John 6:53 ESV

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

Jesus said many hard things to the crowds and the disciples. He challenged their ideas and their beliefs. He challenged their expectations. He challenged their worldview. He said things to them that were hard to understand and went against what they expected.

After Jesus said this to the disciples many left Him. They were confused and because of that, they chose to leave. Jesus asked Simon Peter if he also would leave. Peter says in verse 68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter understood who Jesus was and he was able to have a deeper relationship with Him.

When we follow Jesus into the hard things, we get to know Him more. We get to trust Him more. We get to become more like Him.

Once, I felt like God was asking me to leave my job so I could focus on ministering to the youth. This was hard and it was difficult. How would it work? How would I pay bills? I did not understand. I thought it would be hard. But He is God and when He speaks, we listen. So, I left my job and I focused on being a youth minister for about a year. I was right, it was hard, but it was also good. It was good to follow the hard thing Jesus said. Jesus was inviting me into a deeper relationship with Him.

So yes, Jesus says hard things, but He is also God and He has the words of life. He is the only one who can give life to us. His body and flesh are real food that provides nourishment to us.

Take some time to pray today and as you pray lean into God. See if He would say something hard to you. If He does, then maybe He is inviting you into a deeper relationship with Him. Maybe He is inviting you into more. Maybe Jesus knows you will not run away but you will accept His hard teaching and go deeper. There is a wonderful and deep relationship on the other side of His hard teachings that can only be received by those that press into it.

Just a thought

Mike