Day 29
Today’s reading: John 6:52-77
Draw me Close
〰️
Draw me Close 〰️
Reflections
Coming to a place of genuine belief and dependence on God is not a one-step process. It is initiated by the Holy Spirit. You can't come to Christ without first believing in Him, and you can't believe in Christ without understanding His words. However, understanding Christ's words requires the help of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Holy Spirit cannot teach you unless you approach Him with a hungry heart, willing to listen and obey. Jesus' words are spirit and life, and the human mind cannot fully comprehend or accept them without the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
The word of God can often seem counterintuitive to the average person, which is why two people can read the same scripture and one leaves edified while the other is left confused. It all begins with a yielded heart—a heart that is hungry and thirsty for the person of Jesus. This is why the disciples eventually left: they were not hungry for Jesus Himself. Their motivations for following Him were rooted in the material and the temporary, and because of this, the Spirit was unable to work within them to teach and transform them.
Study Questions
Compare John 6:44-45 and John 6:64-65. According to Jesus, how can people come to Him? What criteria does the Father use to draw people to Jesus?
Research the Greek words for "hard" (skleros) and "understand" (akouein) as used in John 6:60. Does this mean the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus said? What does this reveal about the state of their hearts at that moment?
Take a moment to reflect: When faced with a problem, is your first instinct to turn to Jesus for the solution? Why do you think that is?
What did you learn about God’s nature, His ways and His will from today’s reading?
Highlight
“And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”” John 6:65 ESV
