Mind-blowing

S: John 6

O: Jesus fed 5000 families with 5 loves and 2 fish, then sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee where they encountered a storm.

I remember Pastor Daniel Ho's joke from maybe 20 years ago: When Jesus came walking on the water to them in the middle of that storm, they cried, "Hantu!" But Jesus replied, "Bukan, Tuhan." 🤣 Indeed, that's pretty much what it says - makes a great pun, if you know Malay. (Hantu = ghost, Tuhan is how "The Lord" is usually translated in Malay Bibles.) That detail is left out in John's account, but is in Matthew and Mark's accounts.

Then, the next day, when the crowd found him again in Capernaum, they revealed that they were more interested in the physical food of Jesus' feeding miracle than the spiritual food of Jesus' teaching, and he related the manna of the Exodus with himself being the Bread of Life. This is of course before the Last Supper and his sacrifice on the cross, and many left him because he said that their ancestors ate the manna bread and yet died, but if they eat his flesh bread and drink his blood, they would have eternal life and be raised up on the last day.

John tells us that many disciples outside the 12 left him at that point. It just blew their minds when he said we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. How would I have taken it at that point, not knowing about Holy Communion?

A: Jesus may call me to do something difficult and mind-blowing. I must know him well enough and be committed enough to him that I don't run away when that happens. So in the meantime, I need to grow closer and closer to him, to grow in intimacy with him.

P: Father, when the test comes, let me stick with Jesus and what he calls me to do. In Jesus' name, amen.