Taking Offence at Jesus
John 6v60-65
11th July 2025
Over the last four weeks, we've been thinking about the amazing teaching Jesus brought in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6v59) after the feeding of the five thousand. I find His words on that occasion some of the most inspiring and comforting in the Bible. Other people, however, found it offensive:
John 6v60
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept
it?"
Some of what Jesus and the rest of the Bible teaches is hard, difficult for us to accept. For many of Jesus's first disciples, and for us, some of the word of God is very different from what we were taught before we took Jesus seriously. You could say the Bible is counter-cultural. That's more true in some generations than in others, but it's certainly true in the time in which we live. We have a choice to make. Do we believe the words of Jesus - because He's Jesus - or do we refuse to believe what Jesus teaches us because it doesn't fit with what we've been told before? Do we believe the Bible because all Scripture in God-breathed (2 Timothy 3v16) or do we pick and choose what we want to accept?
John 6v61-62
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!"
Jesus could see that His teaching has offended some of His disciples. The word translated "offend" is scandalizo, from which we get the word "scandal". William Hendriksen says in his commentary that this word really means "cause to fall into a trap". It can mean "cause to fall into sin" (1 Corinthians 8v13) or "fall away" (e.g. Matthew 13v21). Will we accept what the Bible says, or will we fall into the sin of not accepting Biblical teaching, and consequently living contrary to to it? Let us not forget who Jesus is! Those disciples who didn't fall into the trap of taking offence at Jesus's words did indeed see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before. They witnessed the Ascension! They would not doubt Him again.
Then Jesus said:
John 6v63a
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing."
Jesus had said, "I am the bread of life" (verse 35). Bread must be eaten. He'd also said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you" (verse 63). Many in the crowd probably thought He meant this literally. They had taken offence at the idea of Jesus advocating cannibalism but they'd misunderstood Him. Rather than being offended by what the Bible teaches, we should accept it and then seek to understand it.
Jesus meant we should eat His flesh and drink His blood spiritually, not literally. We feed on Him by faith, which means we accept the forgiveness that He won for us by sacrificing His body and blood, dying in our place. Literally eating Jesus's physical body would do nobody any good. Feeding on His sacrificed flesh and blood spiritually gives us eternal life.
The fleshly mind thinks in fleshly terms. The mind enlightened by the Holy Spirit thinks in spiritual terms. "The Spirit gives life". God sends the Holy Spirit to explain the things of God to us, and to draw us to Himself. "The flesh counts for nothing". All the religious actions in the world will do us not good whatsoever unless we are enlightened and made alive by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus continued:
John 6v63b-64
"The words I have spoken to you are 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.
Every word Jesus speaks, and every word of the Bible, comes from God Himself. They are spiritual words. They give life. But many people don't want to listen. They interpret God's words in terms of their own prior understanding, rather than asking God to enlighten them.
Some people who did not believe in Jesus were in the company of His disciples. It's the same today. Many people who don't genuinely repent of their sins and accept Jesus as Lord, or who don't accept the forgiveness of sins through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, are nevertheless part of the congregation of many churches every Sunday, are part of the community of the church, are even members of some churches who are not careful about whom they admit to membership.
That some non-Christians join with churches for worship and community is inevitable to some extent. It's a good thing to some extent; coming to church and getting involved is the best way to hear and understand the Gospel of Christ. However, since a non-Christian cannot be a member of the Church, he ought not to be admitted to membership of a local church.
For God's own purposes, He continues to allow people who don't have saving faith in Jesus to get involved in His church. Some of them will come to believe in Him over time. Others will betray him. Judas was the worst example, but not the only one. Some people who claim to believe in Him still greatly damage the church and its mission to evangelise the world, by denying the glorious Gospel of Christ or by speaking against Biblical morality.
John 6v65
He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless
the Father has enabled him."
We've read verse 37 which says, "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." and verse 44 which says, "...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." Both of these verses show us that God is in control of who comes to Jesus and is saved, and who doesn't. This verse is even more explicit. God chooses who will be saved and who won't. God enables some people to come to Jesus. He doesn't enable everybody. Saving faith in Jesus is a gift from God. We cannot choose to receive it unless God chooses to give it.
Even some in the crowd that day didn't believe in Jesus. Some in church on Sunday morning don't believe in Him either. Some will betray Him. as John wrote later:
1 John 2v19
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they
had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going
showed that none of them belonged to us.
Some haven't gone our from the church yet, and are doing much damage inside it. Some have already gone out and are slandering God outside it. But God will prevail. His purposes will be accomplished.