John 6:27-29
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:60
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
John 6:66
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
What work are we to do? We are to believe.
Why is this so hard, so much so that many disciples turned away from Jesus and stopped following him? What is it about belief in something that is so hard? What happens when we believe?
We become exposed, vulnerable, at risk. We transfer trust from ourselves onto something or someone else. Belief is giving up ourselves, our pride, our ego, our things, our trust, our position, our money, our soul to another.
Have you ever considered the fact that the closer it gets to the heart the harder it becomes? For example, we believe in thousands of things every day without giving it much thought. The sun coming up, the car that we get in, the planes we fly on, the air we breathe. Yet, we have no emotional attachment. Now consider what it takes to believe in the doctor who is diagnosing your cancer, the girlfriend who says she did not cheat on you, the boss who is controlling your future, or the friend you are confiding in.
You can see how the level of difficulty increases the more personal it becomes.
So, now Jesus asks you to give up all your beliefs and entrust Him with them. Trust Him for food, clothing, shelter, money, career, relationships, health, your future.
Wow! What a big ask from Jesus.
Will you stay, or will you leave? Are His teachings too hard?
Just a Thought…
