When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
~John 6:60-69 ESV
Have you ever had a moment when you offered something of yourself to someone in a very personal way and then been rejected? A gift you put a lot of thought into? A meal you specially prepared just for them? An intimate moment with a spouse that suddenly turned negative unexpectedly?
Rejection is always painful.
Sure, we’ve all experienced it. But it’s even worse when the moment of rejection or disregard happens when we are truly giving our best for the moment and the person. That’s when we are the most vulnerable. That’s when it hurts the most. The setting for the text above, John 6:60-69, is in the context of Jesus teaching his followers, the twelve and the larger crowds, that HE is the bread of life. Jesus is offering himself to his followers. God, handing his very heart to those around him.
The Jews of that time claimed to have high regard for the Bible. They revered it. For example, when it was time to read the Bible, the scrolls that contained the scriptures were brought out into the synagogue with great ceremony and worship. The reading of scripture was so important that someone stood over the shoulder of the reader, following along, to offer immediate correction should a word be misspoken or mispronounced.
The Holy Scriptures were life to God’s people. They were, and are, light for a dark world. Hope for all who despair. The Jews used several euphemisms for the Scriptures. One such euphemism was to to refer to the Scriptures as, “The Bread of Life.”
Question: Does your personal habit of reading of Scripture align to this value?
The bread of life. Jesus, in John chapter 6, claims that HE is the bread of life. This upset a lot of people. It would be like the person reading scripture on Sunday in our worship service claiming that he/she IS God’s Word. We all know that’s way off. We would be offended. So was the reaction of the people surrounding Jesus as he taught. But instead of sensing their confusion and offense and backtracking to explain himself or apologizing for misspeaking, Jesus doubles down:
“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him.”
~John 6:56
Now we get to today’s text above. Take a moment and read it again: When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
~John 6:60-69 ESV
Straight-up rejection.
Jesus offers himself. He also equates himself with the Word of God. And for this, he is rejected. Take a moment and reflect on the opening lines of this article: what was it like for you to offer something of yourself and have it rejected? This is the God of the universe, who came down in the flesh and offered himself to all who want life. And humanity, as a group, responds with, “meh.”
Others responded with outright rejection and offense. You could play the Devil’s advocate here and argue that what he reveals was just too challenging for them to accept and what else did he expect them to do blah, blah, blah. Here’s the thing though, the Devil does not need an advocate. This is God making a judgment call about what to do and say. We do not get to stand back like an advisory committee and armchair quarterback what Jesus really should have done. He did it. It was the right call (God of the universe, remember?) And he gets rejected.
What happens next is a clarifying moment for those who follow Jesus. He is asking, “Will you follow me, even if I offend and shock you?” Will you follow me even if I cause you a loss of reputation? Will you follow me even if you don’t fully understand everything I do and say? The answer to those questions for many, even most of the crowd that day was:
“No, I won’t.”
And for all the teasing Peter gets for speaking without thinking or being inconsistent with good decision-making (remember the Garden of Gethsemane when he lopped off the servant’s ear?) Peter gets it right: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” That’s right. You, Jesus, alone have the words of eternal life. YOU, in fact, are the Word. The bread of life, life itself. In Jesus alone, we find a life that matters. In following him we follow the Holy One of God.
You see, the Christian faith does not consist in classes taken, buildings built, or committees served on. The Christian life orbits around the work and person of Jesus. Do you know this Jesus? Is there some semblance of a relationship with God through Jesus in your life? Is your hope found first (and only) in Jesus? Will you continue to be known as one of his followers even if you:
- Are offended or embarrassed by what he says or does?
- Lose reputation in the eyes of your peers?
- Don’t fully understand what he says?
You see, Jesus most of all desires a relationship with us. Jesus is not an ideology or a philosophy. He is not a banner to rally around so we know who the good guys are from the bad. He is a person, who is also God. And He loves you. Enough to allow himself be misunderstood, treated unfairly, and to die in place of you on the Cross. And rise on the third day so that all who trust in him have eternal life.
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…”
Final Thought: Does your Testimony, your story of you and God read more like a church resumé or a an account of a relationship with a person, Jesus?
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