The Words of Eternal Life

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him (John 6:60-71).

The disputing and grumbling of the Jews was contagious. It spread even among the disciples and began to infect their hearts and minds. That’s why the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, exhorts us to guard our hearts… “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23) and transform our minds… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2) in order to prevent the infection of the world from establishing a stronghold in our soul. Jesus tells the disciples that they have not anything yet. As growing and maturing disciples they will see their Teacher ascend back into heaven! Then Jesus explained that the words He shared with them are not received in the flesh. His words “are spirit and life”. His words were not for everyone, but Jesus showed His disciples two keys to understanding and grasping the words of eternal life.

If we are honest we must admit there have been parts of the scriptures that do not make sense to us. There are truths in God’s written word that do not agree with the more familiar wisdom of this world. But truth seekers can also confirm that in His time, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to diligent disciples as we mature in the faith. The Spirit revealed two things that are necessary for disciples who desire to feed on and abide in the words of Christ.

First, those who want to be nourished by the words of Christ must have a spiritual hunger. To grasp and be changed by God’s truth one must be born again, or born of the spirit… “Jesus answered him, ‘truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:3-6). When we are born again we receive the Holy Spirit and He creates a hunger in us that can only be satisfied by the truth of God’s word… ““It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). The Spirit empowers us to consume God’s truth in order to grow and mature as disciples of Christ… “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). The spiritual truth of God’s word makes no sense to the carnal man… “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The fact that we hunger for and understand spiritual truth is evidence of the second key Jesus taught in today’s text. He taught that “no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father”. Desiring and grasping spiritual truth is evidence that God is drawing us to His Son… “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me” (John 6:45).

As we grow up into Christ His Spirit creates and satisfies within us a great hunger for…

The Words of Eternal Life.