10.01.18 OFFENDED DISCIPLES TURN AWAY

Bill Heinrich  -  Jan 04, 2016  -  Comments Off on 10.01.18 OFFENDED DISCIPLES TURN AWAY

10.01.18 Jn. 6:60-66

 

OFFENDED DISCIPLES TURN AWAY 

 

60 Therefore, when many of His disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?”

 

61 Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were complaining about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning those who would not believe and the one who would betray Him.) 65 He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted to him by the Father.”

 

66 From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. 67 Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

 

The phrase, “This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?” clearly reveals that some listeners took it literally, and did so for good reason. Take note of the events of human sacrifice in Jewish history:

 

  1. Abram (Abraham) took his only son Isaac to be offered as a sacrifice, but in the last moment an angel appeared and stopped him, and provided a ram instead. Why would Abram consider doing this horrific deed? It is because in the culture in which he lived, child sacrifice was common. God tested Abram to determine how strong his love and faith was for God.  It also was an outstanding moment in history for God to say that he did not approve of human sacrifice.

 

  1. There are Old Testament accounts where the Israelites were told to wipe out their Canaanite enemies – every man, woman, and child had to die. Why? It is because they practiced child sacrifice. God knew that if any survived, sooner or later child sacrifice would be adopted by His people. So therefore, the Israelites were God’s hand of judgment against those who destroyed innocent lives.[1]

 

  1. No doubt one of the most wicked of all Jewish kings was Manasseh, who was more wicked than were the Amorites who at one time also practiced child sacrifice (2 Kg. 21:11). Not only did Manasseh set up an idol to Ashtoreth and Baal, but he also instituted child sacrifice (2 Kg. 21).

 

Therefore, when Jesus spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, some in the audience thought of the horrors of Jewish history rather than becoming united in Him with this figure of speech. They chose to reject Him rather than to stay and learn the allegorical form of expression.[2] But what He really meant was the His followers are to be fully consumed by Him.

[1]. Nelesen, Yeshua; the Promise, the Land, the Messiah. (Video Tape 2).

 

[2]. Nelesen, Yeshua; the Promise, the Land, the Messiah. (Video Tape 2).

 

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