Do You Also Want To Go Away?
In John chapter six Jesus miraculously feeds over five thousand
people with five barley loaves and two fish. This sign should have clearly
shown them that He was the Messiah. Jesus has to get away from them because
they try to make Him their King by force (vs 15). Jesus made it clear later to
Pilate in John 19:36 that His kingdom was not of this world. Jesus and His disciples
make their way across the sea to Capernaum. The multitude finds Him and inquires
when He arrives there (vs 25).
Jesus rebukes them and says, “Most assuredly you did not seek
me because you the saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were
filled. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures
to eternal life…”(vv 26-27a). What the Lord was telling them is not to look only
for temporary fulfillment, rather seek everlasting fulfillment which only He
can provide.
The conversation takes a drastic turn when Jesus tells them
that He is the true bread come down from heaven that gives life to the world.
When the crowds request that Jesus gives them this true bread, He replies I AM
the Bread of Life (vs 35). Jesus declared these wonderful words, “He that comes
to Me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst” (vs 35b).
Clearly Jesus is talking spiritually. Those that place their trust in Jesus are
eternally secure; not only in this life of sin, pain, and death, but in the
eternal life to come.
Now I believe that Jesus offends the
non-committed disciples on purpose by stating, “Unless you eat my flesh and
drink my blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (vs 54). The
crowds being spiritually dense didn’t realize Jesus was speaking metaphorically
regarding His flesh and blood. They became offended and thought he was offering
his literal body and blood in a cannibalistic way instead of a salvific one (vs
52). Jesus said in verse sixty three said, “My words are Spirit and they are
life.”
The Catholic Church has taken Jesus’ word
literally. When they perform Mass or Eucharist, they believe the elements are
supernaturally transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus. This
process is called transubstantiation.
Problem with this doctrine is that when Jesus made the statement about
eating His flesh and drinking His blood Communion had not been invented yet. Our
Lord instituted Communion at the last supper (Matt 26:26,27; Mark 14:22-23;
Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25). Communion is a sacrament that commemorates the
Lord’s death.
As a result of this hard teaching by the Lord, those who
followed Him for the wrong reasons, withdrew and followed Him no longer (vs 66;
1 Peter 2:6-8;1 John 2:19). None of this surprised Jesus so he asked the
twelve, “Do you also want to go away” (vs 67)? Peter in one of his greatest
moments replied, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (vs
68).
The twelve got the true message Jesus was teaching to
everyone else and they remained. We know that Judas betrayed our Lord later.
Jesus knowing this also said, “Did I not choose you, the twelve and one of you
is a devil” (vs 70)?
I wanted to chronicle the above because it is essential that we
understand that in order to follow Christ, we must come on His terms, not ours.
He determines the rules of engagement. We must follow His example. For instance,
Jesus declared in John 6:38-40 his mission from the Father, “For I have come down
from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This
is the will of Him who sent Me, that all He has given Me I should lose nothing
but should raise it up on the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life;
and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Just like Jesus had His assignment to fulfill from His
Father, we have our assignment we must fulfill from Jesus; preach the gospel
and make disciples (Matt 28:19).
The question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we going to serve
ourselves or serve our Lord who died for us?” Those who are true, will remain
faithful to the end like the disciples minus Judas and all the faithful men and
women throughout Church History up until the present. Those who only desire temporary
handouts from Jesus will soon walk away when God does meet their ungodly lusts
upon demand proving they were not true. Jesus said it plainly, “Those who are
of the truth hear my voice (John 18:37). A similar passage is in 1 John 4:6
says, “We are of God. He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not
hear us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
We know God by studying His Holy Word. God’s Word is His Self
Revelation.
In connection to John 6:66 the great theologian F.F. Bruce penned
these words:
“What they wanted, He would
not give; what He offered, they would not receive.”[1]
That quote sums up the sinful rebellious nature of mankind
toward God and His response to that rebellion.
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