He Said What?
Can you imagine what the modern-day doctrinal police would have said about Jesus and how they would have reacted if they had been present to hear Him say,
John 6:53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
Even Jesus' own disciples struggled to understand what Jesus said in a synagogue in Capernaum.
John 6:60 Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
John 6:61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66 From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
Apparently, there were quite a few claiming to want to learn from Jesus and follow Him until this moment in time, when what Jesus had to say offended them, causing them to feel as though others would think of them as being part of a cult if they continued. They were so concerned with what other sensible thinking people might conclude about them were they to continue to follow a man who speaks this kind of stuff, they left Jesus and went on their way.
Jesus knew everything about all of them. Vs 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
Still today, we have those who feel the need to explain Jesus' actions in this text in a way that makes better sense to the readers. They attempt to explain it in such a way that it will not offend anyone. After all, everything has to make perfect sense to the carnal mind if someone is expected to follow, right?
Jesus did not come to appeal to our human sense of logic concerning life. He came to reveal the Father and His purpose. He came to be a reconciler of man to God. He came in the power of the Spirit, not human logic, to bring many sons into glory.
John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
John 7:1 After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
Being Spirit-led can produce a desire in the merely religious to find ways to cancel you. You offer the prospect of new life in Christ by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus, and that is an offense to those who hold people in their grip through fear-based conditionalism teaching. Are you convinced that Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, no matter how strange He may sound?
