Pushing the Envelope

SCRIPTURE: John 6:66-68 NIV From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

THOUGHT: You get the sense, reading John 6, that Jesus has just pushed the envelope a little further than most are willing to follow. He feeds 5,000 men plus women and children out of basically nothing, and of course the people want to make him king. So, he escapes their clutches, ultimately walking on water. When the crowd follows across the lake, determined to crown the bread-giver and water-walker, Jesus tries to correct their assumption about why he has come. He knows they want the free food but can’t stomach the truth. “I am the bread of life,” he says. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (Jn. 6:48, 51).”

Because he then begins to talk about them eating his flesh and drinking his blood in order to live, an uproar breaks out and many turn away, including disciples. It’s just too much. They just want a guarantee of food and a comfortable life.

But this is the same one who just turned nothing into a meal for 5,000++ and then walked on water. Shouldn’t we give him the benefit of the doubt when his words startle us? That’s where Peter comes down, and that’s where I’ve come down. He may push the envelope way beyond our understanding, but we believe he is Lord over matter, already a King, and loves life so much he gives his flesh and blood to speak eternity into mortals – if we’ll just hang in there with him, not leaving when he pushes the envelope of our understanding.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it was your compassion that drove the miracles, not your desire to be made king. You were already a King – but one who considered his own flesh less important than offering us the words of eternal life. Help us grab hold and never let go. We may not understand everything, but we can see that you are power and love, all wrapped up together.