Are you Offended?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning,
We have taken the last two weeks looking at Jesus’ interaction with the people immediately following the feeding of the 5,000. Today we see their reaction to what He told them and ask ourselves the question, Are we offended?
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 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.”
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 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. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
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. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
EXAMINATION
EXAMINATION
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
This is a continuation of the conversation we have discussed the last 2 weeks. “The Jews” here would be the Jews in the crowd that have joined Jesus in the synagogue to hear this teaching. John does not give this designation to all “the jews” but to those in opposition to Christ.This is a mixed group. They are unhappy, and even offended by His teaching here. This calls back to the grumbling in the wilderness by the Jews found in Exodus 17:3
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
They claim to know Jesus, by identifying his geneology. How can he say he came down from heaven if we know his mom and dad? They are attempting to identify him through Human means, valuing the natural over the supernatural. Now this is a big hang up for Christianity in a lot of ways. Jesus the son of Joseph vs. Jesus the son of the Father. Jesus sets the record straight here by sternly stating this His divine nature MUST be recognized.
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 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.”
Jesus responds sharply, and intends to silencethe grumblings of His detractors by reminding them of His relationship with the Father, and what that truly means. As Jesus does in his teaching he calls back to scripture. He references the Prophets, stating that “They all will be taught by God.” Jesus tells them that those who have heard the Father, and learned from Him will come to Christ. There is another “Very Truly,” remember this calls us to pay close attention. Jesus then, again, throws back the reference to manna, He is sure to point out that those who ate of that bread, they all died. Jesus is delivering the Bread of Life, Himself, his teaching and words. Whoever takes of it, believes in it, will live for eternity with Him. Jesus references his coming death here as well in the final statement. “which I will give for the life of the world.” We have to remember who Jesus is talking to here, He is addressing a largley Jewish audience, and once that has become hostile towards Him. But he is giving them great news! The Messiah is here, follow Him and forever be saved. Their arrogance and ignorance wont allow it.
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
We see their arrogance and ignorance here. They, again as we have seen time and again, are stuck in the physical world. Jesus again tells them, the manna that was delivered provided physical and temporal relief. He comes to provide eternal relief. The interesting, and slightly funny thing here is that Jesus knows they are struggling with his metaphor, his body as bread. So he goes even further with it. Using the literal imagery of eating and drinking that they had assumed as the context. Eating and drinking are metaphors for faith (see v. 35 and note). Jesus makes the point that faith in Him—to the point of partaking of His role in the world (including His suffering)—is the way to God. This is what we call the Lord’s Supper, which we partake in, to remember Christ and his sacrifice.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 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. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
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. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
We see the reference to “many disciples” this includes the twelve, we will talk amore about the distinction in a moment. We also see Peter speaking up, showing us his designation as a leader and “Speaker” for the twelve. But anyone following Christ was deemed a “disciple.” What we know is that many have “heard and followed” but few have truly believed. The implication for us to consider that is simply hearing the Word is not enough, obedience to it is. Here we see people turn and walk away from Jesus. They cant handle his teaching, they do not believe. While they were “disciples” or part of the group, they did not have true faith. They were like the ones wandering in the wilderness that they continued to reference, they were lost. Discipleship, as it is discussed here in John, is about so much more than words, or belonging to the “group” it is about obedience. Jesus ends with alluding to Judas as well, showing us that even in His inner most circle, a devil is lurking, one who does not truly believe.
Application
Application
Are you offended?
Are you offended?
By the TEACHING of Christ?
By the TEACHING of Christ?
When someone suggests a new route to avoid traffic, it may be met with initial resistance, but it can lead to a smoother and scenic drive. Similarly, Jesus' teachings may challenge our familiar paths, but they ultimately lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life. (Story of Tim)
The people hearing the teaching of Christ were offended to the point of grumbling amongst themselves
We see the world constatntly trying to “explain away” Christ
Christ’ teaching have become a point of mockery for some
Other’s choose to ignore the parts they dont like
Some are so offended by the truth they will twist his teaching to meet THEIR gospel.
Jesus asks His Disciples if His teaching offended them
Their issue is that it was “too difficult”
Jesus did not concern himself with difficulty to accept, but the truth.
The Gospel is very offensive to the world
2. By the LIFE of Christ?
2. By the LIFE of Christ?
We see how Christ lived His life, who he hung around and what He did
Often times we are unwilling to place ourselves in those same positions
Jesus is in the synagogue, surrounded by opposition and He is facing it.
We like to say “Well He is GOD, We are not”
True, but we are called to be LIKE Him, which means living life HIS way.
The people tried to use Jesus; family against Him, to say He wasnt who he says He is.
I think we do this at times as well.
We see someones family and find it hard to believe that they could do anything good.
Jesus lived an offensive life, and died an offensive death.
We should be willing to offend
3. The WORLD in which we LIVE!
3. The WORLD in which we LIVE!
When Jesus walked the earth, he offended the religious leaders of his time by challenging their traditions and exposing their hypocrisy. In our modern context, it's important to consider whether we are offended by Jesus' teachings and actions, or if we are willing to humbly reflect on our own beliefs and behaviors.
Jesus commands us to follow Him
To be like Him
Are we willing to stand out, to be different to follow Him.
As followers of Christ we should not find Christ offensive, but instead transformative.
He transforms us and we share his life and teachings with the world
We should not stray away from the difficult aspects of his teachings.
He is directly facing a crowd who does not believe in Him and do not understand.
We face a world today that is rejecting or twisting Christ
Some deny, others mock, and we are seen as “lesser than” because we believe.
This is no shock
Are you willing to be offensive to the world, to stand out?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Just as Jesus' life and teachings caused offense to some during his time on earth, we must ask ourselves if there are aspects of his message that challenge us today. Are we offended by his call to humility, selflessness, and sacrificial love? Or are we willing to embrace these values, even when they go against the norms of our society?