Lent Devotional Day 15

Day 15
Wednesday, March 8th


John 6:60-71
60 Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?” 61 Jesus knew that the disciples were grumbling about this and he said to them, “Does this offend you?

62 What if you were to see the Human One going up where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 Yet some of you don’t believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn’t believe and the one who would betray him. 65 He said, “For this reason I said to you that none can come to me unless the Father enables them to do so.” 66 At this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer accompanied him. 67 Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”

68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.” 70 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.


Reflection
Welcome to day 15 of our Lenten Devotional journey The beginning of the scripture section we’re focusing on today starts off with the line, “Many of his disciples who heard this said, ‘This message is harsh. Who can hear it?’”

The message they’re referring to at the beginning of this passage is the one Jesus
had laid on them in the previous verses. Jesus had just said HE is the bread of life. That
all who eat and drink from him will live because of it. So the disciples are right, this is a
harsh message. It’s pretty metal. Christ is saying, take my body, eat. Take my blood,
drink. Um. Yikes. In the years of the early church, after Christ had died and ascended,
non-Christians heard this language repeated by Christ followers and even thought we
were cannibals. I mean... I can see how they got from point A to point B.

But what Christ is saying, while harsh, is not cannibalism. It’s symbolism-ish.
The reason I say “ish” is because, while it is symbolism, it’s also something more
than symbolism. If you find yourself muttering to yourself, “Pastor Sarah.. what are you
talking about?” Let me explain. These passages in John are where we get a lot of our
language around communion. Communion is when we encounter Christ and God’s grace
through the elements of bread and cup. These things become “an outward and visible
sign of an inward and invisible grace.” (this quote is attributed to St. Augustine not
Sarah Rugenstone). Jesus hints at being a way of receiving that grace, by saying “the
Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken
to you are spirit and life.”

It’s also funny, because in the previous verses the disciples were grumbling, and
right after where we jump in, in verse 61, they’re still grumbling. So Jesus gets heated. He says, “Does this offend you?” He goes on to say that the words he speaks are spirit and life – friends, that’s the controversy here. Jesus suggested that if we learn and follow him, we will be given the
words of eternal life. That’s why people were in disagreement. Who is this guy who says
HE can save us?? Who does he think he is?

Jesus of Nazareth, God with us, Son of the virgin Mary, God incarnate, God’s holy
one. That’s who that is.

To their credit though, the remaining twelve, they knew. Jesus turns to them after
this controversial message, and just asks them point blank, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter says, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We
believe and know that you are God’s holy one.” They knew who Christ was, they knew
the transformation that could happen through Christ in this world and in their lives.

As we wrap up this devotional, I ask the same question Simon Peter asked:
Without Christ, where is left to go? Where would you be without the bread and cup? Our
walk with Christ is a journey, one we constantly are invited to take part in. We are
constantly being invited to interact with the spirit and life. We are invited to that every
Sunday at the table. We encounter Christ again and again in the ordinary, and that’s
where it becomes extraordinary. Do you know Christ to be God’s holy one? What
transformation can happen in our world and life when we know that to be true?


By Pastor Sarah Rugestone