During the Spring of 1987 at the age of 22 and after many years of rebellion I became a Christian. My first few years as a Christian were filled with the joy of discovery as I gave myself to learning what it means to follow Christ. Never being one to embrace something half-heartedly, I gave my all to understanding and practicing my new faith. These early years were filled with happiness, contentment, and wonder.

However, five years later, in the Fall of 1992 my world collapsed. Deep relationships fell apart, rocked by betrayal. I felt alone, lost, and empty. During Thanksgiving and Christmas of that year I resorted to my old methods of dealing with difficulties and attempted to drink my sorrows away, but to no avail. I had tried so hard to follow Christ, but I felt like an absolute failure. I was tempted again and again to simply give up the faith.

It was during this dark and difficult time that this text (John 6:56-69) became precious to me. I have never heard an audible voice from God, but it was at this time that I experienced the closest thing to it. Again and again, the Spirit of God challenged me with the words of Jesus: "You do not want to leave also, do you?" Through this question, the Spirit of God tugged at my heart. This precious text was used to keep me in the faith, and to this day I remain eternally grateful.

It is interesting to note that Jesus used this very question to challenge his disciples at the very moment his followers were dwindling in number. This is a turning point in the Gospel according to John. Chapter Six begins with many people happily following Jesus and benefitting from his feeding of the masses. It ends with many people turning away, until we are left with only the twelve. The masses were leaving Jesus because they were offended by his "difficult" teaching. They couldn't figure him out. And rather than put in the effort to understand his "scandalous" sayings, they chose to abandon him.

The conclusion of Chapter Six is the grand climax of Jesus' mounting claims concerning his unique identity - each followed by the murmurings and misunderstandings of his followers. First, he claims to be "the bread of life" (John 6:35). The people respond to this claim with murmurings: "But he is only Joseph's son" (John 6:41-42). Jesus then ups the ante by declaring that the bread he offers is superior to the manna God provided Israel in the wilderness (John 6:49-51). The people misunderstand his teaching: "How can he give us his flesh to be eaten?" (John 6:52). Instead of softening the imagery, Jesus intensifies it: "Those who gnaw on my flesh and drink my blood live" (John :6:54-58). But this time it is not just the crowd that murmers, but the disciples as well. They simply cannot accept such scandalous teaching: "This teaching is difficult. Who can accept it?" (John 6:60)

Jesus responds: "Does this offend you?" Jesus' teachings about "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" offended his disciples. How could anyone accept such intolerable language? Following this, he offers "one of the most touching, heartbreaking, and haunting questions of his life"[1]: "Do you also wish to go away?" The question "hang[s] in the air with a sense of sadness, a searching spirit, a wounded heart, a desire for friendship, and an expectation of disappointment."[2]

How do you personally answer Jesus' question? What do you do when Jesus' teaching is hard to understand? Will you trust him even when you fail to comprehend him? Can we love a Savior who is not always easy to follow or even understand?

Difficult Teaching

"This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" (John 6:60). Jesus' teaching is not easy. It is riddled with difficulties, for believer and unbeliever alike. Moloney writes, "The Greek adjective skeros does not mean 'difficult' in an intellectual sense. The expressions 'unacceptable, hard, offensive' best capture its meaning."[3] If we are not at least occasionally offended by Jesus' statements, we have probably softened their meaning.

Jesus' teaching was especially offensive to ancient Jews. He offends Jewish belief by claiming to be "from heaven" (John 6:58) and to give life (something that only God can do). He multiplies offense by telling Jews who were forbidden by law to drink blood or eat meat that contained blood (Leviticus 17:10-14) that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life. This is a "difficult saying" - a "hard word" for a faithful, God-fearing Jew to accept. Jesus' language borders on the sacrilegious for Jews committed to following God's law. And he taught this in the synagogue of all places (John 6:59). At this point, many in the crowd must have written him off as a lunatic.

Distanced from ancient culture and Jewish sensitivities, we know that Jesus is using this offensive imagery to make a powerful point. As "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14) Jesus uses this language to speak of the deep and abiding union that we have with God in him through the Spirit: "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them" (John 6:56). Through the practice of communion we are caught up into the life of God. God draws close - indeed, into our very bodies - hinting at the mutual indwelling God desires. We receive the shared life of God: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16).

We regularly take Holy Communion in order to be reminded and reassured that the presence of Christ lives in us and we in Christ. Jean Vanier puts it simply: "Jesus is offering to us a personal, intimate relationship with him that will lead us into the very life of God and nourish this life. It will bring us to dwell in Jesus and to have Jesus dwell in us."[4] Jesus could have used less provocative language, but he shocks us with these powerful words in order to make a powerful point: "John wants us to hear the word, 'abide,' as being as viscerally real as 'flesh' and 'blood.' And to hear the words, 'flesh' and 'blood,' as dynamically real as 'abide.' Abide is a verb. It is not a material substance. It is not an essence. It is a dynamic relationship."[5]

This is the reason that the Father sent the Son: "Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me" (John 6:57). Through our deep participation in Christ we enter into the shared life and love of the Father and the Son. The life communicated by this "bread from heaven" far exceeds the gift of manna in the wilderness: "This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever" (John 6:58). Eating the manna in the wilderness did not impart spiritual life; it merely allowed Israel to survive in a harsh climate. However, eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus does impart spiritual life - the life of God.

Jesus did not need to use such crass and offensive language. He could have simply spoken of union with God in less "fleshly" terms, but as "the Word made flesh" he chose to use the most physical, tangible, concrete terms possible. The word he uses for the verb "to eat" is not the normal phagein but trogein, a coarser word which means "to munch" or "to chew" and it was commonly used to describe animals gnawing or grinding their teeth on a bone. Jesus was well aware that this would initially be offensive and confusing. He recognized that such language was prone to misunderstanding. And yet he chose to use this vivid metaphor to describe the intimate participation he desired from his followers. Faith is no less than chewing on Jesus' self-giving sacrifice, taking it deep into our bodies. Jesus knew that this was an offensive way of speaking, even if he was only speaking figuratively.

And these words proved enough of a scandal that a large number of followers abandoned Jesus: "Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him" (John 6:66). These disciples had had enough. They determined that Jesus' teachings were outlandish. They surmised that the outcome of following him would be disastrous. The huge crowd at the beginning of Chapter Six who were interested enough to track down Jesus across the lake become a disenchanted and grumbling crowd. "It is not difficult to imagine the sadness as Jesus watched them leave - and his fear that he was to be completely abandoned."[6]

Jesus, shaken by the departure of so many of his followers, turns to the twelve and asks, "Do you also wish to go away?" (John 6:67). Peter, speaking on behalf of the twelve responds, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:68-69).

Peter understands no more than the departing crowd. He would have been just as scandalized by Jesus' language. However, even though he is in the dark about some things concerning Jesus, he is confident of at least the following: Jesus has the words of eternal life. And Jesus is "the Holy One of God" - a messianic title. Amazingly, Peter confesses his faith without full understanding!

Significance

In a day when people demand a user-friendly faith, full of relevant and easily-digestible spiritual insights that demand little effort to understand, Jesus remains an enigma. Jesus does not offer "chicken soup for the soul" but meat that is hard to chew and digest. Jesus does this purposefully. He was well aware that his teaching was hard and offensive. He knew that he would not be the Messiah people wanted, but the Messiah people needed. He did not care to pass out survey forms to discern how and what he would teach. He was not subject to the whim of the crowds.

No matter how we try to sweeten it, the gospel is a scandal.

The truth about a suffering Messiah is often a stumbling block. People in Jesus' day and even today want the Messiah to be a hero, an inspiration, a "bigger than life person" who does miracles and gives peace to everyone. People in those days and in these days don't want a Messiah who suffers, is humiliated, weak and dies on a cross.[7]

If we desire to never be misunderstood or to never have people murmur at our beliefs, then we would do well to keep our mouths shut. The truth is not easily-digested. It demands that we participate with our whole-being, taking Jesus into our whole self without reserve, even when we don't understand what it is he is actually teaching.

Many of our beliefs are open to misunderstanding and abuse. And yet we must have the courage to state what we believe. Certainly, the doctrine of blood atonement for sin can be abused, but we dare not refrain from believing it out of fear of abuse. The doctrine of the Trinity can be misunderstood as tri-theism. The call to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" can be misunderstood as works-righteousness. We dare not recoil from teaching that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life for fear of being labeled narrow-minded and intolerant. The teachings of the Christian faith are comforting and terrifying. God is to be feared and loved. We must not reduce the full scope of the truth in an effort to make our beliefs more palatable and comforting.

Jesus' willingness to be misunderstood challenges us with wresting with our own beliefs. It forces us to ask the question: How do we preach?

I wonder: Do we still proclaim the hard word? Or are we too fearful of driving people away that we proclaim a soft word? What is the difference? Is there a time for a soft word and a time for the hard word? Up until this time "the disciples" were hearing and seeing many wonderful "signs," wine, bread and fish, etc. Is that all we expect from following Jesus?"[8]

The problem with Jesus is not that he is too abstract, but too clear. Mark Twain, once wrote: "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

If we are honest with ourselves, everything Jesus says and does is shocking. He wants us to repent, deny ourselves, sell our possessions, forgive everyone who ever hurt us, put away the sword, love our enemies, be as compassionate as God, take up the cross, resist injustice, and lay down our lives for others. Does this shock us?[9]

Jesus exposes the error of attempting to make Christian doctrine more "palatable," "accessible" or "relevant" by capitulating to secularism, relativism, modernity, or postmodernity. The end result of attempting to make Jesus' teaching conform to a secular or modern mindset almost always ends in eliminating all supernatural elements from the Christian faith. The uniqueness of Jesus is compromised and the scandal of the cross is removed and we are left with something that bears no resemblance to the ancient tradition that we have received.

If believing in Jesus means that we don't always understand him, what, then, does it mean to believe? Faith is a gift of God, but faith does not mean having all the answers. We are not called to embrace a philosophy, but trust a Person. Cynthia M. Campbell writes,

It is more than a question of getting the right data (or getting the data right); it is a question of faith and of relationship. Each generation, in its own peculiar and particular context, will have new questions and new insights. There will always be mistakes, and our scholarship will sometimes lead to dead ends. But because we are accompanied in this enterprise by the Holy Spirit, our study and preaching may lead to new insights and fresh understanding.[10]

Reason itself teaches us that reality exists beyond reason. Human reason (reducing reality to a "fleshly" dimension) does not convince us to believe: "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). We must remember Pascal's words, "The heart has its reasons that reason does not understand." When it comes to believing in Christ, it is the Spirit who convinces us, and not our human reason or our human will. Faith is deepened in situations where it is difficult to rely anymore on our reason or abilities.

We are called to love and faith, not necessarily being right and certainly not always understanding. Peter claimed to "believe and know" even without complete comprehension. Obviously, then "believing and knowing" is not certainty or comprehension or knowing all the answers, but rather a solid, experiential trust in the One whom we have come to believe is "the Holy One of God."

Ultimately our role as disciples is to accept the teachings of our master. Even if we do not understand what he says, and we find his words shocking, we accept them, humbly agree with them, do what he says, and live according to his teachings. Then we will find our way one day into greater understanding.[11]

We may not understand all the words of life, but we know that Jesus has the words of eternal life

an eternal life that begins right now, that eternal life is knowing God, knowing God's love and compassion for all people. Jesus had and still has the words of forgiveness, peace, justice, meaning, purpose, destiny, eternity. Jesus had and still has the words of life.[12]

Eternal life is life of the age to come enjoyed here and now, secured by the death of Christ who yields his life in sacrifice (which his words draw attention to).

The "hard" truth is that our souls are sick with sin and we need spiritual medicine to be healed. This medicine is not always sweet, but at times, a tough pill to swallow. But we trust our Healer to accurately diagnose our problem and provide the necessary solution. The question is: Will we take the medicine - the tough pill to swallow?

Or, will we turn away? "As we listen to this question, we hear the pain in Jesus' voice and his love for us. Jesus does not want us to leave him. Rather, he wants us to be with him, and he wants to be with us."[13]

But the astonishing promise of the Gospel is that no matter how many disciples walk away from Jesus, no matter how tempted we are to chuck the whole project and walk away from him, no matter how many times we have rejected God throughout our lives, no matter what we do or fail to do, no matter how unfaithful we are, God never leaves us. Jesus never gives up on us. Jesus never walks away from us.[14]

God is committed to our spiritual life in the midst of apparent failure and rejection. There is quite a range of responses to Jesus among his disciples in this text: "grumbling" (61); "not believing" (64); "betrayal" (64, 71); "turning back" (66); and a confession of faith with "believing" and "knowing" (68-69). These various responses come from "disciples" who witnessed the feeding miracle (6:8, 12) and Jesus walking on the water (6:16, 22).

The text makes clear, however, that unbelief can be found not only among "them" on the outside, those we so easily forget or write off. The pain of unbelief is found among us (and within us!), reflected in this text both in those disciples who leave and in the one who stays to betray Jesus. Where will we find ourselves in this narrative? Are we the disciples who turn and leave, or those who with Peter confess that Jesus is the one - the only one - with the words of eternal life?[15]

And blessed are we if we do not take offense but are led by these words to abundant life.

Conclusion

After twenty-two years of following Jesus, I realize that the road ahead is not smooth. There will be other trying times ahead, but I have made my choice. This doesn't mean that I understand everything Jesus said or that I am never troubled by his teaching. It simply means I've come to trust Jesus even when I can't figure him out - even when he offers me a tough pill to swallow.

© Richard J. Vincent, 2009