David Bahn – Reflections

John 6:60-64

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶²Then 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. ⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Well meaning people have from time to time sought to “sell” Jesus. They will dumb-down his teachings, upgrade or update his image, and sugar-coat his commands. Even a cursory reading of John 6 , however, shows this to be wrong-headed. On every occasion recorded in these words, Jesus “raises the stakes” of believing in him.

He will not stick around after feeding the 5000 because they want to make him their king by force. He secretly goes to another place – leaving the crowds looking for him. Once they find him and ask him how he got there, he challenges their motives and tells them that he is the bread from heaven. When they grumble about this, he tells them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have life.

His goal, however, is to have the disciples – and you and me – embrace his words, of which he says, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Indeed the stakes are high; if we reject his words we lose life. But His are the words of eternal life.

John 6:60-71

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶²Then 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. ⁶⁴But 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.) ⁶⁵And 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. ⁶⁷So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.