Episode 48 - Are you offended? - John 6:60-65

John 6:60   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.”

Did you notice something? Up to this point, we’ve seen “the Jews” as those who are not receiving or believing in Jesus even though they’ve seen evidence and recognize the divine source of what Jesus is saying and doing. But now, even many of Jesus’ disciples are letting their reason and pride get in the way of faith and an appropriate response to God’s revelation through Jesus. Through their unwillingness to accept what Jesus is telling them about himself, they are saying that no one can accept his teaching. 

I love Jesus’ response to them. “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” Where is that? Where was Jesus, the Son of Man, before? Answer: With the Father in Heaven. I’m not certain. But, I think there is an element of sarcasm in Jesus’ words. Basically, he’s saying that they’ve seen him work miracles and recognized those miracles as indicative of Jesus being the Prophet like Moses. They recognize a divine source or authority in what Jesus is doing. But, they are rejecting it. So, Jesus is saying, “If I do something more significant and more that testifies of my origin from heaven itself, you will reject even more.” Wow!

This is why in verse 63 he says, “the flesh is no help at all.” Jesus is telling them that their eyes, and all their senses with their human reason does not help them have faith. “It is the Spirit who gives life” and “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (v63) They need to trust Jesus' words. He is explaining to them that by saying that they need to “eat his flesh” and “drink his blood” it is a spiritual message and not literal cannibalism. They need to internalize everything that he says and trust him because they are the eternal life giving power from God. 

Then, he says, “But, there are some of you who do not believe.” (v. 64) John adds that Jesus knew all along who did/would believe and who wouldn’t. He even knew who would betray him. Yet, he still called them to follow him. How could he possibly know this? Answer: He’s from heaven. He is God. Despite everything that God already knows, He demonstrates His grace by inviting people to hear Jesus’ words and to believe him.

This section closes by Jesus telling these people that no one can come to Jesus unless granted by the Father. The point of this statement is to emphasize the reality that people do not get to heaven by their own schemes and efforts. All the credit goes to God who leads people to Jesus. They need to trust in him.