The Words of Life (John 6:56-69)

Every day we are surrounded by words. Almost from the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to bed at night, there are people talking to us or asking things of us, media of various forms bombarding us with messages, signs telling us what to do, which way to go, or what not to do, and so many more. These words, both verbal and non-verbal, communicate information to us in lots of different ways.

However, words don’t just communicate information. Words also shape us and our lives. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down, to encourage or criticise us, to give us hope or take hope away from us. Anyone who has had another person tell them that they love them knows the power those words possess to bring joy and make a person feel good about themselves. Anyone who has had the misfortune of being told by someone that they hate them also knows how destructive words can be. One problem with social media is that people are often quicker to criticise than encourage others which can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. It is important to realise that words don’t just communicate information. Words have the power to give life and to take life away.

As we conclude the series of gospel readings from John 6 over the last five weeks, we hear how a lot of the people who were listening to Jesus were struggling with the words he was speaking to them. In particular, when Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood (vv53-56), John tells us that many of his followers started turning away from him because his teaching was too hard to accept (v66). At that point, Jesus asked his Twelve Disciples if they were going to leave too. Peter, in an inspired moment, replied to Jesus, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’ (v68 NLT).

In a world where a lot of the words we hear can take life away from us more than give life to us, it is vital that we hear what Peter was saying and listen with him to Jesus’ words of life. When we listen to the words that are often spoken to us by the people around us, the media, and society generally, we can hear words that criticise us, put us down, or make us feel bad about ourselves. These words take life from us because they can rob us of joy, peace and hope. Anyone who has been following the story of Raygun, the Australian representative who competed in the Women’s Breaking event at the recent Paris Olympics, will know how destructive the words we say or type on the computer can be to another person. We can all hear words which take life from us as other people and society in general tell us that we’re not good enough, that we need to look, behave or do better, or that if we purchase their product then we can feel better about ourselves.

In contrast to these life-taking words, Peter points us to the source of words that speak a life-giving message to us. Jesus speaks words which give us life. Throughout John 6, Jesus has been referring to himself as the ‘Bread of Life’ who came down from heaven to give eternal life to everyone who believes in him. Jesus’ purpose isn’t to take life from people or to make his hearers feel bad about ourselves, but to offer himself to us as the eternal Word-made-flesh who gives us life now and forever. Jesus knew that the world takes life from us in lots of different ways, so he speaks a different message to us. The message of Jesus isn’t criticism, condemnation, guilt or shame. Jesus speaks words of love, grace, peace, hope and joy which give us a life that is stronger than death and will last forever.

We can hear these life-giving words of Jesus, not just in John 6, but throughout all of Scripture. One of the skills we can learn as disciples of Jesus is how to listen to Scripture and find the life he gives us through his Word. For example, in other parts of John’s gospel, Jesus says life-giving words like these (all from the NLT):

• ‘God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him’ (3:17)
• ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (8:32)
• ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep’ (10:11)
• ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying’ (11:25)
• ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me’ (14:1)
• ‘I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love’ (15:9)

In last week’s message we heard the story of King Solomon asking God for a listening and hearing heart (1 Kings 3:3-14). When God gives us hearts that are listening to and hearing his words of life in Jesus, we receive this life through faith. When our hearts are listening to and hearing the life-giving words of grace and truth that Jesus speaks, the Holy Spirit gives us the resurrection life of Jesus as our own. The world around us can say whatever it likes. Jesus speaks a better word which is stronger and more powerful than all the negative and condemning words of the world. His words are worth listening to and hearing because they give us life as they create the hope, peace, joy and love of almighty God in our hearts.

The eternal life he gives us is not just in heaven after we die. It is the full and abundant life which Jesus promised us in John 10:10. This eternal life begins in us the moment we hear the good news and the Holy Spirit creates life-giving faith in us. This is called ‘eternal’ life because just as Jesus, the eternal Word of God (John 1:1) existed from eternity and to eternity, so do the words he speaks. Through the words Jesus speaks to us in the Bible, God creates new life in us now as we become his dearly loved children through faith in him. This life continues to grow in us as we grow and mature as followers of Jesus and as God’s dearly loved children. When we pass from this life to the next and enter eternity, the life we receive through the words of Jesus will come to fulfilment as we live forever with him.

We are surrounded by words every day of our lives. A lot of those words can take life from us. The words of Jesus give life to us. His teachings might be hard to understand and might challenge us in lots of different ways, but would we rather be listening to words which take life from us, or the words of Jesus which give us eternal life? As we prayed last week, God give us hearts that are listening to and hearing the life-giving words of Jesus, so we can find life in them and share his life with others through the words we speak.

More to think about or discuss:

• What are some of the messages you hear speak into your life? Do they speak words that give you life or take life from you?
• What are some of the words of Jesus or the Bible that are life-giving to you? Why are they significant or important to you?
• How can we as a faith community learn to listen to Jesus’ life-giving words together better? How might we be able to share his life-giving words with others?