November 20, 2022
Gospel – 5/2/20 – John 6:60-69
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
If you’re looking for the easy way, if you want to travel the wide path, if you want to hear it’s going to be ok with no trials, Jesus isn’t going to be your first choice.
If you can’t make the journey from your head to your heart and the narrow gate is too difficult to pass through, Jesus says it’s your choice. That pesky “free will” thing. Why can’t he just let us live our lives? He does.
That’s our problem. That was the problem for the disciples who heard him say they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood to live forever. And yet, even with our cheat sheet- the Gospels – we get stuck in our heads. More and more today, people leave the church because it’s hard. Why? Because we’re stuck in our heads. The message is hard. We don’t want consequences or responsibility. Give me the easy path – the Wide Gate.
If you’re looking for the easy way, if you want to travel the wide path, if you want to hear it’s going to be ok with no trials, Jesus isn’t going to be your first choice.
If you can’t make the journey from you head to your heart and the narrow gate is too difficult to pass through, Jesus says it’s your choice. That pesky “free will” thing. Why can’t he just let us live our lives? He does.
That’s our problem. That was the problem for the disciples who heard him say they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood to live forever. And yet, even with our cheat sheet- the Gospels – we get stuck in our heads. More and more today, people leave the church because it’s hard. Why? Because we’re stuck in our heads. The message is hard. We don’t want consequences or responsibility. Give me the easy path – the Wide Gate.
If we can make that Journey from our heads to our hearts – then like Peter, we will know there isn’t another path. He is the Bread of Life – the Chosen One of God.
If we can make that Journey from our heads to our hearts – then like Peter, we will know there isn’t another path. He is the Bread of Life – the Chosen One of God.
At least that’s what I heard Him say…
What I Heard Him Say 