Daily Devotion – September 7, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

John 6:56-69
6:56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.
6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
6:59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”
6:61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you?
6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
6:63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
6:64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
6:65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
6:66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.
6:67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.
6:69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Have you ever wondered whether you were on the right track? Maybe during your education for your career, or maybe in your daily work? Or you looked at your most central relationship and wondered if it were just not as life-giving as you had hoped?

Jesus’s closest followers were having trouble with his teachings here about being the bread of eternal life. They asked questions and he answered, and finally it became clear to this group wrestling with Jesus’s words what he meant: Jesus is the Son of God, He is the path to eternal life, and although what they did or did not do in their lives mattered in their earthly life, none of what they did could “buy” eternal life for them. Only accepting the gift that Jesus was giving to them would bring them eternal life.

Some really good people left Jesus that day, when they realized the truth: that God provides us eternal life, and if we’re willing to accept that gift, we can claim it forever. Nothing that we do gets us eternal life. This was not a happy moment for some of the many followers of Jesus. To realize that they weren’t creating their own salvation, that they couldn’t get more points than someone else, even that if they sinned, God would love them anyway and still give them eternal life if they believed He would.

Jesus saw quite a few followers leave, and then he asked the Twelve whether they also wanted to leave him then and there. Peter’s answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Perhaps the other 11 disciples were still wrestling with these ideas, but Peter’s words still rang true. Who would they rather be walking with, living with, helping? Jesus was their Lord and their brother. And they trusted his love, his teaching, his protection, both with them on earth and for their eternal future. Their salvation wasn’t being won by them. Their eternal life was a gift from God, given to them without their lifting a finger.

This is the Good News. God, through Jesus, gives us life, abundant life, and lets us know about it by the power of the Holy Spirit. We big important humans have nothing to do with that. It’s already been provided. In gratitude, we reach out to let others know about this amazing generosity.  We in turn live generously, to be living as imitators of God and co-creators with God of a trustworthy world for others.

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for doing all the work for us, giving us the gift of eternal life. Help us to live so gratefully that we share our abundance and confidence with others.      Amen.