14th Sunday after Pentecost John 6:56-69

Ancient Lens

What can we learn from the historical context?

A Hard Saying

There are (at least) two leaps that Jesus’s listeners have to make here.  One is the reality of the incarnation and the other is the anticipation of the crucifixion.  The language of sacrifice would not be lost on the people, as they ate the flesh of sacrificed animals regularly in festivals of worship.  The blood would certainly be a hard part of the saying, since blood was associated with life and was supposed to be drained from animals, although this part of the saying would fit with Jesus being the “living” bread. 

Human sacrifices, however, could be outside their range of comprehension, to say nothing of  cannibalism.  This…

1. How do we feel when we get offended by someone we don’t know well? How do we feel when we get offended by someone we love? Does the former push us away and the latter draw us closer?

2. How many people in your life would draw closer to you if you offended them? Vice versa?

3. What is a time you have been offended by God’s truth? What is a time you have been offended by God’s grace?

4. How do different kinds of people around you react when offended by Jesus?

5. What is a time that your trust in someone has allowed you to overcome being offended? Vice versa?

6. What would…