“THIS IS A HARD SAYING!”

“THIS IS A HARD SAYING!”

John 6:60-65                                       (ESV)
“60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "”THIS IS A HARD SAYING”; who can listen to it?"
61 But JESUS, knowing in HIMSELF that HIS disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?
62 Then what if you were to see the SON of MAN ascending to where HE was before?
63 It is THE SPIRIT WHO gives life; THE FLESH is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe." (For JESUS knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray HIM.)
65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to ME unless it is granted him by the FATHER."”

There are MANY things in life that I cannot understand.  How GOD is getting Glory from them?  Heinous, brutal deaths inflicted on people who are indefensible.  Innocent children with a terminal cancer diagnosis, or even worse, children who are aborted before even being born just doesn’t make sense to me.  Now I’m not trying to say that this feeble mind is bright enough to grasp all of the the intricacies of our FLESH, but THE SPIRIT WHO GIVES LIFE is definitely above my pay grade!

Jeremiah 1:5 states “"Before I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  Now since “GOD IS SPIRIT” (John 4:24), and “It is THE SPIRIT WHO gives life” (John 6:63), it seems to me that OUR BEINGS exist BEFORE the FLESH even exists!  The person who is BLINDED by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) must think “THIS IS A HARD SAYING” that a loving ALMIGHTY GOD would permit such atrocities when HE IS LOVE and OMNIPOTENT?

Understanding how MERCIFUL, forgiving, redeeming, and long suffering GOD is will probably be understood by no one greater than the Apostle Paul!  He was breathing “threats and murder against the disciples of the LORD” in Acts 9:1.  But in verse 26 of the same chapter, it is recorded “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And THEY WERE ALL AFRAID OF HIM, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.”  “THIS IS A HARD SAYING” when you can’t understand how GOD transforms a sinner into a Believer that quickly!

The SPIRIT OF GOD is not constrained by the thoughts of man.  HIS capabilities are beyond even our wildest imaginations.  When “THIS IS A HARD SAYING” is exposed to me, I should be excited, and not FEAR GREATLY, as the Children of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10)!  GOD might be preparing to part my Red Sea!  I need to remember that HE IS SPIRIT, and because of JESUS, I AM TOO!!!