John 6:58-61

58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 

“Does the Truth Offend You?”

Jesus, the Master Teacher, reviews the key point of His entire sermon in verse 58. Paraphrasing, “I, who stand before you, am the bread which came down from heaven. I am not the bread like the manna that your fathers ate to keep their physical bodies alive for they are now dead. Anyone who eats this bread, which is My flesh and My blood, will live forever.” The people whom Jesus had fed with the 5 loaves and 2 fish the day before had gone looking for Jesus that day, not because they wanted fulfillment of their souls, but fulfillment of their bellies. They found Him in the synagogue. I am sure there were Jewish leaders, teachers of the law, and scribes present who were listening as well. 

Verse 60 was really eye-opening for me. I had never thought about people who were already disciples doubting and complaining about Jesus. I have read the book of John more than once, but failed to see the significance of this before. What is a disciple? According to Blueletterbible.org, a disciple is a learner or pupil. These people who were supposedly His “disciples”, said that Jesus was saying a “hard saying”, and they were asking the question, “who can understand it?”. They were supposed to be committed students of the Master Teacher. Obviously, they were not true disciples. True disciples realize that they can’t live without Jesus. True disciples would be defending their teacher’s words, not doubting them. True disciples are dedicated, and nothing anyone could say would be able to stifle that dedication. 

In verse 61, we see that Jesus reads their thoughts, and asks “Does this offend you?” This question is very significant. Here is the statement and question that the false disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”. This was not actually what they were thinking. They understood what Jesus was saying to them. They wanted to act like they didn’t understand, but they did. Or else why would Jesus ask if He had offended them? Wouldn’t He have said, “Do you not understand?”, if they had truly been confused. The word “hard” means offensive, stern or intolerable. (blueletterbible) It did not mean it was difficult to understand. In today’s language, verse 60 means, “I’m out guys! This Jesus fellow is expecting too much from me! This is too hard. Who can even do what He is asking us to do?” The bottom line is this…..Jesus was speaking the truth to them, and they were offended by the truth, just like so many people today are offended by the truth. 

So, was Peter a false disciple when He denied Christ those three times? No, because he knew he was wrong, and he repented of it. Peter messed up, but he made things right, and came back stronger than ever before. We all mess up as disciples of Christ. But, the “many” disciples who complained about Jesus’ words were false disciples. They played the part for a while, but eventually the truth came out, and their true colors were shown. It is significant that John includes this, because there are false disciples today…..sitting in pews…..pretending. I am ashamed to say that I have been one of those in my past. We are not disciples of Jesus just because we show up to the church building. It is an “every day, all day, commitment” of “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. Is this a “hard saying”? It can be hard, but it is not hard to understand. Being a disciple of Jesus is truly realizing that Jesus is all we need. He is our bread. A “hard saying”? Yes, at times it is. But we don’t give up. We continue to follow Jesus, come back to Jesus when we fall, and look to Him when we are struggling. We continually learn from Him, because that is what a disciple is…..a pupil of Jesus. These people in verse 60 gave up on Jesus. We can fail at following Jesus at times. We absolutely will fail sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t disciples anymore just because we fall short. All have fallen short (Romans 3:23). Jesus knows if my heart is right with Him. And if I’m honest with myself, I know if my heart is right with Him. This makes me think of the word “abide”…..a powerful word. If we abide in Him, we are most certainly His disciples (John 8:31). 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)