Pathway to God
Day 677, Friday, June 19
John 6:25 – 7:24
The Holy Trinity—the belief that God is one God who exists in three distinct persons sharing one substance is a fundamental pillar of Christian theology in spite of never being explicitly named in scripture. The three persons of the Trinity are named: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but never using the word “Trinity.”
Much of the gospel of John is devoted to explaining the relationships within the Trinity: the relationship of the Father to the Son, the Son to the Spirit and the Spirit to the Father. Despite John’s valiant efforts, the Trinity remains one of the most mysterious aspects of Christian theology; we just have trouble wrapping our minds around the idea of three being one. Most of our efforts at explaining it are sadly inadequate.
Two truths that John is clear on about the Trinity is that the persons of the Trinity bear witness to the credibility of one another and lead believers to one another.
In 6:28, people ask Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
He answers, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Later, in verse 40, he says, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.”
Jesus also says, in verse 35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It is in his flesh that we find strength and in his blood that we find life.
He continues in that vein beginning in verse 53 with a passage we associate with Communion: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.”
No doubt these words sounded as harsh to first-century hearers as they do to us. In 6:60 we read, “On hearing it, many of the disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’”
In 6:66 we read, “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
Being a Christian is a demanding calling. It is a life of total commitment, and requires all the strength our mind can muster to try to understand its meaning. We do a disservice to ourselves and those who look to us as witnesses if we reduce its demands to mere niceness and inspirational platitudes.
Friday meditation
Psalms 145:8-21
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.
Prayer focus
We surrender all to you, God. Make us wholly yours, in body, mind and spirit.
-Rev. Mark Fleming