²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. ²³ Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. ²⁵ They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. ²⁷ But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man^[f] can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

²⁸ They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

²⁹ Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? ³¹ After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[g]”

³² Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. ³³ The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. ³⁷ However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. ³⁹ And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ Then the people^[h] began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. ⁴⁴ For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. ⁴⁵ As it is written in the Scriptures,^[i] ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

⁴⁷ “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ Yes, I am the bread of life! ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. ⁵⁰ Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

⁵² Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

⁵³ So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. ⁵⁴ But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

⁵⁹ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

⁶¹ Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? ⁶³ The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

⁶⁶ At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. ⁶⁹ We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.^[j]”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” ⁷¹ He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

John 6:22-71

Dear God, I was sitting in church this morning and the pastor was talking about how weird the Christmas story is. All of your decisions were peculiar. After he would tell us a different part of the story he would make us repeat, “Wow, that is so weird!” What I was sitting there thinking was, “Wow, if I had been there I’d never have believed any of this.”

So as I read this passage this evening (which John 6:35 was the verse of the day for Bible Gateway), can’t help but think that I would be one of the bad examples in this story. I’d have wanted a sign. I’d have been weirded out about eating the flesh. I’d have walked away, IF I had been attracted in the first place. Frankly, I’m the kind who probably wouldn’t have sought out Jesus in the first place if I had been there 2,000 years ago.

Honestly, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. For the small fraction of people who were there when you were on earth it would have been a bad thing, but for the rest of us I think it’s a good thing. I’m not looking for more than you. I’m not looking for someone who will claim to add something to my relationship with you that I don’t already have. I consider myself fortunate to have been introduced to you as an eight-year-old child and raised from there in a church. I’m grateful for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes conferences I’ve been to. I’m grateful for the people you put in my life like Henry Parish (the tennis coach who got me involved in FCA). I’m grateful for the youth minister who came to my church my senior year–right when I had a significant shift in my relationship with you. I’m grateful for the woman you introduced me to when I was 19 who would later become my wife and stretch me intellectually and theologically. I am grateful for the opportunity to work at a Christian music and book publisher which gave me access to all kinds of Christian music and reading/study materials. I am grateful for Laity Lodge, the adult retreat center where I got inspired over 23 years ago to start doing these prayer journals. I am grateful for Gary Thomas and the Sacred Marriage book that he wrote which gave me a new paradigm for loving my wife and accepting your formation of my life through her. I am grateful for the children you gave me, who have stretched me, formed me, and taught me to be more sacrificial. I am also grateful for how you have revealed at least a little of your perfect love for me through my imperfect love for them (So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. – Matthew 7:11). I am grateful for you giving me work to do in nonprofits so that I have learned more about people who are marginalized and live on the edges of our society. I am grateful that you have taught me to be aware that there is so much I don’t know and to accept that instead of being defensive and fighting against it. I am grateful for the friends you have given to me. I am grateful for what you have taught me through my parents–both the good examples they gave me and the bad. I am grateful you taught my wife and me how to give when we had very little and that you made that an important part of our lives. You know, I could go on and on. As I sit here, I am grateful for so much. I haven’t even mentioned how grateful I am for my job, the home I have, the middle-class American lifestyle my wife and I have, our health, or any of that.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I would have ignored you if I had been there 2,000 years ago, but I embrace you now. I am grateful. I am so grateful.

I offer you my worship in Jesus’s name,

Amen