Coffee With The Lord

EVER HAVE SOMETHING IN GOD’S WORD THAT TROUBLED YOU – something that God has done or said, or Jesus declared, or an inspired Biblical writer penned that you found difficult to process? In fact, it might have almost been offensive to you, and to use a Biblical term, was a “stumbling block” to you. How can you process those things? I mean we believe, after all, that God is behind them all, don’t we?

There is a case of that happening in the ministry and message of Jesus that I believe can help us… (I read about it this morning in the Bible during my time of “coffee with the Lord)…

Jesus, after His miraculous feeding of the multitude (5000 + women and children) on 5 loaves and 2 fish) gave an extended teaching in which He declared Himself to be “the bread of life!” Then He went on to say, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever! And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh! … 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! Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him… Whoever feeds on me, he will live because of me!” (From John 6:47-57 ESV)

Whew! That’s a tough one, eh? Do you see the problem – feel the tension they must have felt – when they heard Jesus declare those words? [Now there are good theological solutions and answers to Jesus’ words – in fact, we could spend a lot of time discussing and explaining them]. But do you sense the challenge the original hearers must have felt? In fact, Jesus’ disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” Then the passage goes on to record, “After this many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and no longer walked with him!” Jesus even said to the twelve apostles, “Do you want to go away as well?”

But I think it is Peter who gives us some help in processing difficult things the Bible says that may be troubling and difficult to process… He said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the word of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God!” (John 6:68 ESV)

So, I jotted this in the margin of my Bible this morning… Peter gives us a proper response when there are things in God’s word that we don’t understand! May we in those instances simply trust the Lord and depend on Him to ultimately bring clarity and work things out in due time in keeping with His character and will!”