John 6:60-66 Tragic verses in The Bible

John 6:60-66

Tragic verses in the Bible.

There are many joyful verses in the Bible, yet there are many tragic ones as well. Genesis 3 and the fall of man. The flood of Noah in Genesis 6. The crucifixion Psalm 22.  Judas betrayal of Jesus in The Gospels. The oppression and persecution of the church in Acts and countless multitudes whose names were not found in the Lamb’s book of life in Revelation. Tonight, we are going to discuss a tragic and often overlooked verse in John.

⁶⁰ Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a ^[a]hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples ^[b]complained about this, He said to them, “Does this ^[c]offend you? ⁶² What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

⁶⁶ From that time many of His disciples went ^[d]back and walked with Him no more.

We are nearing the end of John Chapter 6! I told you this would take a few months when we started back in September! Jesus fed the multitudes, and everyone rejoiced! Jesus calmed the storm, and everyone rejoiced. In fact, they loved Him so much they wanted to make Him King! Whether He wanted to be King or not. Things are going great!

Then the next day not so much. Jesus didn’t want to be a temporary earthly king. Jesus wasn’t here to just saw temporary recurring problems. In fact He wasn’t here for our physical needs at all. He went out of His way to tell them this repeatedly.

Matthew 6:31-33 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

The crowd objected to this and complained. The synagogue objected to this and complained. Last time Jesus finishes speaking in Synagogue trying to explain to them the eternal while they were still focused on the temporary.

Verse 60 picks up shortly after all this with a third group of people. It’s important to note who these people are described as in the scriptures. Disciples. It’s the same word throughout all the gospels used to describe the disciples. Now the word here does not exclusively refer to the 12.  The word means leaner or follower.

This is not the crowd, the bandwagon fans that were happy as long as the bread and healing as flowing but were done when it stopped. They wanted the blessings but not the blesser. This is not referring to the religious folk either. Those that were offended in the synagogue. These were like what we would refer to “good people” that went to church, kept the law, said their prayers and took their vitamins. There are many people in the church that know about God but don’t know God.

These are disciples, followers, believers! They openly and outwardly identified with Christ. They hear Jesus teaching on communion, on the crucifixion and they are offended. Jesus was trying to get everyone, especially His followers, to look beyond the physical aspects of life and ministry and to focus on the spiritual, the eternal. They were murmuring and complaining among themselves just as everyone else had been. They had been swayed by the crowd. Negativity is powerful and infectious. It is our default setting. A rotten apple spoils the entire bunch.

Jesus tells them are you offended by me? Pastor Dave mentioned Sunday if you haven’t offended someone with the gospel then are you presenting it correctly? In fact, if you haven’t personally been offended by Jesus then how much have you studied the gospels? The gospel is offensive, and the cross is hard to believe.

Jesus understood the offence many of His listeners took at His teaching, yet He didn’t change the teaching or feel it was His fault. Jesus didn’t preach just to please His audience. If that was His concern, He would have instantly taken back what was just said, seeing His audience was offended. Jesus didn’t take it back. He challenged and confronted them even more.

He says if you are offended by this? What will you do on judgment day? Jesus claims the title Son of Man here. This is a messianic title. He’s declared Himself the bread of life, that His blood grants eternal life, and here He is claiming to be the Son of Man, the right hand of God. The one that executes final judgment on that day. If you can’t handle what I’m saying now. What will you do when you come before Me in my glory. When you have to answer to me in judgment.

The flesh profits nothing. The things of this life are temporary. I’ve experienced many wonderful moments and many tragic ones. They all had one thing in common. They were temporary.

Luke 12:16-21

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The flesh profits nothing but The Spirit gives life. Once again Jesus is trying to get people to understand that life is more than our temporary circumstances. Those that seek eternal life will find it, but only in Jesus Christ.  

In verse 64 we see how Jesus as the God-Man knew the hearts. He knew who believed and who didn’t. He also knew who would betray Him. It’s likely at this point in His ministry that Judas himself didn’t know he would betray Christ. That was still a year to a year and a half down the road. He then says another offensive, controversial statement.

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

Beloved, we could spend years on this verse alone. We could go way into the weeds here. We could study election, pre-destination vs. free will, the total depravity of man and the perseverance of the saints. I personally, think that would be fun. However, we are divided on enough things right now no need adding fuel to the fire.

Any good minister will tell you only two things change people’s hearts. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. In that sense yes no one comes to the Jesus except those that were granted to Him by the Father. Does this mean that God just looks as us and goes Yes, no, yes, no, definitely no, yes, yes, maybe. Does this mean that God gave us Scripture and unleashed the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and in that sense we come to Jesus via the ways that The Father gave us access to? I don’t know.

What do I know? That I was saved by Grace through Faith not of works, lest any man should boast. Don’t get to stuck in the weeds on this. Just be grateful for the grace God shows in our lives daily.

These disciples, they are stuck in the weeds. They cannot get past it. They walk away. They made the final decision to walk away from Christ.  This chapter then is the story of the disciples who were following Jesus and then abandoned him.  Keep in mind this is after a lengthy ministry in Galilee in which He has done miracles on a daily basis, and in which He has taught the principles concerning the kingdom of heaven, which He has vindicated all of His claims by His work and His words, and their final decision is to walk away, and it’s not a few.  It’s the many.

There is an aspect of this that I find more tragic than anything I mentioned at the beginning of this message. I know how miserable these people were the rest of their lives. There is no more miserable person in the world than the one that once walked with Christ and no longer does. To much of the world to be happy in Jesus, to much of Jesus to be happy in the world. I know of countless people in that situation across the last 22 years. I see the conflict in their face every time they look at me.

Hebrews 6:4-6

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ^6 [c]if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

The reactions of the crowds who came to hear Christ teach show that His life and actions had gripped them. Whether they were responded with belief or disbelief they all responded. No person hears the Gospel and remains the same.

At the crucifixion most had abandoned Him. Even those closest to Him Why did so few follow? Because we naturally want to earn praise through our works. Christ’s invitation is a stumbling block to our pride and stubbornness. Scripture calls us to give ourselves up and follow Christ faithfully and completely. This is what we must do, not in our own strength but His!