John 6

September 20, 2022

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (v66)

Jesus turns a “mega-church” of 5,000 into a small group of 12 with one sermon - because His teaching “offended them” (v61). And as the masses are leaving Him, Jesus doesn’t chase them down or plead with them to come back. He simply turns to the 12, and asks if they want to leave, too. Jesus wasn’t enamored with big crowds. And so He never watered down the Word for the sake of pandering to people. He preached the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - even if people were offended and left.

Lord Jesus, I praise You for telling me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. I confess that sometimes I just want what is easy, comfortable, and makes sense. Like the masses in John 6, I just want some “bread” to appease my appetite. Literally, having eaten cream of wheat for 9 days (because of a mouth full of canker sores), I just want to eat some real food. But I thank You that You never settle for just giving me physical food to satisfy my palate. You give me Yourself to satisfy (and save) my soul. Remind me of this the next time I celebrate communion, as I “eat Your flesh and drink Your blood” (6:54) - that You have given me Yourself for my salvation and satisfaction.

— Pastor Joshua Brooks

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Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…

Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?