David Bahn – Reflections

John 6:66-71

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 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, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

When it comes to grumbling I love the story that John Ortberg tells in his book, The Life You’ve Always Wanted. Hank was a man who “could find clouds in silver linings,” who grumbled about this and that in the church – even to visitors and first time guests. One day an OSHA representative visited the church because Hank had complained to that agency about the volume of the organ during worship! Hopefully you’re not a Hank. Then there was my friend who seems to want to dispute almost everything I hold dear. I finally figured out that he was pulling my chain: trying to get me to react. When I tried to turn the tables on him, I discovered that he was better at not taking the bait than I was!

It is interesting, however, that Jesus is not dissuaded from his mission by either grumblers (6:41), nor disputers, (v. 52). He simply tells the one group not to grumble, and the other group he challenges even further, making his claims even more difficult to believe. When many of Jesus’ disciples turn back from following him, he confronts such a desire full on: “Do you want to turn away as well?” Peter answers for us: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Indeed.

Grumbling does not set aside the reality of Jesus’ true identity and gifts. It only negates our full enjoyment of them. Disputing does not negate the reality of who Jesus is: it only clouds the reality of Jesus’ witness. Losing heart may be understandable: we all face challenging times and wonder whether it is worth it to follow Christ. But he alone has the words and gifts of eternal life.

Today I will catch myself if I am tempted to grumble, or enter too quickly into disputes. I will take heart in Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God, and follow him with a cheerful heart and hopeful disposition. How about you?

John 6:41-71

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said,“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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 taughtat Capernaum.

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. 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, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.