Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 20, 2023
John 6:54-69
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me lives because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. It isn’t like the bread your ancestors ate, and then they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?” 61 Jesus knew that the disciples were grumbling about this, and he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you were to see the Human One going up where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life, and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 Yet some of you don’t believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn’t believe and the one who would betray him. 65 He said, “For this reason, I said to you that none can come to me unless the Father enables them to do so.” 66 At this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer accompanied him. 67 Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” 68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.”
Good Morning; Believe and be saved!
Today’s passage from John is a challenging one. Remember, this comes before they have learned of the Lord’s Supper, so imagine what they must be thinking. Is Jesus calling us to be cannibals?
Let’s look at the context of this passage to help us understand what is going on. This teaching follows the story of the fishes and loaves and the feeding of the thousands. Those in attendance who continued to listen were excited by the prospect of this new teacher who could feed them bread and meet their physical needs. They wanted to follow Jesus so that they would continue to be fed and never worry about hunger.
Beginning in vs. 36, Jesus tries to help those in attendance understand that he is more than a simple baker who can make bread and feed them; he is the bread! 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me, and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.
What does Jesus mean by “whoever comes to me?” To come to Jesus means more than just walking along and picking up the bread crumbs that fall to the ground. Coming to Jesus means accepting, trusting, and giving your life to him. Though you may die of the flesh, you live in me. John 11:25 Not everyone who came to hear Jesus that day was ready to “come” to him.
Think about what we do when we don’t understand something. We try to apply our constructs and our knowledge to explain the anomaly to ourselves. The problem occurs when an idea or event is beyond the scope of our understanding. I can’t read a medical journal and suddenly perform brain surgery if I have not learned everything that precedes the surgery. i.e. I need some knowledge of anatomy before you place a scalpel in my hand.
When Jesus confuses those who are not ready (they don’t yet have enough background to understand) as he talks about spiritual bread and living water, they try to rationalize this idea without the necessary tools. They resort to using the facts that they do know. They start to question who Jesus is. They suddenly remember that he is merely the son of a carpenter, so what in the world is he talking about?
41 At this, the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
Many walked away that day without the bread of life and without the living water. When Jesus asked the disciples if they, too, were ready to walk away, 68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.”
Blessed are those who know in whom they believe, for they shall see the kingdom of God.
Blessed God, We thank you for Your blessings. We have questions and doubts, but help us continue to follow you. May we accept that your ways are not our ways. We believe in You, and we ask for Your love and mercy. Thank You! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: My trust in God is complete. God will not fail me.
Come and be filled with the bread of life! Pastor Liz
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