Welcome to Day 2148 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Gospel of John – 16 – The Great Desertion – Daily Wisdom

The Gospel of John – Part 3 Authentication Of The Word – The Great Desertion

Today we continue our Good News series according to John the Apostle.  Last Jesus explained how he was The Bread Delivered from Heaven as He was the spiritual food that provided eternal life. Today, our scripture is John 6:58-71. Follow along with me as I read. I include two verses from last week to put this message into context. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

• Many Disciples Desert Jesus

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.)  6:59–65 By this time in His ministry, Jesus’ disciples numbered in the tens of thousands with varying degrees of devotion. At least hundreds were serious enough to consider Him their rabbi and would have actively supported a movement to make Him king. But Jesus knew theirs was the kind of fickle devotion that sprouts quickly and withers suddenly in the heat. This situation reminds me of the passage in Jonah 4:6-8, where a plant grew rapidly and shaded Jonah from the hot sun, but then he cursed it when it died the next day. The fickle multitude of disciples described Jesus’ teaching as sklēros, which literally means “dry,” “hard,” or “rough.” Figuratively, the term describes something or someone as “unyielding” or “received with discomfort.” Distressing news or challenging concepts would be called “hard.” Jesus’ teaching wasn’t difficult to understand and accept. Jesus perceived the multitude’s difficulty and asked if the teaching had, literally, “trapped them in.” The Greek term is skandalizō (scandalize). The original and most literal meaning is “to spring back and forth” or “to slam closed,” as with a spring-loaded animal trap. Therefore, the verb generally means “to close something in.” The symbolic use of this word is rare outside of Jewish and Christian writings, but not altogether absent. One Greek playwright describes an unjust accuser dragging innocent men into court and “laying traps” with his questions. Paul frequently used the term to portray Jesus as an intellectual and moral trap for any who oppose God and think themselves righteous (Rom. 9:33; 11:9; 1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11). Jesus challenged the grumblers with a question. In effect, He asked, “You find yourself unable to accept my claims that I came down from heaven and that you must eat my flesh and drink my blood, so what will you think when I tell you that I will ascend to heaven?” To put it another way, “If this teaching is impossible for you to accept, you have no capacity to understand anything else I have to say.” Jesus then reiterated in verse 65 His earlier statement, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” What God has to teach is so utterly contrary to humanity's sinful, selfish sensibilities that no one can understand divine teaching without divine help. Unfortunately, the people interpreted the words of Jesus literally because they lacked the spiritual wisdom God gives those who commune with Him. Moreover, people are so entangled in their sinful ignorance that no one can escape unless God draws them toward Himself. 6:66–69 According to the other Gospels, Jesus made Capernaum His temporary home (Matt. 4:13–16; Mark 2:1), where multitudes sought Him for healing and instruction (Mark 1:28–29; 2:2, 13). It is likely that Jesus’ teaching in Capernaum took place over a period of time through repeated discourses and extended dialogue. As a result of His teaching, many of his “disciples,” including much of the multitude of followers, stopped following Him. But this did not include the “twelve.” Jesus asked the question them but already knew the answer; He challenged the “twelve” to reinforce His teaching on the true nature of salvation. When the Twelve were asked if they would stop following Him, Peter spoke for the group, as he often did. He answered with a question that revealed his motivation for staying: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” The implied answer is, “You have the words of eternal life.” Peter’s straightforward response distinguishes him from the nonbelieving defectors. Whereas the multitude thought they understood Jesus but rejected Him, Peter and the twelve believed in Jesus while admitting he didn’t completely understand His teaching. Peter’s qualification, “You have the words of eternal life,” merely parroted the Lord’s John 6:63. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. The nature of salvation and belief is not merely an intellectual problem; it’s primarily a volitional problem, a choice. The multitude wanted to see and then believe. “So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?”  The spokesperson for the multitude asked this question only 12 hours after having their bellies stuffed full. On the other hand, the twelve disciples believed and eventually began to see (14:16–19; 17:24; 20:29).  6:70–71 Jesus used this interchange to highlight another truth. From Peter’s perspective, the Twelve chose to believe and follow Christ. Jesus didn’t reject Peter’s claim; He merely added: “I chose the twelve of you.” However, not all was as it appeared. Jesus then said, but one is a devil. To ensure we understood what Jesus meant, the Apostle John left nothing to our imagination when he wrote verse 71 several decades later, “He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.” At least, in this case, the “choosing” of Christ does not refer to salvation but his original call in Matthew 4:19, “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’” Not all who are called and who appear to believe have been “chosen” in the sense of salvation. Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” God calls all humanity to accept Jesus Christ, but not everyone chooses to believe. John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. This is what I refer to as believing loyalty. That is, we must believe, and as part of that commitment to believe, we remain loyal to following Jesus Christ.   Most people admit to wanting a savior; however, what kind of savior they desire depends on the crisis they hope to escape. People struggling with loneliness want a companion. People suffering an identity crisis want someone to give them meaning. The hungry want a provider; the oppressed want a champion; the discontented, a revolutionary; the hopeless, an inspiration. The proud? Why, they need no savior at all! The multitude in the wilderness thought they needed a savior to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey, someone to fill their bellies and rout their enemies. One day, Jesus will be that kind of savior. The Old Testament promises of physical abundance and a kingdom ruled by the Messiah will be fulfilled. Israel, and indeed the global Eden, will have its golden age, but not until the Savior has finished meeting the most crucial need of all: the need for salvation from the crisis of sin. Yet only those who recognize their need will seek the Son of God. Application: John 6:22–71 Three Responses to the Call of Truth The term “gospel” comes from the Old English word “gōdspel,” where gōd is “good” and spel means “story.” The gospel is a good story; however, this goodness has a sharp edge. The narrowness of the gospel is difficult to accept; its exclusivity is offensive. It reminds me of what Jesus said in  Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Jesus makes it very clear in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” And Jesus did nothing to soften His message, especially among the Jews. To an audience that took great care to remove blood from any meat they consumed, He said in 6:53, “So Jesus said again, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.’” It would seem that Jesus deliberately made the gospel difficult to accept rather than easy…something today’s “seeker-friendly” approach to the excellent story would find strange. The purpose of the gospel message is not to convince detractors /or turn the hearts of rebels; that’s the role of the Holy Spirit. Instead, the gospel message is the means by which prepared hearts respond to their Creator. The good news is the call of God; believing loyalty is the response of those who are His own. This truth is illustrated well in the events after the feeding of the multitude. As Jesus proclaimed the gospel, presenting Himself as the sole means of salvation, we see three responses from His audience.

1. Open Defection (6:66)

Paula and I have seen the phenomenon several times over the years of serving in business and church. By working at living rightly and sharing the “good story” openly, when we had the opportunity, we would witness individuals who initially seemed to be receptive as their hearts were being softened. Then after some time, seemingly all of a sudden, we would get shut out, and we could not progress further. After that point in these cases, the persons seemed to become hostile toward further progress towards accepting the good story. We struggled to understand, but at that point, we respected their decision of open defection and had to leave it to the Holy Spirit to continue the work. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we must remember the Apostle Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”

1. Firm Determination (6:67–69)

While Peter is often the most criticized of the disciples, his response to Jesus’ “hard teaching” illustrates genuine belief. He didn’t pretend to understand everything Jesus taught, yet he tenaciously held on to his Master. Peter said, in effect, even if we can’t understand them fully. He got the order right: belief first, understanding later.  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Belief like that is supernatural and will persevere until the end of days. So don’t wait for every question to be answered. Don’t delay trusting Christ because you cannot resolve every theological conundrum. God has called you to believing loyalty by responding in faith. In time, He will unravel mysteries as you walk through life with Him. And all will be made clear when you stand in His presence in eternity.

1. Subtle Deception (6:70–71)

The third response unnerves me. Judas illustrates this type of response. He numbered himself among the faithful, he said and did everything necessary to appear genuine, and he even risked his life with the other disciples, yet Judas never truly believed. He fooled others, perhaps even himself, but his subtle deception eventually resulted in tragedy. Not everyone who pretends to be a believer is a Judas. Unfortunately, many are well-meaning churchgoers who behave like their Christian peers, motivated by any number of reasons, none of which is authentic faith. Sadly, they will stand before the Savior one day to hear a rebuke instead of a welcome. Matthew 7:21–23 says, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day, many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” They expect to be rewarded for their good service, but we are saved by grace, not by works as we are told in Ephesians 2:8–9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Seeing how Jesus presented the gospel and how each individual responded according to the learning of their heart gives me great comfort when I share it. I used to worry that if my presentation wasn’t clear and compelling, a soul might be lost…because of my failure. What unbelievable pressure for a mere human! Fortunately, this is not the case. Another person’s soul is not yours or mine to win or lose. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we have been responsible for living as citizens. 1 Peter 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. When God allows us to share the “good story” as best we can, an individual’s response is a private matter with God. Only the two of them know whether it is authentic or mere pretense. Next is a new snapshot from the Apostle John's picture album of the good story, as Jesus’s skirmish with the religious leaders was proliferating. As Jesus teaches in the temple during the Festival of Tabernacles or Shelters, the situation starts to heat up. Because of this, the next message is Jesus in the Lion's Den. Please read John 7:1-52 in preparation. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!