In John 6:60-63, we find a passage that captures a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry, addressing the challenge of understanding His teachings about His body and blood as spiritual nourishment. These verses highlight the spiritual depth of Jesus' words and the transformative power of His message. Let's delve into the deeper layers of this passage to uncover its timeless truths.
- A Challenging Teaching:
In the preceding verses, Jesus had just spoken about the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood to have eternal life. This metaphorical language referred to the spiritual nourishment believers receive through faith in His sacrificial work. Many of His disciples found this teaching hard to grasp and murmured in response.
- Spiritual Depth:
"It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing." These words underscore the spiritual nature of Jesus' teaching. He contrasts the spiritual dimension with the physical, emphasizing that understanding His message requires spiritual discernment. The "flesh," or mere physical comprehension, is insufficient to grasp the deeper truths Jesus is conveying.
- Transformation Through His Words:
"The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life." Here, Jesus affirms that His words carry spiritual significance and have the power to bring life. His teachings are not mere rhetoric; they contain divine truth that transforms and imparts spiritual life to those who receive them with receptive hearts.
Cross-References:
1 Corinthians 2:14: "Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned." This verse aligns with the idea that spiritual truths require spiritual discernment.
John 3:6: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This verse echoes the distinction between the physical and the spiritual.
In Conclusion:
John 6:60-63 presents a pivotal moment where Jesus addresses the challenge of understanding His metaphorical teaching about spiritual nourishment. These verses remind us that the depths of Jesus' message go beyond the surface and require a spiritual perspective to comprehend. They also underscore the transformative power of Christ's words, which bring spiritual life to those who receive them.
As we contemplate this passage, let us recognize the significance of spiritual discernment in understanding and applying the teachings of Jesus. Let us seek to engage with His words on a deeper level, allowing His truths to shape our hearts, minds, and lives. Ultimately, these verses invite us to a profound encounter with the life-giving message of Christ.
See also: vs 55-57
John 6:60-63. Many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?” But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.”