of eternal life.  It is clear to Peter at least, that there is no other person who is able to make the offer Jesus makes.  Everyone and everything else falls short.  Is it that crystal clear to me today?  Or does my life belie the fact that at times I settle for other sources that fall short of the high standard set by my time with Jesus?  Is Jesus part of all facets of my life?  Does his life flow into every nook and cranny of my day?  If it’s a choice between having life or not—why would I choose to walk away from it?

John 6:67

“Well,” Jesus asks the twelve, “You don’t want to leave me like all the others, do you?” John 6:67 EFP

I can almost see the pain in Jesus’ eyes as he sees the multitude dissipate.  He knows many of them are walking away from life!  They are rejecting eternal life today because Jesus is unwilling to meet their earthly expectations.  He loves these people.  Misguided, misinformed, self-centered and short-sighted, they are precious to him.  His crimson blood would someday soon be spilled on a craggy hill called Golgotha…for all of them.  But what about his band of brothers?  The twelve.

His heart is broken to see his sheep wandering off into the wilderness.  Then, for a moment, his breath is taken away when he turns and sees the uncertainty in the eyes of his closest earthly friends.  He looks deeply into their wavering hearts as the day unravels together with their crumbling expectations under the weight of their misplaced hopes in an earthly kingdom.  He could have asked, “Are you leaving too?”  He doesn’t.  His question reveals his bent, “You don’t want to leave, do you?”  He doesn’t want anyone to leave.  On my worst day he wants me to stay.  In my most shameful moment, he wants to embrace me and forgive me.  In my personal pit of pain and despair, he is there with me extending his loving and healing hand.  He is “God with me”!  Rather than being repelled by my choices, he asks me to stay.  I am not worthy of such love. 

John 6:66

From this moment on many of his followers rejected him and no longer followed him. John 6:66 EFP

So there it is!  The truth is revealed in stark and simple words.  If nothing else we realize his previous references to “disciples” is more inclusive than the twelve.  But at the same time it is sad.  They rejected him—turned their back on him, and ceased to follow him any longer.  Why?  His message?  Too hard to understand?  Too demanding?  Was it all the talk of eating flesh and drinking blood?

Why does anyone cease to be a believer in the Christ?  I can think of three basic reasons.  One is misunderstanding.  The second is failed expectations.  The third is the fear of the cost of discipleship.  All are present in this passage. All are misplaced. The first can be a result of a internalizing a warped picture of God as a result of life experience or an imperfect messenger.  It can even be as a result of an intentional obtuseness intended to absolve the hearer of any personal responsibility.  The second is simply the act of placing on God human expectations that are contrary to the character of God.  He is not, for instance, a vending machine that runs on prayer.  And finally, there is an unwillingness to face the reality of the cost of being a disciple.  It is not payment, it is the reality of life as a follower of Christ.  There is a battle being waged, and there are casualties—martyrs for the cause.  I need to look inside myself and address these issues when they arise in my life.  I want to follow Jesus always and forever!

John 6:65

Jesus adds a reminder, “There is a reason I told you that no one can be drawn to me unless my Father makes it happen behind the scenes.” John 6:65 EFP

And He has.  I believe this is the point of this statement.  He makes similar statements in verses 37 and 44.  Now Jesus reminds them.  The events of today that brought you to me are happening because my Father willed them to happen. The fact the group of seekers is there is made possible because it was in the Father’s plan for it to take place. For you. Today.

But in a sense this is true on a cosmic level as well.  All that is good and perfect comes from the Father (James 1:7).  Jesus coming to earth is made possible because of the will of the Father.  The plan of salvation is born in the loving heart of the God.  It is not as if the Father wills some to be saved, while excluding others from the same gift.  The father “so loved the world” are the telling words of the classic John 3:16.  God placed in my heart a desire to be with God, a longing to know Jesus.  I may deny it.  I may squelch it.  That is my choice, but the Father wants me to know him and understand him through his Son.  He lives to see me live forever.  That is more than awesome.

John 6:64

With a twinge of melancholy Jesus says, “In spite of all I have told you today, there are some of you here who still do not believe.” Jesus had known from the very start who were the ones who did not believe and which one would betray him. John 6:64 EFP

Jesus has reached the end of his discourse. He has tried everything to bring these people to the point of belief. He loves them. He wants to reach them. He also wants to challenge them to experience the life he offers without limitations. It all boils down to believing or not—accepting the reality of his claims or rejecting them as the ravings of a megalomaniac. The choice is their (and mine) to make.

But in a sudden and solemn moment, the reality strikes. The truth is that in spite of Jesus’ efforts on behalf of the people, he concedes that some of them are already predisposed to reject him. Nothing he could say would convince them of who he is or what he has to offer. Worse than rejecting him, there are those who would actively persecute, oppose, and in some cases betray him. This means that some who at one time were associated with him, perhaps even claimed some level of affinity or allegiance to him. This thought must have bruised Jesus’ heart.

It causes me reason to ponder as well. What would it take to turn me against my Master? What would cause me to betray him? I say “nothing” today, but I imagine there were not many there that day who thought they would betray in the end. I must believe.

John 6:63

“Life comes from the Spirit; the flesh has no worth in terms of the life I speak of.  The words I share with you are spirit and life.” John 6:63 EFP

This verse makes me smile.  I read it and I look beyond the interpretive key Jesus is giving his listeners, and I see Jesus making a last gasp effort to reach these lost souls in Capernaum and this lost soul writing these lines.  Even when Jesus gets frustrated with me in those moments when I “don’t get it,” he tries again to help me see my error.  It usually comes back to this.

Sprit versus flesh.  Intangible versus concrete.  Unseen versus visible.  I am so focused on the latter, when the source of all that is best for my life comes from the prior.  The things that are held and bought and made are also the things that are lost and sold and destroyed.  Only the Spirit is forever, and thus the only means by which things which are otherwise fleeting and temporary can endure. It is only through my faith in God Almighty through the Son of God that the Spirit of God infuses immortal life into the equation of my mortal existence.  Kingdom life breaks into the dark and dank walls of my meaningless mortal life and I begin to truly live.  Now.  Today.  Forever. 

Thank you, God!

John 6:62

“Would is make any difference if you were to see me, the Son of Man, ascend back to heaven from which I came?” John 6:62 EFP

This statement seems to come from left field!  Just when I think Jesus has concluded his message for the day, and in apparent response to the growing discontent spreading among his disciples present that day, Jesus asks this question.  “What if I went up into the sky and back to heaven right here in your presence?  Would that stop your grumbling?  Would that convince you of the validity of my claims?  Would you believe then?”

The answer is left unanswered.  There is an implied “no.”  The fact is Jesus would ascend back into heaven.  The event would be witnessed by “his disciples.”  But not on that day.  That event, still in the future, would be the final scene in the minds of Jesus’ disciples.  That picture would undoubtedly replay many times in their remembrance. It would make a difference.  But only those who believed in him would be counted among the ones who would witness the event.  The event would not be the basis for their belief.  What evidence do I have today on which to base my belief?  Are the miraculous moments in my life the basis for my belief or are they the confirmation?  I must remember that believing comes before everything in the spiritual realm. Without it, nothing of worth happens.

I long for the day when, as the song says, “my faith shall be sight.”  On that day Jesus will not be ascending, but descending from the skies…for all those who love his coming today!

John 6:61

Noting his disciples were more than a bit put off by his words, Jesus asks them, “Well, do my words offend you?” John 6:61 EFP

Jesus is not blind to his disciples’ state of mind.  They are grumbling.  They are in an altered state.  John has not yet made it clear the identity of the group having this reaction.  He simply refers to them as “his disciples.”  And Jesus notes their reaction and point blank asks them, “Are you offended by this?”

He could have just as well said, “Do I offend you?”  After all, Jesus has made some extraordinary, if not outrageous, claims about himself and those who follow him—his disciples.  They are obviously counting the cost and wondering the effect these words will have on the masses.  Perhaps they are assessing the negative impact it will have on the following Jesus had begun to attract over the past few months.  Either way, there is an uneasy feeling spreading among his listeners that day.  It remains to this day.  I am reminded that the claims of Christ are as outrageous today, as they were in the first century…if not more.  They might even border on offensive.  The Gospel is a stumbling block.  It is offensive today to many who reject its claims or fail to see their significance.  But how does it become offensive to a disciple of Christ?  To me?  Perhaps it boils down to the question, “Are you ashamed of the Gospel?”  I would think this would be easy to answer, but then again…what does my life say? 

John 6:60

The words Jesus speaks do not land lightly on the ears of his hearers.  Many of his disciples say, “This is difficult stuff!  Who will be able to accept it?” John 6:60 EFP

Well, the first question that comes to mind when I read this passage is, “Who is included in the reference to the ‘disciples’?”  Does John refer to the band of brothers who follow Jesus everywhere?  Is the reference to the larger group that includes all the people who have been following him, including the ones who came from the “other side of the sea”?  Either way it is a significant response to the words Jesus has just spoken in the synagogue.

I had always attributed these words to the crowd.  I believe it is a valid association based on the larger context, but today I see it a bit differently.  I see things from the perspective of the inner circle of Jesus’ followers consider the repercussions of this discourse to the people.  No doubt Jesus has made some pretty challenging declarations.  He makes some allusions to flesh and blood.  He makes some claims to being the real Bread of Life.  He describes some pretty graphic behavior.  And ultimately he calls for a deep and complete level of commitment to Him and his claims.

This is tough stuff!  This is not a message for the double-minded.  Are the hard-core followers of Jesus wondering the impact these words will have on the larger group of followers?  Are they concerned that some might be put off by the intensity of the imagery?  Are they projecting back onto themselves?  I am.  This is hard core.  It is hard to understand.  It is hard to internalize.  It is hard to imagine.  Why am I having this reaction to the words?  Do I doubt myself?  Do I question my commitment?  I consider myself a disciple of Christ.  Do I wonder how the Gospel will be accepted when it comes across as harsh and demanding?  Do I see my weakness and fail to see the power of God at work in and around me?  Help me, Lord!

John 6:59

Jesus says all these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. John 6:59 EFP

Why does John find it necessary to throw in this bit of information at this juncture?  Jesus has just concluded one of his most powerful sermons ever, and John’s first comment as he pens this portion of Scripture is to tell us where Jesus is when he says these things…he is in church…teaching.

Does is matter if he is in church when he says these things?  Would he have been any less effective if he was speaking to them on a hillside?  I doubt it.  Yet John feels it’s important to tell me Jesus is in the synagogue when he says these things.  It is the place where the Scriptures are read.  It is a gathering place for people seeking God.  It is the Torah room…where Moses reigns supreme.  The people that came from across the sea had found Jesus teaching in church. 

What had they come looking for in church?  What do I look for?  Do I come expecting to get a boost for the new week?  Do I come to reconnect with fellow believers?  Do I come to hear the usual and expected?  Why do I go?  These reasons may be good, but I sense church is ultimately a place to go meet with Jesus.  Do I find Jesus there?  Do I hear him there?  I can find Jesus anywhere, but I can’t imagine how church is church without him….