To Whom Shall We Go?

I’m Offended

Have you ever been offended? In the social media age it seems like it is the thing to do to be offended about everything and anything. Whether its to vaccinate or not, to wear a mask or not, what political party we align with, or more importantly to us and the sermon today, what we believe about our Lord Jesus Christ, and how we understand, explain and live his teaching can be offensive.

Recently offended by Christian radio.

When I’m offended I’ve noticed a couple things happen in me. One a calousness towards the offender begins. Second a complete shutdown of hearing anything else they have to say begins.

This is where we are in the gospel reading this morning. Jesus has just taught in the synagogue at Caperneaum a lesson that offended many. A lesson so hard that many grew calous towards Jesus and refused to follow him any further on the journey of grace.

John’s Consider the Cost Moment.

Why were they offended?

Taking Jesus eating his flesh and drinking his blood in a literal sense.

Accepting Jesus demand for participation in his death as the way to life everlasting.

1 Corinthians 1:20-24

The cross is offensive, but it is the power of God to those who are being saved.

Consider the Cost

This is John’s take up your cross moment, or consider the cost of following Christ moment.

Following Christ isn’t easy. It requires us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow him. Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 NRSV

23 Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Whether it was eating flesh and drinking blood, or taking up your cross daily, these were hard teachings to accept. In and of ourselves we can’t accept it. We need the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit makes the difference.

Without the Holy Spirit those followers of Christ could not get past the suggestion to eat flesh and drink blood. Perhaps they did understand the metaphor, but they couldn’t accept that they needed to deny themselves, take up their cross and share in the life of Christ. It was hard for them to accept that participation in Christ death was the only way to live the life.

Romans 6:1–4 NRSV

1 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Back to being offended for a moment. The disciples that stopped following Jesus that day became calous towards Christ teaching and could no longer accept them. As a result they decided to stop following Jesus. Sometimes when we get calous against a teaching we can even refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of what is being said.

The Holy Spirit makes the difference

John 6:63 NRSV

63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 16:5–9 NRSV

5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me;

The only reason Peter and the 12 could accept, understand and believe the hard lesson Christ taught was because the Holy Spirit revealed it them.

The important part of our Gospel lesson today is this we can accept the hard offensive teachings of Christ because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

You have the Words of Eternal Life.

In John Jesus offended and turned off a lot of followers with his lesson on eating flesh and drinking blood. These followers shut down and stopped following Jesus, and perhaps couldn’t even listen to the Holy Spirit.

The truth of the matter is the message of the gospel is offensive. The religious leaders of Jesus day were offended because Jesus chose to associate with tax collectors, and other sinners making it difficult to impossible for them to hear the message of the Gospel.

The gospel is still offensive today. It is impossible to accept that we are all sinners, nobody likes to be lumped in this group, without the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of how sinful and broken we are.

It is because of the Holy Spirit that we can get over being offended and listen to the truth that God through Christ is trying to teach us.

The only way to life as God intended is to share in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do this by denying our selves taking up our cross and choosing today who we will serve.

Jesus asks of his 12 disciples that remain aren’t you going to leave too? Peter’s response is this.

John 6:68–69 NLT

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”