A message from Pastor Ron

In my weekly Bible reflections I came across a recurring theme in the Gospel of John, that I would like to reflect on in this space. What struck me was the tension between people asking Jesus for a "sign" that He was the embodiment of God’s "Kingdom" come, and their lack of faith when presented with difficult teachings from the Lord, afterwards.

In other words, there were some, who, after seeing Jesus perform some supernatural act - like a miracle, would seem to exhibit an initial faith in Him. And with that, they would carry on following Him. Then would come the inevitable moments when Jesus would stop and teach the people. If Jesus simply wanted "followers" - all He had to do was just perform great acts of "awe" for the waiting throngs - and seal their allegiance that way.

However, it is clear from any gospel we read, especially in John‘s gospel, that Jesus was more interested in numbers in Heaven - than numbers "in the pews" as it were. He left that ambition to the Pharisees.

You may remember that when the Iraq War commenced in March 2003, that the headlines in the papers read: "Shock and Awe." That was the name of the United States’ military offensive against Saddam Hussein and his imperial guard. Well, Jesus had lots of "awe" value in His ministry, but He also had His bag of "shock" value as well.

In John 6, Jesus pronounces, "I am the bread of life…" and then He says, "…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you." This statement, by the way, was taken to heart by the early church. Their tradition shows us, as does that of the Catholics and Anglicans, that upon someone’s deathbed, the request was made to receive "communion." In some people’s theological understanding, that is their way of being sure they have "life" in them. Yet why did Jesus express His identity in such "shocking" terms? For the casual listener hearing Jesus’ words that day, perhaps they thought He was encouraging cannibalism - as was the Romans’ perception of the church’s worship practices. However, all that Jesus was trying to convey by His shocking words, can be clarified and explained, and put into context for us.

Jesus was, in some hyperbolic sense, saying, "Spiritually, I will be the sustenance for your life in me." You see, when people thought it was enough to follow Jesus at the drop of a miracle or sign, John was making sure that the readers of his gospel got the main point. Obviously, asking God to do miracles for us - will not equal our devotion and faith - at least not for too long. If I’ve heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times from people, who have said they would have faith in Jesus and follow Him, if He would only do this "one thing" for them.

Rational faith is based on things we can touch, see, understand and be attracted to. This was not the type of faith Jesus was asking for. If it was, then why did those who saw Him produce miracles end up leaving Him after He spoke "hard teachings"?

Signs are not enough. In order to follow Jesus, we need to accept the difficult things He has to say to us. We need to accept His testimony about what following Him requires of us (sacrifice, suffering, new ideals etc.).

Jesus used shocking statements, as mentioned above in John 6, to weed out those who were casual followers (who were just pining for spiritual theatre and who blindly figured faith was intertwined with religious entertainment), from those who would stick with Him - and still accept Him by faith - on the difficult levels He, Jesus, was communicating His message.

Perhaps we need to rethink who Jesus was, and is. A miracle worker? Yes! A performer of signs? Yes! A worker of great and awesome wonders that defied nature as we know it? Yes! But He is more, and He calls us to embrace a life that turns our world upside down. If we can accept that - we will have "life in Him." That is what the twelve did.

After Jesus asked the twelve disciples if they were "leaving" Him as well, on account of His teachings, Peter confessed, "You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." May that be our response! If we are going to follow Jesus for signs and wonders, that is okay, but He is looking for more than that from us. We must also follow His life-giving words, which are at times, very challenging and "hard." But that is the true disciple. Are you one?