John 6:67-68 English Standard Version

⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

What distinguished the twelve from all the other followers who stopped following Jesus? The answer to that question is the key to unlocking the door to our hearts by faith.

The twelve were approached by Jesus and answered a simple call, “follow me.” They got up and left their nets, tax tables, families, occupations and followed Jesus simply because He called them. There is no logical reason why they should do this. There was no promise of what was going to happen next. To any outside observer it made no sense, but to the men who answered the call, there was something so compelling about Jesus that they gave up everything to follow Him.

Yesterday’s reading was the example of what others, even if they begin to follow Jesus, give up and reject His offer of eternal life.

Jesus was speaking to Jews in their synagogue. His words challenged everything they believed in and were taught. He challenged their core beliefs as is seen in verses 60 and 61. They believed that the Messiah would come as spirit and not as a man. Their core belief said God would never occupy a human form. Now this man, proclaiming He is the Son of God, has asked them to violate what was up until this time the Law. They could not by faith eat His flesh nor drink His blood.

This is who they were and what they believed. For the rest of us that were not Jews and did not have those core beliefs, we have our own set of core values and belief which will be challenged. If we do not understand those simple gospel truths we will not know what is being asked of us.

It all comes down to this one challenge of faith. Are we called by God?

John 6:51-66

English Standard Version

⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, 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 feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on 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 whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³ 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. ⁶⁴ 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.) ⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

TBC