“But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.” (John 6:64, NRSV)
When Jesus taught, there were followers gathered who didn’t believe He was the Son of God. When Jesus preached, there were crowds gathered who did not believe He was their Savior. When Jesus healed, some still would not believe in Jesus’ power. Even when Jesus taught His disciples, some believed wholeheartedly. Some did not.
Today’s scripture reaffirms the historical position of Jesus. Among those gathered around our Lord were unbelievers. The unbelievers listened to Jesus, saw Him perform miracles, ate the miraculous bread that fed 5000 men, heard the message of the gospel… AND STILL… did not believe. John 6:64 quotes Jesus saying, “among you there are some who do not believe”. When Jesus said these words, He was speaking to His closest followers. He spoke to those who stood by Him most ardently. And, even among these diehard followers, some did not believe that Jesus was the real Christ.
If you question a crowd of people if they believe in Jesus as the Christ, you might find some who would affirm their belief. If you question a group of children at a Christian School, a great majority will state they believe in Jesus. Even in a gathering at a church during worship, most if not all would say they believe in Jesus. But do they? Those who were closest to Jesus, who followed Him in person, who would have been considered followers of Jesus at the time, had among them those who did not fully believe in Jesus. They doubted. They weren’t convinced. They questioned Jesus’ actions or words. These were intrigued by Jesus, interested in His teachings, mesmerized by His miracles, or awed by His works… but they still didn’t take the leap of true faith.
The same holds true today.
If you go into any church today, there will be those who truly believe in Jesus. There will also be those who doubt or aren’t convinced or lack commitment. These non-believers or doubters don’t want to take that leap of faith. They can’t get past their questions or fear or lack of understanding or personal hangups. They might say they believe. They might even be church members. But Jesus knows that they aren’t committed, faithful followers. When push comes to shove, they will bail on Jesus. When the wrong conditions arise, they will fall away. When put on the spot, they will deny their faith as quickly as did Peter. Now, while Peter later re-committed his life to Jesus, there are others today who will never take that leap of faith. They are Christian in name only.
Your job is not to separate the sheep from the goats, to winnow out the “unbelievers” and “fallen”. God may show you those who lack belief. Your job is not to cast them out of the church or put them on the spot. They need to hear the gospel. They need to see true faith. They need to face their own doubts and unbelief. You are not the ultimate judge. You are not God.
If you continue to read the verses following John 6:64, you may notice that Jesus did not kick out the unbelievers. He did not separate himself from those who doubted. He did not leave behind those who lacked understanding or commitment or faith. Jesus just continued to preach and teach and minister and spread the gospel. He let God the Father sort them out. This is not to say that Jesus ignored the scoffers and betrayers. In fact, Jesus pointed them out, questioned their commitment, and challenged their Biblical understanding. But Jesus loved both believer and nonbeliever enough to give all a chance to hear the gospel and respond in faith.
As you read the scripture for today from John 6, you might ask yourself, “How could people follow Jesus and not believe! How could they just ignore the miracles, overlook the mercy, deny the truth of the gospel? How could they not see the divinity of Christ? Well, that’s been happening ever since the beginning of time on earth. Even Adam and Eve were in the direct presence of God but still succumbed to the machinations of the serpent! I have witnessed two people sitting in the same pew, hearing the same evangelistic message, even coming from the same background and family…. One went to the altar and accepted Christ while the other could not make that kind of commitment.
Every day you will be surrounded by people. Some will have faith. Some will not. Some are more than willing to commit their way to Christ. Some cannot make that leap of faith. You might even remember times when you doubted, a moment when sins separated you from God, a season when filled with your own lack of commitment. Jesus comes to you just the same. He still calls on you to believe. He expects your response. What will it be? Can you not just say you are a believer but also commit your way to Christ today?
“About twelve miles from the city of Chicago is the suburb of Evanston, where there is a large Methodist university, I think the largest university of the Methodist denomination in America; at all events, a great university.
Years ago, before the college had blossomed into a great university, when there were not many students in it, two young country boys came from the State of Iowa—strong, husky fellows, and one of them was a famous swimmer. Early one morning word came to the college that down on Lake Michigan, just off the shores of Evanston, there was a wreck. It proved to be the “Lady Elgin”. The college boys with everybody in town hurried down to the shores of Lake Michigan. Off yonder in the distance they saw the Lady Elgin going to pieces. Ed Spencer, the famous swimmer, threw off all his superfluous garments, tied a rope round his waist, threw one end to his comrades on the shore, sprang into Lake Michigan, swam out to the wreck, grasped one that was drowning and gave the sign to be pulled ashore. And again, and again, and again he swam out and grasped a drowning man or woman and brought them safe to shore, until he had brought to shore a seventh, an eighth, a ninth, and a tenth. Then he was utterly exhausted.” (R.A. Torry, Anecdotes and Illustrations, pp 163-165).
Ed Spencer saved seventeen souls that day. Why? He was committed to the task. He would not back down. When push came to shove, he felt a call to save those souls. Ed answered that call and almost died for the effort he put into it.
There were others that day who did not enter the water. Some were afraid of drowning. Others could not swim. Ed told his best friends that he wanted to save every soul he could. Ed did not sit on the sidelines. He had faith in his abilities and a desire to save souls. When faith was needed, Ed responded.
You can say that you believe. You can become a church member and attend worship. Whether or not you have a true, committed faith will be determined on the day you are called to make that leap of faith by Almighty God. How will you fare? I wonder what you will do. Jesus knows whether your faith is deeply committed or just a passing fancy or habitual act or social stance. Do you?
Today’s scripture reaffirms the historical position of Jesus. Among those gathered around our Lord were unbelievers. The unbelievers listened to Jesus, saw Him perform miracles, ate the miraculous bread that fed 5000 men, heard the message of the gospel… AND STILL… did not believe. John 6:64 quotes Jesus saying, “among you there are some who do not believe”. When Jesus said these words, He was speaking to His closest followers. He spoke to those who stood by Him most ardently. And, even among these diehard followers, some did not believe that Jesus was the real Christ.
If you question a crowd of people if they believe in Jesus as the Christ, you might find some who would affirm their belief. If you question a group of children at a Christian School, a great majority will state they believe in Jesus. Even in a gathering at a church during worship, most if not all would say they believe in Jesus. But do they? Those who were closest to Jesus, who followed Him in person, who would have been considered followers of Jesus at the time, had among them those who did not fully believe in Jesus. They doubted. They weren’t convinced. They questioned Jesus’ actions or words. These were intrigued by Jesus, interested in His teachings, mesmerized by His miracles, or awed by His works… but they still didn’t take the leap of true faith.
The same holds true today.
If you go into any church today, there will be those who truly believe in Jesus. There will also be those who doubt or aren’t convinced or lack commitment. These non-believers or doubters don’t want to take that leap of faith. They can’t get past their questions or fear or lack of understanding or personal hangups. They might say they believe. They might even be church members. But Jesus knows that they aren’t committed, faithful followers. When push comes to shove, they will bail on Jesus. When the wrong conditions arise, they will fall away. When put on the spot, they will deny their faith as quickly as did Peter. Now, while Peter later re-committed his life to Jesus, there are others today who will never take that leap of faith. They are Christian in name only.
Your job is not to separate the sheep from the goats, to winnow out the “unbelievers” and “fallen”. God may show you those who lack belief. Your job is not to cast them out of the church or put them on the spot. They need to hear the gospel. They need to see true faith. They need to face their own doubts and unbelief. You are not the ultimate judge. You are not God.
If you continue to read the verses following John 6:64, you may notice that Jesus did not kick out the unbelievers. He did not separate himself from those who doubted. He did not leave behind those who lacked understanding or commitment or faith. Jesus just continued to preach and teach and minister and spread the gospel. He let God the Father sort them out. This is not to say that Jesus ignored the scoffers and betrayers. In fact, Jesus pointed them out, questioned their commitment, and challenged their Biblical understanding. But Jesus loved both believer and nonbeliever enough to give all a chance to hear the gospel and respond in faith.
As you read the scripture for today from John 6, you might ask yourself, “How could people follow Jesus and not believe! How could they just ignore the miracles, overlook the mercy, deny the truth of the gospel? How could they not see the divinity of Christ? Well, that’s been happening ever since the beginning of time on earth. Even Adam and Eve were in the direct presence of God but still succumbed to the machinations of the serpent! I have witnessed two people sitting in the same pew, hearing the same evangelistic message, even coming from the same background and family…. One went to the altar and accepted Christ while the other could not make that kind of commitment.
Every day you will be surrounded by people. Some will have faith. Some will not. Some are more than willing to commit their way to Christ. Some cannot make that leap of faith. You might even remember times when you doubted, a moment when sins separated you from God, a season when filled with your own lack of commitment. Jesus comes to you just the same. He still calls on you to believe. He expects your response. What will it be? Can you not just say you are a believer but also commit your way to Christ today?
“About twelve miles from the city of Chicago is the suburb of Evanston, where there is a large Methodist university, I think the largest university of the Methodist denomination in America; at all events, a great university.
Years ago, before the college had blossomed into a great university, when there were not many students in it, two young country boys came from the State of Iowa—strong, husky fellows, and one of them was a famous swimmer. Early one morning word came to the college that down on Lake Michigan, just off the shores of Evanston, there was a wreck. It proved to be the “Lady Elgin”. The college boys with everybody in town hurried down to the shores of Lake Michigan. Off yonder in the distance they saw the Lady Elgin going to pieces. Ed Spencer, the famous swimmer, threw off all his superfluous garments, tied a rope round his waist, threw one end to his comrades on the shore, sprang into Lake Michigan, swam out to the wreck, grasped one that was drowning and gave the sign to be pulled ashore. And again, and again, and again he swam out and grasped a drowning man or woman and brought them safe to shore, until he had brought to shore a seventh, an eighth, a ninth, and a tenth. Then he was utterly exhausted.” (R.A. Torry, Anecdotes and Illustrations, pp 163-165).
Ed Spencer saved seventeen souls that day. Why? He was committed to the task. He would not back down. When push came to shove, he felt a call to save those souls. Ed answered that call and almost died for the effort he put into it.
There were others that day who did not enter the water. Some were afraid of drowning. Others could not swim. Ed told his best friends that he wanted to save every soul he could. Ed did not sit on the sidelines. He had faith in his abilities and a desire to save souls. When faith was needed, Ed responded.
You can say that you believe. You can become a church member and attend worship. Whether or not you have a true, committed faith will be determined on the day you are called to make that leap of faith by Almighty God. How will you fare? I wonder what you will do. Jesus knows whether your faith is deeply committed or just a passing fancy or habitual act or social stance. Do you?