Read John 6:60-70. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
Digging Deeper
Have you ever said to yourself, “That’s hard to swallow!” or “You gotta be kidding me!” When we hear rumors of another “mandate” like wearing masks, stay in place or vaccinations from the government, stores and restaurants shutting down due to lack of business or help, or travel being highly discouraged, we don’t want to believe it.
Jesus said some things that was hard for the listeners to accept. When we really read the Scriptures there are things that is extremely hard for us to follow. The listeners took offense at what He said. Jesus said, “Does this offend you?”
What are the words of Jesus that we question or take offense at? Is it, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” or “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”?
Jesus declared that He is the Bread of life. If you and I want to find true life, His words must be our food. Let us ask ourselves, “What are you living on today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life? Are we living off our wealth or are we living on the words of Jesus?” Jesus not only offers us salvation for our lives, but He also offers us the greatest meaning for our lives.
Jesus says to you and me, ““You do not want to leave too, do you?” What’s your answer to Him?
-Kingston