When someone goes to the doctor, they usually want to hear the truth from him. Though they would like to be told only good news, deep down most people want to hear the truth. However, what if your doctor only told you good things, such as whenever you had medical tests done, he kept telling you that everything was fine, when in reality there were several very serious problems. Not knowing the truth could have very serious consequences, and could even cost you your life. This holds true in many different scenarios with our physical lives, and also with our spiritual life, as well. We need to hear the truth, whether it’s difficult to take or not. In our Scripture today, as we continue on through the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus said some very hard and difficult things that some people may just shake their head at and walk away. Let’s take a look and see what you think.
Over the past several decades there has been a movement within many churches to be more “seeker sensitive”. These churches seek to draw in people who usually would not attend church by making the church service as comfortable, inviting, and non-threatening as possible. They use theatrics and musical entertainment, with state-of-the art technology, sound, and lighting to keep the church service from being boring to the unsaved. They have loads of special programs all throughout the week to try and get people involved. However, a closer look shows that most of these programs have nothing to do with Jesus Christ, and very few, if any of the sermons (a word they don’t like to use, preferring “talks” or “messages”) ever mention sin, repentance, God’s Word, or even Jesus. This “seeker sensitive” approach doesn’t want to offend or turn off anyone. They feel that somehow, some way people might find Jesus, even though His Name and His message are rarely mentioned. These churches are no different than a rock concert, a visit to a theater, or a country club. One of the most popular TV preachers in the U.S. never mentions sin or salvation, but only gives “feel good” messages on his program, in his church, and even in his books. He and his staff don’t want to talk about anything that is hard to hear.
Jesus was definitely not a practitioner of the “seeker sensitive” approach to reaching people. He was not concerned about making people feel comfortable, nor did He ever tailor His messages to do so. Jesus’ message in our Scripture passage today was designed to disturb. When the crowd asked for an explanation, Jesus didn’t say He was using figures of speech (vs. 53-56). These words were so shocking that even some disciples balked at them. Jesus’ aim was not to make people feel good, but to awaken them to the truth.
If the flow of blood is cut off to a part of the body for a certain length of time, that part will die and often need to be amputated. As members of the body of Jesus Christ, we depend on His Blood to keep us alive and functioning. His Blood saved us, and now we depend on Him for mercy, forgiveness, and wisdom. Jesus lives in us, and we live in Him. His Blood is our life. Talking about partaking of Jesus’ Body and Blood was just as radical, offensive, and crazy back in His day as it would be if any preacher said that about themselves today. Yet Jesus did not hesitate to preach the truth.
What about us today? Are we willing to speak out the truth, no matter how “offensive” it might be to those who hear it? Are we willing to call sin what it is, sin, and to say that a life of sin will bring death and damnation? Are we willing to say that there is only one way to heaven, and that this way is only through the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one else? Are we willing to preach the Word of God, and not give in to the common practice of high-tech entertainment that other churches are providing? Jesus gave the people what they needed, the hard truth. His followers today should do the same.
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