My question is simple: did they betray themselves by denying God's Sovereignty? In other words, did they take shots to fit into life on planet earth, thereby eradicating their previous declaration of fidelity to Christ and Him as their heaven and earth King?
I consider the hard sayings of Jesus in front of a crowd that seemingly preferred magic over majesty. They liked the bread He proffered, but they didn't appreciate Him as the bread of life. They consumed the out of this world water converted to wine He prepared for their pleasure, but drinking His blood, because the life, dear reader, is in the blood, was too much God for them to handle. Bread and wine, manna from heaven and the sacrifice of His flesh for the salvation of souls, was beyond what they would willingly accept ... they preferred the food basics of eating now, rather than considering an eternity of abundant life with the Redeemer.
Therein lies my fear, my anxiety ... as one by one, those in my closest circle of two plus years ago, succumbed to worldly ways by accepting into their bodies poison that promises an unstable future in this life and the next. I consider two men that I knew as stalwarts, true lovers of Christ, and I don't want confirmation, that they too did what I consider, the unthinkable ...
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever (John 6:47-58)
These words seem foreign and strange to us. As a meat eater, I know that life is sacrificed for my sustenance, but the Jews Jesus was teaching, knew the law that God gave them: sacrificing animals for their sins and the sins of the people. The priests consumed some of the flesh, but were never to drink the blood, because that is where the life is, in the blood.
Think on this a moment ... they were awaiting the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world: God had them live with this knowing, that only sacrifice with a heart of contrition, could assuage their guilt temporarily, until such a time as the Christ would be the final sacrifice for them. Eating the lamb as the spirit of death loomed large over them in Egypt, was the first passing over, the first time they experienced God's preservation when they complied with His commands. Now they were facing the Lamb of God ... and what He was saying was hard to hear:
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickenth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:59-63)
Jesus speaks of spirit ... and this is where people betray themselves. They rely on the skin they are in, the surface they walk upon, and the food and drink they believe they can trust to keep them alive. They mistrust God as provider, believing that they must live according to worldly ways, including the rules and regulations superimposed upon them by workers of iniquity ... the shot pushers that desire to control and kill the soul via automation of the bodies of the willing.
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (John 6:64-67)
Dear reader, I weep for those for whom the living God was not enough. My soul aches for the previous professors of faith in Christ, that did not put their souls in His protective hand, but rather chose to walk away, toward a shadow of what life can be, rather than eagerly anticipate the fullness offered to the faithful, when eternity with God is our reward.
The bread and blood of life is Jesus Christ. The mystery of faith is revealed in His words, and fidelity to Him is our only hope of soul salvation. Are His sayings hard, why yes, they are, but what I find more difficult, is hearing the words of the wicked, and witnessing those I considered brethren and kindred, following in the devils bloody footprints to the grave and an eternity without the living God.
Sigh. I am not a naive person, forever Pollyanna hopeful. But right now, there are some things I just don't want to know. At this moment in time, I will entertain happy, holy, wholesome memories of who I thought people were, rather than know who they may have become.
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him
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