Hard Teaching

"Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.' On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?' From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."
John 6:53,60,66

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees with force in this passage of scripture. I have highlighted the events of John 6 with just three verses, but the teaching, the response of the Pharisees, and the response of Jesus' disciples fills the entire chapter. We know that Jesus was speaking of salvation here. He was saying that we all must make a choice to participate in the death and resurrection, in order to experience eternal life. But the ears of the hearers were blocked. They did not understand what was being said and it sounded much too difficult to receive.
    Jesus knew what would happen that day. He knew that the Pharisees would not receive what he said, and he knew that many of his own disciples would desert him because of this teaching. But he delivered the word anyway. Although Jesus wanted to reach all people with the message of salvation, he was not impressed with how large the crowd was that gathered around him. He did not need onlookers. He did not need passive observers. He wanted disciples, true disciples. He desired those who would believe him, no matter how hard the teaching was. Those men who stayed with him went on to become some of the greatest men in the kingdom of heaven. They were faithful to Jesus, no matter how rough the road became.
    Today, we have many great leaders. We have many true men of God who proclaim the fullness of the kingdom of God, even if it means the crowds thin. But there are those who continue to appeal to the itching ears of people who want the benefits of the gospel without entering in to the kingdom of God and sacrificing themselves in favor of all that Christ offers us. The gospel of Christ is true, all of it. We cannot take only the easy part and reject the rest. Jesus expects us to follow him in the fullness of his life and teaching. He has equipped us to do just that. Let's not settle for a cheap imitation.
    I love the fact that Christ is being preached. I will never reject or speak against anyone who delivers the gospel of Christ. But we are called to be disciples. So when the teaching gets a little tougher to swallow, we must be willing to spread our lives before God and receive all that he has for us. Please make a decision to enter into the depths of Christ. Some of his teachings may be difficult, but the reward is great. Don't settle for less than all that God offers. Accept the hard teaching, even if the rest of the crowd leaves.