seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 6:60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
This is a hard saying: This refers to that which is hard to accept, not to what is hard to understand. No doubt, these disciples (disciples in the broad sense, not the narrower sense) found Jesus’ words somewhat mysterious, but it was the parts they did understand that were really disturbing.
Does this offend you? Jesus understood the offence many of His listeners took at His teaching, yet He didn’t change the teaching or feel it was His fault. Jesus didn’t preach just to please His audience. If that was His concern, He would have instantly taken back what was just said, seeing His audience was offended. Jesus didn’t take it back. He challenged and confronted them even more.
What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? Jesus essentially said, “If all this has offended you, what will you think when you see Me in glory, and have to answer to Me in judgment?” Better to be offended now and to get over it, than to be offended on that day.
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe: Because Jesus is God, He had the divine prerogative to know the heart of man. Yet it is entirely possible that Jesus knew this simply as a Man submitted to the Father and gifted by the Holy Spirit. He was never deceived by a false faith, nor by the one who would betray Him.
Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father: Jesus rebuked their own material and earthly motivations for following Him. If they did not seek Him by the Spirit instead of seeking Him for food and a kingdom, then they had not come to Him at all.
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more: Once Jesus effectively discouraged every material and earthly motive for following Him, many stopped following. They were also discouraged and perhaps confused by the deliberate controversy (John 6:52) introduced by the religious leaders visiting from Jerusalem (Matthew 15:1).
Do you also want to go away? What a scene! Scores of would-be followers of Jesus left Him, and He asked the twelve if they would also go. Jesus searched the motives of all that follow Him, including the twelve. As the synagogue emptied, Jesus asked this question that assumed a “No” answer.
Did I not choose you: Jesus did in fact, choose the twelve disciples. Yet one among whom He chose was like a devil — and would betray Him.
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Well, the people just couldn't understand what Jesus was talking about.
To some, this man was just plain weird.
Eating flesh and drinking blood was a little out of their comfort zone. Even if Jesus meant He would pull off a magnificent banquet every day at 6PM, they were confused by the flesh and blood stuff. I guess it turned their stomachs a little. It would turn mine... I think when He got to the blood part, I would have tagged Him as a vampire, if I hadn't been taught differently beforehand. Eating flesh and blood was not something Moses caused.
As a matter of fact, the Israelites drained all the blood from the animal before eating it... there was no blood red steak at any of the banquets in Israel. It was anti-Moses.
Then there were others who were looking for a king not a cook!
They weren't there for the dinners, weird as they might have been to some with all the talk of flesh and blood. They were there for the coronation of a new king. They wanted someone who could turn on those bums who let the vendors in the courtyard to rip people off. They wanted someone who would tell Ceasar to take a hike. All this talk of bread and blood might as well have been about eating dogs and cats. It was a major turn-off for them. They wanted a king not a cook.
Jesus, quite simply, was turning everything upside down. Jesus told them that because of Him, they could now drink the blood Moses told them to drain. Because of Him they could eat their steak blood red just as it was when it came out of the animal if they choose.... all the laws of Moses were now up for what we would now call "executive orders". Jesus was there to turn the world on its axis. Everything Moses told them was up for review.
Some just didn't want to start scrapping the old ways of Moses. They didn't need to eat flesh or drink blood. Moses didn't do it and they weren't about to start all that nonsense. Next thing you know a cauldron would show up and another golden calf would jump out and they'd be in for another bought of earthquakes and volcanic action. They didn't want any part of scrapping the old ways.
So what does this have to do with the transition from Daniel to Revelation?
Jesus was different. Jesus was human but He was also the Son of God. Jesus didn't have to abide by the same rules the Israelites had been making up. He could walk around any time He wanted to. Jesus was there to bring on the change. Satan and his buddies [the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Ceasar] were just too human to have all that power.
Jesus was on a different Mission. He wasn't there to feed the people. He wasn't there to heal the people. He did that because He was a human full of compassion.
Nope Jesus was there to take on Satan himself. He was there to conquer death.
I'm reminded of a saying "You can't fool all the people all the time". Look at verse 64. Jesus knew most humans would reject Him.
Jesus chose the twelve. He knew Judas would double cross Him. That's how the Mission was to work.
Many of His supporters left Him.
