Dear Friends in Christ,
One disappointing reality in the kingdom of God is when a disciple of Christ turns back and no longer wants to spend any time with Jesus in order to listen to what the Savior has to say.
Jesus said a lot. Jesus’ words are harsh to the sinful nature. Because of his words “many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard saying. Who can accept it?’” By nature, I want to do as I please. My human nature believes I can save myself by good intentions and efforts. We see such an attitude here. This reminds us, doesn’t it, of the young man who went away sorrowful after Jesus told him to sell everything and give the money to the poor.
It really is about Jesus’ “words of eternal life.” We have been hearing Jesus’ words in John 6 in our gospel lessons over the past several weeks. Recall Jesus the Bread of life compared himself to the bread God had given through Moses. Jesus said that those who ate his flesh and drank his blood that is, believed in him “will live because of me.”
This morning look to The Son of Man’s Life Giving Words. First, they are the Spirit’s means of grace; second, they enable us by the Father to come to the Jesus; third, they create and sustain faith in the Holy One of God.
Jesus’ popularity increased as his ministry progressed. The Teacher-generated excitement with miracles like multiplying five barley loaves and two small fish into a feast for over 5,000 people. A large crowd followed our Savior after this miracle to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.
There Jesus began to get down we might say to doctrine. He knew they wanted to make him a king only to give them bread. Therefore, Jesus rebuked their selfish hearts, “Do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life.” 6:27. Then they asked for another miraculous sign like the manna God had given Moses in the desert. Jesus went on to say he is the bread from heaven “which a man may eat and not die…he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” And, if that was an offence, “What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?” They really would find offensive the truth that Jesus is God’s eternal Son.
John and the other eleven apostles were with the crowd of disciples. John records some of the saddest words in Scripture, still sad today, “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” Why did they turn back and not walk around with Jesus to listen to his words? His words were offensive to their hearing because those words spoke of God’s grace in Christ. Jesus’ words are the Spirit’s means of grace to call sinners to him and strengthen their faith. Jesus said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some among you who do not believe.”
Many continued to rely on their flesh to save them. Jesus had preached God’s Word, his Word, to them but his words were difficult, literally harsh and offensive to them. Jesus had sent them the Holy Spirit through his Word to strengthen them in their faith in him as the Messiah. Instead, they turned back away from him. They wanted to walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit. They wanted to continue to understand our Lord’s words in only an earthly way rather than as saving truths for their souls.
The Son of Man’s life giving words are the Spirit’s means of grace. They enable us by the Father to come to the Jesus.
Jesus knew the hearts of those who left him and those who remained with him. He was aware of the grumbling of the first group, and he knew what Peter’s answer would be on behalf of the Twelve. Jesus also knew who would betray him, hand him over to his enemies.
Jesus makes the point that “no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” Through the Son of Man’s life giving words, the Spirit’s means of grace, the gospel, the Father enables us to come to Jesus. We could not believe in the Son were it not for the Father enabling us by the Spirit. We notice the working in harmony of all three persons. God did that for most of us through Holy Baptism. He does it for others through the preaching of the words of eternal life. Those words are the good news of Jesus’ perfect life under the law, his innocent death on the cross, and his bodily resurrection from the dead.
My flesh profits nothing in coming to Jesus. I cannot desire him, or choose him, or go to him by the power of my sinful flesh. The same is true of prayer. An unbeliever cannot truly pray because the Spirit is not in that person’s heart, the prayer is not offered in Jesus’ name, and there is no Father-child relationship. You cannot pray only in the flesh. The child of God prays with the flesh but through the Spirit who has given faith, to the Son the object of our faith and in the father- child relationship through faith.
Simon Peter gave the answer the Jesus’ question each of us does well to give when we are tempted to follow the flesh. It is a good answer to give when God’s Word offends my sinful nature and is harsh with my Old Adam. Peter reminds us to stay and walk around with Jesus and listen to his Words and take them to heart. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter and we are able to say this because the Son of Man’s life giving words convey and sustain faith in the Holy One of God.
Peter added, “We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” The Spirit through Jesus’ words of eternal life had brought Peter and the other disciples who stayed with Jesus to a place of faith and sustained them in that faith. The Spirit had given Peter and the others the recognition of the truth, saving knowledge of Jesus, and sustained them to hold it in their hearts. It is what we confess of the Christian church in the explanation of the Third Article that the Holy Spirit “keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”
Jesus used the description “the Son of Man” to convey his being one of us in order to redeem us. As one of us who also is God, Jesus speaks life-giving words of eternal life in order than we can come to him, live through him, and remain with him. Amen. <SDG>