John 6:60-71 | Food for Thought

Context

Continued Conversations | When the large crowd of disciples tell Jesus that “this teaching is hard,” they’re referring to Jesus’ teaching that they have to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have life. In other words, the fact that Jesus is the “bread of life” is tough for them to understand.

Jesus says tough words.
- Some of Jesus’ words will be hard for us to hear. In fact, some of them might offend us! But just because some of his words might be hard, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t true.
Tough words expose belief in easy words.
- Some disciples began to grumble at Jesus’ teaching, then turned back and walked away altogether when confronted.
- Presence (being around Jesus), participation (eating with Jesus), and experience (seeing miracles or even “the Son of Man ascending”) can’t manufacture belief. Belief in the Son is something granted by the Father and given by the Spirit.
Spirit and life is found in Jesus.
- Peter and the Twelve aren’t following Jesus because his words are easy, but because he’s the Lord, “the Holy One of God.”
- Peter and the Twelve don’t argue that Jesus’ teachings aren’t hard. They argue that their faith isn’t in never being challenged or never having a hard time understanding, but their faith is in the person of Jesus.
- In Christ, even the hard words that Jesus says can be spirit and life over time. And even when they don’t feel that way, we know that Christ himself IS spirit and life through the gospel.

What are some of the hard things that Jesus has said that you personally find difficult?
- How does that affect your faith in Jesus himself? Or how does it NOT affect your faith in Jesus?
- Is it okay for Christians to have a hard time with something that Jesus said?
  (Spoiler warning: it is!)
When is the last time that you let God change your mind about something? What was it?
Is the truth offensive? Does that mean that we should be offensive? Why or why not?
Jesus said that our flesh doesn’t give us spirit and life; large numbers of disciples who followed, witnessed, and listened to Jesus walked away; and Judas, one of the Twelve that Jesus chose, ended up betraying him. Questions:
- How does knowing that you likely will (or already have!) watched people walk away from the faith make you feel?\
- How does this affect your own assurance of faith?
- How does all of this help reveal what someone’s faith might be built on?
- Does the foundation of the gospel provide any kind of stability for you?
To whom are others or yourself drawn to go? If you weren’t following Jesus, who or what would you be following?

To be a disciple means to be confronted by hard truths about ourselves, the Lord, and the world around us. Wrestling with tough words isn’t a sign of unbelief or a sign that’s something wrong; it’s a sign of taking Jesus’ words seriously, if we’re willing to trust him in - even in the difficult things.
The hope of a disciple is in Jesus - that he’s the Holy One of God - not in your own agreement with or understanding of Jesus.
There’s freedom to be found for the disciple who can trust Jesus with the hard things, because we know he’s taken on the impossible thing for us: earning the righteousness of God, removing all our guilt and shame, satisfying the justice of God, and defeating sin and death so we might be made right with the Lord forever!