Over the years, many theological understandings have come out of John 6, though not many people read it all that often. Jesus is both pretty technical and deep here. And it’s hard to miss just how extensively he is setting the course for discipleship with him.
Following Jesus is no add-on activity. If someone just kind of likes Jesus and appreciates him from a distance, there’s nothing wrong with this. But if someone wants to say they follow Jesus, they’re going to have to deal with the call of John 6.
We’ll see tomorrow that many choose not to.
John 6:43-60
Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Then the Jews debated among themselves, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Human One and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me lives because of me. 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.” Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?”
Psalm 34:8-10
Taste and see how good the Lord is! The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy! You who are the Lord’s holy ones, honor him, because those who honor him don’t lack a thing. Even strong young lions go without and get hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Prayer
God,
Thank you for Jesus.
Help me understand his call to full-hearted discipleship, the invitation into a life that is full, deep, and transformative. Teach me to go beyond simply liking or admiring him, and help me to wrestle with what it truly means to follow him.
When the teachings of Jesus feel hard to understand or difficult to accept, give me faith to trust in your goodness and courage to live out what you reveal to me. Shape my heart and life to reflect the depth of his call, not as an add-on, but as the center of who I am.
Strengthen me to live well when it’s challenging, and help me to find joy and purpose in being fully yours.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
Sometimes life gets so hectic it does feel like Jesus is an "add-on." My spiritual director now has me putting time on my calendar to spend time with her, but in actuality, it's additional, intimate time with God. I look forward to being more intentional and not letting the demands of life, including ministry, take priority over my relationship with God/Jesus.