Tuesday: Acceptance and Rejection
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 5th of November 2024
Lesson 2 described the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6:1-71 but did not cover the final section of that story, which is studied here.
Read John 6:51-71. What did Jesus say that people had trouble accepting?
Having just been fed, miraculously, by Jesus, the people were ready to crown Him king (John 6:1-15). But in talking with them later at the Capernaum synagogue, He explains the spiritual meaning of the miracle, saying, “I am the bread of life,” (John 6:35). He expounds in more detail that this bread is His flesh, which He gives for the life of the world (John 6:51).
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This saying opened the eyes of the multitude to the fact that Jesus would not be their earthly king. He did not fit the mold produced by earthly thinking. They refused conversion, which would transform the way they thought so that they could recognize and accept Jesus as the Messiah. Many of His disciples left Him at this point (John 6:66).
From a human sense, this must have been hard for Jesus. The approbation of the crowd is pleasing. Who doesn’t want to be liked? But seeing many people draw back and question one’s principles is naturally discouraging, as well. Seeing the multitude depart, Jesus asks his inner circle, the Twelve, if they want to leave, too.
This is when Peter makes his amazing confession, another witness as to both what Jesus has and who He is. “ ‘You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God’ ” (John 6:68-69, ESV).
The disciples had been with Jesus for a couple of years, traveling with Him, seeing His miracles, hearing His sermons. They knew from experience that there was no one comparable to Him. The conviction settled upon them that, however unusual some situations might be, this man was the Messiah—regardless of how much they still didn’t understand about His purpose for coming. Only after His death and resurrection did they start to understand why Jesus came.
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What can we learn from this story about the fact that the majority is usually wrong? Why must we remember this, especially with the aspects of our faith that are unpopular with the majority—even the majority of Christians? |
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It does not take a lot of imagination to understand the dilemma of the Jews, particularly the ones from the area where he grew up. They knew his family history.
Having taught in the Seventh-day Adventist system all my life I have taught the children and even the grandchildren of students I have taught previously. You know their history. And sometimes I'm tempted to use that history in dealing with the students.
The Jews had the same problem, Jesus, the kid from the family that built their house was now claiming he was God and could forgive sins and was proposing a new kingdom based on service rather than conquering. I am sure that some of them thought he had a screw loose in his brain. The message was radical. Even the miracles were suspect. The ones they could not explain, were attributed to the Devil.
I am not surprised at their reaction. During my lifetime, several people have come to churches where I have held membership, claiming special visions or radical new ideas. My initial reaction is always scepticism. So, in that sense, I understand the reaction of the Jews.
On the other hand, the disciples had been with Jesus for some time and had the opportunity to interact with him. This is their reaction:
The difference was they had come to know Jesus. Which brings us to the point that in our interaction with others do they get to know Jesus too?
(from the final question of today's lesson) "...the fact that the majority is usually wrong..."
*the Israelite army all refusing to fight the Philistine giant Goliath ... and 1 David
*450 prophets of Baal on the mountain ... and 1 Elijah
*2,000 soldiers went home ... and only 300 remained with Gideon
*everyone worshiping the golden calf ... except the tribe of Levi
*10 spies and the whole camp rebelling against God and fearful to enter Canaan....2 faithful spies
*the entire antediluvian human population, maybe millions/billions?, perished in the Flood ... and only 8 in Noah's Ark
OK, so the Biblical accounts seem to back this pattern and this claim that the majority is usually wrong. Jesus Himself said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
And yet, I'm also thinking of how 1/3 of the angels fell from heaven with Lucifer, but the majority 2/3 remained faithful to God. Earth is the only fallen planet...outnumbered by far more worlds and universes which remain faithful to our Creator. From this vast perspective, our faith is a part of the majority position of all living creatures. All extraterrestrial life agrees with Peter that "You (Jesus) have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
I'm remembering, too, the story of Elisha and his young servant who in the morning upon waking was afraid of the Syrian army who had surrounded them under cover of darkness. Elisha prayed that his servant's eyes would be opened and when they were, the servant saw what Elisha saw. The hillside was also filled with an angelic army of horses and chariots of fire. The Lord's army fighting for them was larger and more awesome than the enemy one fighting against them (2 Kings 6:15-17).
This reminds me of “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” from 1 John 4:4. The power of Christ, who lives in us, is greater than the power of the world. The Holy Spirit living in the Christian is stronger than any attack by devils. With God as our +1 we are in the majority. No matter what the physical odds are, the spiritual odds are in our favor. We can stand boldly on this fact and watch the enemy's spiritual giants - the temptations and triggers - topple. We can walk in victory. God's acceptance of us overwhelms any rejection and loneliness we may ever feel (Rom. 8:1,34-39). And one day, the WHOLE...100%... of planet Earth will shout and echo with praises to Jesus (Rev. 5:13; Ps. 66:4-5 ).