“Hard to Believe”
Today’s Gospel reading shows us a striking moment in the
life and ministry of Jesus. Contrary to
what many assume when they think of Jesus as a preacher, he was not always well
received. Here, at the end of John 6 and
Jesus’ great sermon about himself as the bread of life – here the crowds
finally have heard enough, and they reject him.
They leave. They can’t accept his
teaching. It’s too hard.
I have to confess, it is a great comfort to me as a pastor,
that if even Jesus can be rejected because people find his teaching too hard,
too unbelievable, or for whatever reason – well, no servant is above his
master. It is an encouragement to
pastors to remain faithful to the truth of God’s word even if and when it is an
unpopular teaching, an unwelcome truth.
In other words, if people reject the Gospel we preach – we must remember
they also rejected Jesus’ preaching at times – and that puts us in good
company. Now, of course, if people leave
the church because I’m a jerk or I sin in some way against them – that is on
me. But simple, faithful, preaching of
the truth – if that’s the problem – then it is an honor to be rejected as
Christ was.
The temptation, of course, and this must have been true for
Jesus, too, is to preach what people WANT to hear. To cater to itching ears. To preach a message that never offends, that
never puts you at odds with anyone. A vanilla
Pablum that doesn’t risk anything because it doesn’t say anything. Some cute stories strung together with a vague
and mild sense of spiritual something-something – but no sin, no law, no Jesus,
no cross.
Or, to preach a message that is attractive to the culture,
in its departure from traditional values.
Or, scratch the itch of the Old Adam who is always looking for ways to
justify himself with works – and lay out a means for people to do just that –
in 12 easy steps – or whatever manmade program of self-righteousness you can
concoct.
Well that’s not the sort of thing that’s been preached from
this pulpit, and that, to your credit, is surely a big part of why you are
here. You want the message of Jesus
Christ, crucified for sinners. You want
to be fed with the bread of life – the living bread that comes down from heaven
– who gives his flesh for the life of the world. You want the Gospel!
Or do you?
One of the things this passage also teaches us is that the
Gospel is hard to believe. Jesus’
message of free salvation in him alone – that he alone is the bread of life
that gives life to the world – that’s hard to swallow. It’s even worse, though. It is impossible to believe on our own. Not just for that skeptical crowd that left
him in John 6. For you and me, too. “The Spirit gives life, the flesh is no help
at all”
Luther puts it this way in the Small Catechism we’ve all
learned: “I believe that I cannot, by my
own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him…” We are so corrupted by sin that not only is
the Gospel hard to believe – it’s impossible.
Ever since Adam fell into disbelief and rejection of God’s word, our
will is also bound to reject the truth and to rebel against our creator. Any time sinful man hears God’s truth the
answer is, “This is a hard saying, who can accept it?” and the rhetorical
answer is, “not me!”
But Luther also shows us the answer. “I believe that I cannot, by my own reason or
strength, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him… BUT!
But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel!” Of course this is just another way of saying
what Jesus says here to his disciples: “no
one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
The miracle of faith is that anyone believes in Christ at
all. And this we credit to the work of
the Holy Spirit, who is sent by the Father (and really, also the Son). The Spirit calls us to faith. The Spirit creates faith in us. The Spirit works repentance, through the law
showing us our sin, kindling contrition, and turning us away from the old ways. The Spirit shows us Christ – and the free
gift of salvation. The Spirit, and only
the Spirit, brings us to saving faith in the one crucified for us, Jesus
Christ. And the Spirit works, always,
through the word.
The sinner who rejects the Gospel has only himself to
blame. The believer who follows Christ
has only the Spirit to thank.
And so Jesus turns to his disciples, asking if they’re
leaving too… and Peter makes another one of his great confessions, “Lord, to
whom shall we go? YOU have the words of
eternal life!” And we echo that
confession today even as we gather around those same words of eternal
life. We can’t go to ourselves for
eternal life. We can’t go to some guru
or life coach. We can’t work our way up
the spiritual ladder of holiness. We
can’t even come to faith on our own.
Rather, we must trust entirely in the God who first called us to faith
to sustain us in that faith.
But what a blessing it is that salvation is his alone. If my faith rested on my own shoulders it
would always be in doubt, uncertain, as shifting as the sands of my own sinful
heart and mind. But on the sure
foundation of Christ’s word, and the solid ground of the Spirit’s working, we
must be saved. If God does it – it can’t
be bad, and it won’t go wrong.
Now, this doesn’t mean that once we are a Christian,
everything is easy. Rather, sometimes
even confirmed LCMS Lutherans struggle to believe. Either we have our moments of doubt and fear,
times of weakness of faith – to which I can only point you back to the Gospel
you first received. And remind you that
a bruised reed he doesn’t crush, and a smoldering wick he won’t snuff out. Even a weak faith is faith. Even a mustard seed of it does wonders. Simply pray, “Lord, I believe, help my
unbelief.”
Or else maybe you struggle with a particular teaching of
Jesus. Maybe you find a certain doctrine
“hard to believe”. Perhaps it’s the
6-day creation account of Genesis, or that sin came into the world through Adam
and Eve. Maybe you have a problem with the
scriptural teaching that reserves the office of the public ministry for men and
not for women. Some people struggle with
Paul’s warnings in 1 Corinthians 11 about unworthy reception of Holy Communion,
and how that is faithfully and lovingly practiced. And I know many, probably a surprising amount
of us in this room, wrestle with Scripture’s teachings of sexuality in light of
the drumbeat of our so-called “progressive” culture. Maybe some even take offense and grumble at
these teachings of scripture, these teachings of Jesus.
As a pastor, I don’t relish the times when people find the
doctrine of the Bible “hard to believe”.
I don’t look forward to the thought of defending God’s word. I hate to see people do what the crowd did in
John 6, simply say, “this is a hard teaching” – and turn their back on the
truth.
But I also know that the Holy Spirit is smarter than any of
us. And he changes hearts and renews
minds in ways beyond our knowing. All I
can do as a faithful pastor is show you what the word says. It’s not my job to convict you – that’s the
Spirit. It is he who convicts the world
in regard to sin and righteousness.
But I can encourage you to remain humble. Many of us didn’t always believe as we
do. Most mature Christians can tell you
how they’ve been brought down the road of faith – sometimes in a short time
through a conversion experience – but more often, over time, in small and
subtle ways, as the Spirit moves. Many
souls wiser than you and I have gone before us.
We are not the first to wrestle with hard teachings.
And to strengthen your faith – remain in the word. The words Jesus speaks are spirit and
life! Continue to read, mark, learn and
inwardly digest the easy and the hard teachings of Jesus. You’re never too old to learn and grow in
that inexhaustible treasure of God’s word.
You never don’t need to be reminded, renewed, and reaffirmed in that
word.
And feed your faith, or rather, be fed by him – the bread of
life – who also comes to you this day in the table prepared for your forgiveness,
life and salvation. But remember one of
the benefits of the Lord’s Supper is the strengthening of faith. Just as Elijah was strengthened for his
journey, and the Israelites sustained by mana in the wilderness, so the
sustenance of Christ’s true body and blood is given to sustain you, to strengthen
and preserve you in the true faith – even to life everlasting.
Believing is hard.
But you’re not on your own. In
fact it’s really not up to you at all.
Trust, rather, in the one who has the words of eternal life – and gives
them to you freely, even Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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