Are you turning back also?
When Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life,” he actually said it twice—in John 6:35 and again in John 6:48. The statement came on the heels of last week’s story, the famous feeding of the 5000. Remember Scott Jackson’s phrase from the sermon: Jesus had “bread power”! We were challenged again to truly come and make a decision as to who this Jesus really is to us:
- A Quid Pro Quo Jesus, the trade-off for favors,
- A Santa Claus or “Bread Power” Jesus, or
- Jesus the Savior, the Bread of Life.
The question still remains for you, too. Who is Jesus to you?
John 6 has become, for me personally, one of the most challenging chapters in all the Bible. When you read it for yourself, study it with me this Sunday, and discuss it with your group, I want you to notice how it is like crossing a theological and practical continental divide. As we travel on the uphill side of this divide, I see the word crowd used several times. The crowd followed this Jesus when he had “bread power.” But we see the crowd thin out bit by bit as we go through the chapter. We watch the crowd climbing up to the crest of this theological continental divide, where Jesus issues an ultimatum with some challenging statements about himself. Jesus says that if you—the crowd—are his followers and disciples, then you will eat his flesh and drink his blood.
There is a warning label on this passage. Examine John 6:48-58 very carefully. At this point, the chapter crosses a serious divide. This is where we are spending some time on Sunday morning. This is where I am asking your group to spend your time. This is the divide between someone who chooses to remain in the crowd and expects Jesus to be just the “bread power god,” and someone who knows Jesus as the only path to life—the only Bread of Life. There is a huge crowd of people at the beginning of John 6, probably 15,000 or more. By the end of the chapter those thousands have dwindled down to only a few disciples—not even 12, but actually only 11.
It is in this narrative that I personally find one of the saddest statements in the Bible:
John 6:66-67
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?”
What’s your answer? Which side of the theological divide are you on? Are you with the crowd? Or are you a disciple of Jesus the Messiah?
See you Sunday at 10 a.m. through one of our 3 doors to worship:
- 1: Watch online in your own home
- 2: Join a small group and stream the service together
- 3: Come to church and join us inside the building (remember to register!)
