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Redeemer Community Church is located in the historic Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, AL. Our church family exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
For more information on who we are, what we believe, or how to join us, please visit our website at rccbirmingham.org.
Today, we are continuing our study of the gospel and the life of Peter. We started this a few weeks ago. The aim of the series, the the phase that we are in right now, we're looking at various vignettes throughout the life of the apostle Peter to gain a perspective and an understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And today, are looking at an interaction that occurred between Jesus and his disciples after a large number of followers of Jesus have walked away and stopped following him. This passage is important for us today for many reasons, especially because it highlights why the exclusivity of Christ is truly good news and it reminds us where we can find the words of eternal life in a world that is full of fleeting and failing promises.
Jeffrey Heine:So, let's look together at our passage this morning. We're in John's gospel chapter six. We're gonna begin in verse 47 and we're here at the end of John six. It's the day after Jesus has just fed 5,000. He's walked on water and a large crowd has chased him down that next day.
Jeffrey Heine:And, Jesus addresses them saying that they are seeking him, they are following him because they ate their fill of bread the day before and now they're hungry again. And he takes this opportunity to teach the people saying in verse 47, let's listen carefully for this is God's word. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.
Jeffrey Heine:This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. The Jews then disputed among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, truly truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Jeffrey Heine:Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks of my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living father sent me and I live because of the father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died.
Jeffrey Heine:Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught at Capernaum. But many of his disciples heard it. They said, this is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?
Jeffrey Heine:But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the son of man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Jeffrey Heine:But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him. And he said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the father. After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the 12, do you want to go away as well?
Jeffrey Heine:Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. Jesus answered them, did I not choose you, the 12? And yet, one of you is a devil.
Jeffrey Heine:He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the 12, was going to betray him. This is the word of the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:Thanks be to God.
Jeffrey Heine:Let's pray together. Almighty and holy God, we come today to your word hungry for your truth. Whether we know it or not, we are desperate for your word. So, will you meet us in it by your spirit? Will you meet our longings for life that is only found in you?
Jeffrey Heine:Lord, our attention and affections are demanded by so many things in this world. It could be so hard not to come to you just wanting momentary things that won't last. So help turn our attention to what is eternal, what outlast our delights and demands for the passing things of this life. Lord, we wish to eat and be full forever. So may we look to Christ, the bread of life, and find satisfaction for our souls.
Jeffrey Heine:So, will you speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. We pray these things in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Last summer, I was in Seattle to celebrate the wedding of a former Redeemer member. It seemed about half of you were there.
Jeffrey Heine:I got to the city a few days early, and I was wandering around Pioneer Square when I happened upon a used bookstore. I say happened upon. I I did Google every used bookstore in a five mile radius. But as I looked through the titles, in the philosophy and religion section, I found a book by a philosopher that I had never read before, I had never even heard of before, and the title alone was enough to convince me to give it a chance. The author was a nineteenth century Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unumuno, you know.
Jeffrey Heine:And the title of the book was The Tragic Sense of Life, a fun beach read. I bought the book, I got a coffee, and I walked over to a small garden with a 22 foot waterfall in the middle of Downtown Seattle that actually exists. I sat down and I began to read. In the first chapter, Unumuno makes a confession saying, I don't want to die. I don't want to die.
Jeffrey Heine:I want to live forever and ever. He goes on to clarify, it is not that I want my name to live on, nor my works, nor even my memory, it's that I want to live. Later, Miguel explains what he means by this phrase of a tragic sense of life, writing, the tragic sense of life is this, to know that we shall die and yet to want not to die. He argues that every person longs to live forever. Whether they know it or not, it's all evidenced by the way that we live.
Jeffrey Heine:But everything in logic and reason confronts us with this unavoidable reality of our finitude, of our finality. In other words, everything inside us yearns for eternity, and everything around us tells us it can never be. Miguel is writing at the turn of the previous century in these later stages of modernity when many were still clinging to this belief that reason and rationality would cure every human ill. It was these last stages of this widespread insistence that understanding was the highest and greatest good that we could achieve. But to that notion, Miguel wrote this, what does it matter that everything should be explained if nothing is saved?
Jeffrey Heine:In other words, what good is it to explain the atom or to understand the cosmos if nothing lasts, if nothing persists, if nothing is eternal? For Miguel, if nothing is eternal, then life itself ultimately is a tragedy because we must live our brief lives with this deepest longing for what will last, living all along with a desire that can never be. Beauty ends, meaning ends, love ends because life ends. Of course, Miguel was not the first person to observe this desperate longing for eternity. The philosopher, author of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes wrote in chapter three, God has made everything beautiful in its time and he has set eternity in the human heart.
Jeffrey Heine:He's saying, we are designed by God to long for eternity. And, as Miguel confessed, we don't desire this in some abstract way for just our name to live on or our memory, but to truly, actually live forever. That is precisely what Jesus is addressing here in John six when he teaches the crowd of disciples, the onlookers, the scribes and the priests, when he tells them in verse 47, truly truly I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.
Jeffrey Heine:This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Jesus is speaking for this longing for eternity and he is actually encouraging this longing. He's saying, you should long for eternity.
Jeffrey Heine:He's just redirecting them from their hungry bellies to their hungry souls. He's saying, you don't need me to just keep doing magic tricks making bread appear for you to eat just for one day. He's telling them to look for the bread of life. He's telling these listeners that there is only one way for them to find this life and it's only through him. It's only through Jesus who was sent down from heaven like manna.
Jeffrey Heine:Now, to be fair, Jesus does not always make it easy for his listeners to understand what he is teaching. Illustrations are supposed to make difficult teaching easier to understand, but apparently, Jesus did not take any public speaking courses, he didn't take any preaching classes, so more often than not his illustrations veil his meaning. And, this is entirely on purpose. It's why he was regularly saying, let those who have ears to hear, let them hear. So, Jesus uses a very specific image from Jewish history.
Jeffrey Heine:He references God's provision for Israel in the wilderness. We read about this in the book of Exodus when the people of God had been rescued from slavery in Egypt. They lived in the barren desert, surviving on God's daily provision of manna, this thin layer of bread that would appear every morning. This was their daily bread, their daily sustenance from God to live. And, Jesus takes this picture of daily heavenly bread and he says, that's me.
Jeffrey Heine:I'm the bread that came down from heaven so you can live. I'm the one who is ultimately the provision from heaven sent by God. I am the means for your living. Upon hearing these words, John records that many of these disciples abandoned Jesus on the spot. Remember, are more disciples following Jesus than just the 12.
Jeffrey Heine:The 12 were a particular inner group of disciples, but there were many more who had left behind their homes, their jobs, their old lives to follow Jesus. So, many of those disciples heard Jesus saying these things and they turned away. This record of people hearing Jesus teach serves as a startling reminder that sometimes, sometimes you can tell the truth, you can tell the absolute truth about Jesus and it will not yield belief but rejection and the crowd gets smaller. It means that a big crowd doesn't mean that the truth is being told And, a small crowd doesn't mean that the power of God is not at work. A crowd, big or small, is not the barometer of truth.
Jeffrey Heine:The crowd hears the truth from truth himself and they walk away. Was it because of the imagery of eating flesh too confusing, too offensive? Maybe for some. Or was it the exclusivity that no one obtains eternal life without Jesus alone? That seems even more likely.
Jeffrey Heine:The imagery of eating flesh is crude. The exclusivity of Jesus is far more offensive. That goes deeper than posh sensibilities and attacks the pride and self centeredness that we carry in our flesh. Because Jesus gets very precise regarding the exclusivity of salvation through him, through his body alone. Not only is Jesus shockingly explicit that eternal life comes through his body and his blood, but he also narrows the path even further saying that you can't even come to me without the father drawing you to me.
Jeffrey Heine:The Greek here actually bears the image of dragging, you might have heard that before. Jesus is saying, not only am I the only way to eternal life, but you can't even get to me on your own accord. The father first has to drag you to me and then, you have to go through me to get to life. Jesus does not have any room for any alternative routes to life. It is Jesus alone through the active work alone.
Jeffrey Heine:If you're starting to get worried that Jesus is sounding like a Calvinist, so am I. And, I think we should keep an eye on that. Now, all of us, we we we all this was just too much for many of Jesus' disciples to believe. So, let's look again at verse 60. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, this is a hard saying.
Jeffrey Heine:Who can listen to it? But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to him, do you take offense to this? Then what if you were to see the son of man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life, but there are some of you who do not believe.
Jeffrey Heine:And after verse 66, after this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. Sometimes, I've resented the necessity of faith. I've been envious of those who walked the dusty roads of Galilee with Jesus face to face. And, I reckon that if I saw those miracles with my own eyes, if if I heard his words with my own ears, if I looked him in the eye when he preached repentance, then I would believe without hesitation. Then, I read of these men and women who experienced all of those things and they grumbled about Jesus' words.
Jeffrey Heine:They had a front row seat to all of this, and they walked away. Why am I any different than them? No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father. It's not only the exclusivity of Jesus, it's the necessity of the Father's drawing. Jesus sees many of his disciples walking away.
Jeffrey Heine:They'd heard enough, even though their eyes had seen miracles and healings, their ears had heard enough to walk away. And, Jesus turns to the 12, the ones he'd called to follow after him, the ones that the father gave to him. And in verse 67, Jesus says to the 12, do you want to go away as well? It's hard to convey this in English, but the Greek suggests a reading that might be helpful for us to consider. I think it reads more like this, Jesus watches the droves of people gather their belongings and walk away from him and he turns to the 12 and he looks at each one of them intently and he says, and you all, you don't want to go away, do you?
Jeffrey Heine:His words are phrased in a way that reveals that Jesus knows the answer to the question that he's asking. He's highlighting the distinction between the curious, fickle crowds and those whom the father has drawn to him. Peter speaks for the 12 answering Jesus saying in verse 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. Where can they go?
Jeffrey Heine:How about home? You could go home, Peter. You have a wife and a family. You have a house in Capernaum. You have a trade of fishing, nets to mend, a boat to maintain.
Jeffrey Heine:You can go back to life before all this craziness began with a rabbi from Nazareth. But ultimately, his answer depends on what he's longing for. What Peter desires more than anything else in the world? He longs for life. And if he wants life, he is understanding that his deepest longing for eternal life, well, there's nowhere else he could possibly go because no one else could ever give what Christ could give him.
Jeffrey Heine:He won't find life at the bottom of the fishing net, he won't find it in his family, and that is not to say that his job or his family are bad or wrong, but if he thinks that he will find his ultimate fulfillment for the deepest desire of his soul, if he thinks that he will find life in those things, then he will corrupt those good and godly things with his unholy expectations. He will destroy those beautiful gifts of family, of friends, of a home, of a job, if he expects them to satisfy his soul. And Peter confesses, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. He's pointing to the one place where our souls can find what they are truly seeking.
Jeffrey Heine:Instead of focusing on the many paths that lead to nowhere, Peter recognizes that life is offered in abundance through Jesus. If Peter desired knowledge, then he would have turned to the wise teachers. If he sought pleasure, the marketplace or a brothel might be the place. Leisure could be found in rest and play. But, if the deepest longing is eternal life, then Peter understands the fulfillment is in Jesus alone.
Jeffrey Heine:Life is fully realized only in the presence of Here, Peter sounds like Miguel when he said that, what good is understanding if nothing lasts? Peter is saying, we found what lasts, so why would we go anywhere else? To put it another way, the Swiss theologian Karl Barth wrote in the Church Dogmatics, where Christ is known, there is no need for any other revelation. And where he is not known, no other revelation can be of any help. Everything else is momentary and passing, but Peter says to Jesus, only you have eternal life.
Jeffrey Heine:So, where else would we go? Peter goes on to confess in verse 69, we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. Notice how he begins with belief, not the knowledge. Following Jesus, especially in a world where others are packing up their stuff and leaving him behind, it is crucial that we that that we recognize that our belief precedes our understanding. We don't keep following Jesus because we understand everything, and we don't have to walk away when we don't understand.
Jeffrey Heine:We keep following because we trust that there's nowhere else that we can go to find what only Jesus has. In a way, Peter is saying, you can keep searching if you want. You can talk to the learned, you can search the pages of wisdom and literature, you can inquire with the philosopher or the celebrity or the tycoon, or I can save you the trouble because they don't have life. No matter what they promise you, they don't have life. I suppose it's because I have been open about my own times of doubt that I end up talking to a lot of you about your doubts, and I'm glad for that.
Jeffrey Heine:I see it as a privilege. One thing that I often share in those conversations is that when doubt shows up and makes its presence known, we don't have to be afraid. I don't think that when Jesus saw those men and women picking up their things and walking in the opposite direction that he was panicking. I don't think he was scrambling to clarify. He he wasn't really meaning that they had to become cannibals.
Jeffrey Heine:It was just a metaphor, guys. And, I especially don't think that when we turn our gaze to his 12 disciples and he asked if they were about to leave that he was really worried that they would. Here's a little secret about Peter, about what he said to Jesus. If you're hearing the story of Peter for the first time, it's a bit of a spoiler. But Peter is riddled with doubt.
Jeffrey Heine:Yes, he's the first to reply. Yes, he is bold in his confession and I believe he means it with everything he's got. The problem is Peter doesn't have much. Doubting is part of the journey of believing because we believe until we know, and to fully know only comes in eternity. Peter is a great model for this process of discipleship.
Jeffrey Heine:He's a pretty crummy model of a disciple. Sure, he boldly steps out on the water, but he immediately sinks. He boldly cuts the ear off of a man when Jesus is arrested, but he denies to a preteen servant girl. He's fickle and impetuous, he is bold but he is reckless. So, what is the great model that we're supposed to look at here?
Jeffrey Heine:It's not the model of a discipleship, it's more the model of not the a disciple, but of discipleship, the journey of being drawn and dragged by the Father to Jesus. And, in Jesus, we believe and we find life. In other words, Peter is a bad noun and an excellent verb. He shows up in action, the process, the journey of discipleship. He embodies the believing yet not understanding, the striving and the failing, the being rescued and restored.
Jeffrey Heine:Peter is dragged by the father to the unfailing son who alone redeems and gives eternal life. And, Jesus acknowledges this with his response to Peter because he does not commend Peter. He doesn't say like really wonka to Charlie at the end of the movie, you did it, you passed the test, you won, great answer. I was really hoping you would get it right. No.
Jeffrey Heine:In response to Peter's answer, that of course they're not leaving like the others, Jesus says, didn't I choose you? The 12. Jesus reminds Peter that remaining, he's not abandoning his belief and knowledge that Jesus is the holy one of God, all of it is not because Peter is so insightful and faithful, but because Jesus chose them. The basis of Peter's confession and faith is that Jesus called him to himself, the father dragged him to the only one who has the words of spirit and life. Jesus chose them, not only that, he knows them.
Jeffrey Heine:That's why he even closes acknowledging, did I not choose you the 12 and yet one of you is the devil? He spoke of Judas knowing that he would betray him. Jesus knew those who believed and he knew those who did not. He knew who was among him including Judas. None of these things were hidden from him and neither are you.
Jeffrey Heine:So, does this mean for us today? There will come a time in all of our lives perhaps more than once where the exclusivity of Jesus, and by that I mean the reality that life is only found in Him, will appear to us as more of a problem than a promise. And, we will face the temptation to gather our belongings and to walk away. It might even seem like the most reasonable and rational thing to do. Either we will question the trustworthiness of Jesus' words or we're confronted by what we might lose by following him.
Jeffrey Heine:Peter's words serve to reorient our hearts to the fundamental promise that Christ alone has the words of life, the only words that address the longing in our souls for eternity. And, we don't have to be afraid because to be a disciple means to be an imperfect disciple. They are one and the same. Every disciple is an imperfect disciple. Anyone claiming otherwise is revealing their imperfection or perhaps they're not even really following him.
Jeffrey Heine:Every disciple is on this journey with Christ himself and he who calls you to walk with the Son is ever faithful. And, Jesus takes what would otherwise be the most tragic sense of life where we long for an eternity that will never come. And, Jesus comes to you that you might have life and have it abundantly. Hang around Peter long enough and he'll tell you another story of when he failed and made a fool of himself. If you stick around with Paul long enough, he'll remind you that he was the worst of the worst.
Jeffrey Heine:Part of the natural aroma of a disciple is a willingness to boast in their failures and thereby make much of the graciousness and steadfastness of Jesus. What a blessed place it is to live where you are convinced that there is nowhere else to go but Jesus. This blessed place comes in many forms, many through hardship and struggle. But, the result is the same. We join in the confession of another imperfect disciple and joyfully confess, where else could we possibly go but Jesus?
Jeffrey Heine:Let's go to him now in prayer. Oh Lord, would you draw near to us and draw us near to yourself? Or when I hear the word dragging, I I think of Ephesians two which confesses that we were dead in our sins and our trespasses. And dead men don't get up and run, but you drag us to the sun and he gives us life. Oh Lord, would you do that now even in this room?
Jeffrey Heine:Would you take what is dead and bring it to life? And, would you renew in us the joy of our salvation? The joy that you have transferred us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of your son, and that the kingdom of your son is a kingdom of life. Lord, help us today by your spirit to believe and in our believing to love you, to obey you, and to trust you with all that we are. We pray these things in the name of Christ our king.
Jeffrey Heine:Amen.