The Hard Sayings of Jesus: There are some seriously hard sayings in the Bible, either because they're hard to understand or because they're so counter-cultural. These teachings might even make us question the truth or goodness of God’s word. It's helpful to see that God’s word has always been challenging or even downright offensive to some. But if the gospel is true, the words and way of Jesus are the only way that leads to life. Recorded on Oct 15, 2023, on John 6:41-71 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

So, all year, we’re going through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re finishing up John 6 with what I think is a very relatable teaching on dealing with the hard sayings of Jesus. Have you ever wondered about that? There are some seriously hard teachings in the Bible, either because they are hard to understand or because they are so counter-cultural that if we live them out, we will stick out (not in a good way). Sometimes, as Christians, some of these hard sayings might be thrown in our faces as evidence of the absurdity of our faith. Other times, the hard sayings of Jesus might make us question the truth/goodness of God’s word/way. I think sometimes Christians are hesitant to even admit they wrestle with certain texts or concepts from the Bible, but we need to be honest about this. Usually, when things are kept in the dark, they have way more power over us than if we bring them out into the light. So let me bring this out into the light here for myself. I question the Bible all the time. If it’s true, if it’s truly God’s word, then it’ll hold up under our questioning, right? Well, there came a time in the ministry of Jesus when many people who had been following him started grumbling about some of the things he was saying. And it got so bad that many people stopped following him because they were offended by his teaching. Can you imagine that? Walking away from Jesus in the flesh? But in this controversy, we learn so much about what to do with the hard sayings of Jesus and the offense of the gospel. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 6:41.

John 6:41-42 (NIV), “41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” Let’s pause here and get some context before we continue on. Jesus had just had the biggest, most impressive day of ministry the day before. He had fed the five thousand, and then that night, he walked on the water and calmed the storm, revealing both a sign of provision and a sign of power over his creation. Then the next day, after all that, they were in Capernaum, a small town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, basically home base for Jesus during the first few years of his public ministry, where the Apostle Peter had a house. And Jesus was teaching in the synagogue where, as we saw last week, he made the claim, “I am the bread of life.” This was the first of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel.