The Words of Spirit and of Life
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you … 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? 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 are spirit and they are 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 him.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him John 6:53,60-66
John tells us this passage (and presumably most if not all Jesus’ teaching about being the bread of life) took place in the synagogue in Capernaum (6:59). Most of His listeners don’t like what they’re hearing. ‘From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.’ ‘Disciples’ here probably means ‘followers.’ They find His teaching ‘hard,’ probably not just the claim that His followers need to ‘eat his flesh’ but that he ‘came down from heaven’ (6:38). Some would have been offended by Jesus’ rejection of the role of a socio-political Messiah who would do no more than meet all their material needs and liberate their nation.
Instead of easing their discomfort, Jesus’ assures them that if what has been already said was offensive, then what is about to happen will only increase their offence. ‘What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!’ The NIV interprets this as Christ’s ascension but John’s wording could also mean ‘being lifted up’ on the cross as it is in 3:14 and 12:32.
‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.’ Grasping the real meaning of what He’s saying, especially about His being ‘lifted up’ on a cross, is a gift of God by His Holy Spirit. In and of ourselves, as people of flesh, we can’t understand it.
Only the Spirit can give life but how does He do this? ‘The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.’ Because Jesus had been given the Spirit ‘without limit’ (3:34) He could speak the words of God (3:34) and these words ‘mediated’ eternal life to those who believed (5:24). This was the work of the Holy Spirit who creates the life of God (3:6,8) through a new birth (3:3,5) in those who believe. Only Jesus’ words have this power (6:68). No one can believe in Jesus without believing His words.
Jesus doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the lack of commitment from the greater number who had been following Him. He understood human response, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” His confidence that through it all God’s purposes were still being fulfilled was unshaken, even though one of His inner circle of disciples would be amongst those who didn’t believe and would actually betray Him.
The life of Christ continues to be mediated to His followers through believing His word. ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’ (14:23). Believe Jesus’ words. Be familiar with them. Make them your own.
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