"Does This Offend You?"

Scripture Passage

John 6:22-71; Mark 7:1-23; Matthew 15:1-20

Scripture Focus

Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? (John 6:61 NLT)

Observation

A couple of days ago, reading from Matthew, I observed the small-minded response of the people of Nazareth towards Jesus. The same sort of thing happens again today in John 6. To a gathered crowd, Jesus has proclaimed himself to be “the bread of life” (John 6:35). Specifically, Jesus claims to “have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me” (John 6:36). And that ticks the people off. Listen carefully, though, to the basis for their complaint:

Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” (John 6:41-42 NLT)

The people think they know Him, because they know something about Him. And they can’t get their minds around Jesus—whose father and mother they know…whose roots and history they know—having come from heaven. Nor can they get it when Jesus says, “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” (John 6:53 NLT).

Even his disciples (a broader group than just the twelve) are troubled by this. So Jesus ups the ante even further. “Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?” (John 6:62 NLT)

In every way, Jesus points to Himself as unique—the Son of God…the “one and only Son” (John 3:16 NLT)—and it becomes an offense to people. “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him” (John 6:66 NLT).

For Jesus to claim absolute uniqueness as the “one and only Son”…as “the true bread from heaven”…remains an offensive claim to those who wish things were otherwise. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God and the world’s Savior—“the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6 NLT)—all religious systems go down in flames (innuendo intended).

I’m convinced Jesus’ claims are legitimate. I’m convinced Jesus’ closest disciples got it right. When Jesus said to them, “Are you also going to leave?” (John 6:67 NLT), Peter spoke up…and spoke the truth:

“Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69 NLT).

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