Converted or Deserted?

Some people think that following Christ requires little or nothing on their part. They only see all the benefits and blessings. When, however, they learn that God actually requires their all, they often lose interest in following the Lord. Such was the case with many “disciples” who once followed Jesus. Let us examine the incident recorded in John 6:60-69 and ask ourselves three questions to see what category into which we fall. Are we truly converted or have we deserted Christ?

Are We Cleaving?

In John 6:1-14, Jesus miraculously fed “about five thousand” men with “five barley loaves, and two small fishes.” When Jesus “perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king,” He left their presence and went into a mountain to get away from them. At this time, they certainly wanted to cleave to Jesus, but for the wrong reasons. When they finally caught up with Jesus, He told them, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled” (Jn. 6:26). Some people only want Jesus for “what’s in it for me”! The word “disciple” simply means a “follower,” or “learner,” of someone else. In the Gospels, the word can either refer to true disciples or, as here, “fair weather disciples.” In Acts and the epistles, “disciples” almost always refers to either the apostles or to true followers of Christ. As long as their bellies were full of food, they wanted to cleave to Jesus, but after the Master gave the “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” discourse (Jn. 6:53-58), “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” (Jn. 6:60-62).

Jesus’ requiring their all was a “hard saying” because, in their minds, following Jesus was all about physical satisfaction. This is also a reason why some would be offended by His ascension—they were looking for an earthly kingdom, which could not be possible if the King returned to heaven! Why do we follow Jesus? Are we cleaving to Him because of “what’s in it for me”? Or, do we cleave to Him because we know we are spiritually destitute without Him?

Are We Believing?

Jesus continued, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (Jn. 6:63). Note that it is the words of Jesus that give spiritual life. Not even Jesus’ flesh by itself could give it! Earlier in the chapter, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51). Jesus was contrasting the manna of Moses’ day with Himself, the true “bread from heaven” (Jn. 6:32-51). In both cases the “bread” had to be eaten to be of any benefit. The main difference was that the manna only temporarily sustained physical life—the people still eventually died! However, the true “bread from heaven,” Jesus Christ, sustains spiritual life eternally. This was made possible because “the bread I will give is my flesh,” an allusion to His death on the cross. Though Jesus “tasted death for every man” (Heb. 2:9), “every man” will not receive eternal life (cf. Mt. 7:13-14). The reason why? All men will not “eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood” (Jn. 6:53-558), which is not an allusion to the Lord’s Supper, but a figurative way of saying that unless we “digest” Jesus, by continually learning and practicing His will, and allow His word to permeate every aspect of our being, we cannot have eternal life (Jn. 6:54 cf. Jn. 6:40). What hinders people from “digesting” Christ? They do not believe! Jesus said, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not” (Jn. 6:64). The words of Jesus are only beneficial when they are believed (cf. Jn. 5:39-40). The only way the Scriptures can give eternal life is when people are drawn to Jesus through them! Jesus continued, “Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (Jn. 6:65 cf. Jn. 6:44-45). Do we believe Jesus enough to make His word our constant spiritual diet? Are we hungry enough to allow His will to completely guide us in every aspect of life?

Are We Leaving?

In one of the saddest notes in all the Bible, John wrote, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (Jn. 6:66). How could followers of Jesus who so diligently sought Him earlier now walk away? The answer is simple, but all too common: they were not willing to live up to the expectations of Jesus. Again, they wanted “full bellies” for themselves (Jn. 6:26), but not full commitment to Jesus. However, a true disciple of Jesus is one who must “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt. 16:24). Jesus then turned to the apostles, “Will ye also go away?” (Jn. 6:68). Peter’s answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (Jn. 6:69). Peter’s threefold answer still echoes loudly through the centuries: (1) there is nowhere else to go for spiritual sustenance than Jesus (Jn. 4:10; 6:48; Acts 4:12); (2) Jesus has the “words of eternal life” (Jn. 1:4; 6:63; 17:8; Acts 5:20); and (3) Jesus is the only one in whom we can have complete confidence because He is “that Christ, the Son of the living God” (Jn. 3:1-2; 5:36 cf. Acts 2:32-36). We only have two choices: Are we fully committed to Christ, willing to be a “living sacrifice” for Him (cf. Rom. 12:2) or are we leaving Him by virtue of the fact that we are not willing to do all of His will?

Conclusion

Are we still living for Christ or have we, like many, walked away from Him? We must cleave to Jesus for the right reasons, not because we desire a physically “full belly.” In order to spiritually cleave to Jesus, we must continually believe His word to the point that we practice it in every aspect of our thoughts and deeds. If we are not 100% with Jesus, we are against Him (Mt. 12:30). Are we converted or deserted?