John 6:41-71
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Intro/Background
Hope you all had a great Christmas break - we missed you!
Tonight we’re going to pick back up in the Gospel of John
Quick recap since it’s been a few weeks
Jesus’ ministry has been growing like crazy
He’s turned that area upside down with his teachings and miracles. These massive crowds have been following Him instead of going to synagogue (church) and the religious leaders were mad about it
So mad that they made it their mission to destroy Jesus
But Jesus didn’t care b/c He had a mission and everything would happen according to His timing and plan
So He’s continuing to teach, continuing to do miracles, and continuing to invest in His disciples
Last time we met, we read this incredible statement of Jesus in verse 35
True fulfillment & satisfaction in life is found in Jesus, no where else
And He gave us this promise, that is we trust in Him, we will have everlasting life - there is no fear of death or what can happen to us b/c we are held securely in the Father’s hands.
Tonight, we’re going to see that the crowd is going to struggle with Jesus’ teachings
The things the Bible tells us aren’t easy all the time. We can struggle with God’s commands and think they’re too hard to do or to follow, or that God’s word isn’t for today’s generation and there are other answers out there that are more relevant for us
But as we’ll study tonight, when things get tough in our faith, and we start asking questions or wrestling with God’s word, we have two choices to make - to walk away, or to lean into Him and trust Him more
We’ll see the differences between those two responses and hopefully how they apply to our own walks
Lesson - John 6:41-71.
Verses 41-46
Some of the people in the crowd are starting to struggle with what Jesus is saying.
He has these great, profound statements, yet they watched Him grow up. They know Mary and Joseph.
So when He said that He was from heaven, and started talking about the promise of eternal life through Him, they were struggling with it
So this rumble comes over the crowd, this murmuring and complaining. And Jesus knows it and starts to address it
He says “don’t complain” and tells them that to get to God, you have to be drawn by God
Something important to remember - these Jews thought they had a place in God’s kingdom/family because they were Jewish (a descendant of Abraham)
Kind of like today that we can think b/c we grew up in a Christian family or we go to a church, we’re automatically a part of God’s family
But Jesus says no, it doesn’t matter your race, your family, what church you go to, it’s a relationship.
And it’s a relationship that starts with God
You did not lead in your relationship with God. He called you, and you answered.
The call isn’t what’s known as “irresistible grace” or something that forced you to be a Christian - that would mean we didn’t have free will
But God wanted you as a part of His family, and so He drew you to Himself.
How amazing is that - the creator of the universe wants to be with me!
Verses 47-51
Jesus again makes this amazing statement - “You want to live forever? Believe in and follow me”
That’s it! That’s all we have to do. God has called us to Himself, He is drawing us in, we just need to follow that call and we have an eternal hope
Remember, the Jews here were big on their heritage for their salvation. They came from Abraham’s family tree. Moses led their people in the wilderness. They got to see signs and wonders and have God reign down manna from heaven.
What does Jesus say about that? He said, “Your relatives who were with Moses and ate manna are all dead.”
It’s not your family history, not anything else that can save you, it’s you responding to the call of Jesus on your own.
It doesn’t matter if you mom or dad or grandma or uncle follow Jesus and take you to church with them, YOU need to make the decision to follow after Jesus and accept Him as your own personal Savior
And if you do, there are these amazing promises
The promise of eternal life
The promise of eternal satisfaction in Jesus
Verses 52-59
The crowd is still struggling. They don’t like what Jesus is saying. He is rocking their whole worldview that they are chosen and special and going to heaven just because.
So Jesus is talking about eternal life and drawing near to Him and then Him being bread to eat and it’s hard for them
So they start to complain
“I don’t understand what Jesus says, what is He talking about?!? That’s just crazy/it doesn’t make sense/that’s all weird.”
In particular, they pick up on something Jesus had just said - “…the bread that I shall give is My flesh., which I shall give for the life of the world
For us, we know that He is talking about His sacrifice on the cross - having His body broken and His blood spilled.
But b/c they were struggling with His words, they start to twist them and take them out of context - just like the world does today with what it doesn’t like in the Bible
Jesus doubles down on the point telling them that His sacrifice on the cross is the only way to have eternal life.
When He says we have to eat His flesh and drink His blood, He’s not talking literally, He’s trying to give a spiritual truth that we have to receive the death and sacrifice of Jesus to have eternal life
Verses 60-64
Not just the crowd but some of His disciples are struggling with this
More than just the 12. The Bible talks about 70 in Luke for example
These follows weren’t struggling with understanding it, they were struggling with accepting it
“What do you mean that you are the only way to heaven Jesus?"
We can ask some of the same questions to Jesus, “What do you mean you want me to do that? Why does the Bible say this about that topic, no one else lives like that anymore? Why do I have to do it?”
Jesus responds that what He’s talking about is from God, it’s spiritual, and way more important than the flesh
Meaning the things of this world mean nothing compared to the things of eternity
Verses 65-66
The saddest verse in the Bible is vs 66 here. Some of these disciples didn’t truly trust and believe in Him, so they started to walk away.
Maybe you feel like that at school, that all of the people that used to come to church or used to say they believed in God aren’t following Him anymore.
Our world for sure is walking away from God en masse
So what do we do?
Verses 67-71
People are starting to leave - literally in front of everyone
I’m sure the disciples were super discouraged. They were at the height of Jesus’s popularity, there were rumors of Him being the Messiah and Him becoming King
And then Jesus starts taking the crowd deeper and talking about sacrifice and eternal life and how to get to heaven, and they don’t like it and they leave, and the disciples are bumming
So He turns to them and ask, “do you want to go too?”
And I love Peter’s answer, “Where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
“Jesus, there’s nowhere else to go. What you say matters, and has eternal significance.”
Each one of us have that same choice. We know how to follow after God. It’s trusting in Jesus. It’s receiving His death on the cross. It’s committing to making Him your Lord which means your going to follow what He says and do what’s in His word.
I pray you’re like Peter. No matter what your friends choose, or your family chooses, where else can you go other than Jesus? He has the answers to life. He’s the one that gives hope. He’s the one that stepped out of eternity to choose you to be in His family.
Small Groups & Prayer
Sample Small Group Questions
Sample Small Group Questions
What did you find hard or confusing about tonight’s lesson?
What was new or interesting to you?
Read Jeremiah 31:3. Why did God decide to draw you to Himself?
3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
What impact does that verse make on you and your faith?
Do you feel that you ever complain about what God says or about things we’re supposed to follow in the Bible? What are some of those things?
Why do we complain about God’s words to us?
Read 1 John 5:3. What does this verse say about the difficulty of following God’s commands?
3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
When have you ever felt like turning away from following after Jesus?
What has kept you from turning away from Jesus?
What in your life has made you know that Jesus has the answers to life?
Who can you encourage to keep following after Jesus this week?
Prayer requests and group prayer