On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you-they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did did not believe and who would betray Him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray Him.)

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I just can’t get over the thought of wondering how it must’ve made Jesus feel when so many turned their backs on Him and walked away. It makes me consider my own relationship with Him. How it must feel every moment I turn my back on Him and choose the world. I hate the thought of disappointing Jesus. I encourage each of you, to consider how He must feel every time we turn from Him. Use it as motivation and encouragement not to do it again. Just as Peter says…where else can we go? We know Jesus offers eternal life. Keep running towards Him each and every day.

When they found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the sign I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”

So they asked Him, “What sign will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 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 at the last day.”

At this the Jews there began to grumble about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I came down from heaven?’”

Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only He has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “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 feed on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue In Capernaum.

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What sticks out to me in this passage today is the fact that Jesus brings life. Nothing else can sustain us for eternity. Manna can sustain for a short while, but they still died. The satisfactions of this world may be able to sustain for a while, but only Jesus can bring life eternal. I want eternal life…don’t you? Pursue Jesus today.

When evening came, His disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with His disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberius landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

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They were willing to let Him in. Sometimes I think we live life in fear in such a way that we don’t let Jesus in as a result. We try to conquer the fear on our own. We try to overcome the issues by ourselves. When we do that we don’t leave much room for Jesus. Jesus isn’t going to force His way in either. Maybe you have been trying to deal with this pandemic and all of your emotions on your own…using your own opinions and trying to overcome your ow fears…and maybe you just haven’t been leaving any room in your boat for Jesus. Today, make some room. Today, work on letting go so that He can take over. It says the boat immediately hit shore when they let Him in. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get out of the storm. Let Him in your boat today.

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberius), and a great crowd of people followed Him because they saw the signs He had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with His disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do. Happy

Philip answered Him, “It would take more than a half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

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Jesus never takes the accolades. He always gave glory to His Father. He could’ve accepted their praise and been made king, but that wasn’t the mission He had been given. I think sometimes churches try to hard to be recognized. They post pictures and videos of all that they do to impress someone else and let someone else know what all they have done. If we are going to truly follow Jesus…it means just letting our actions and words speak for themselves. It’s about not letting your right hand know what your left is doing. Why? Because when we start to broadcast all we are doing, the focus automatically becomes more about us and less about God.

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish-the very works that I am doing-testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

I do not accept the glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

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Jesus says you study the Scriptures diligently because you think in them is eternal life. There are many who know the scripture inside and out but have no relationship with Jesus. We can know every word from beginning to end and still not live it out in our individual lives. It’s one thing to know what the Word says, it’s another thing to apply it and live it out. Don’t just know what scripture says, live by it each and every day.

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute Him. In His defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Jesus have them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to who He is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out-those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.”

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Jesus, as He declares His authority, leaves us with two options. We can either live, or be condemned. I mean, to me it’s a no brainer which one we would choose. We would choose life ten out of ten times. Sometimes, however, our words and actions reflect a different choice. There are no other options…it’s either follow Jesus and live, or follow the world and be condemned. It’s pretty straight forward. What will you choose?

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

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It says that at once the man was cured. I just want to remind us today that nothing is too big for God. There is no sin, disease, or past that is too much for Him. The problem we have is sometimes we think He should intervene more, when God in His infinite wisdom does not. We have to learn to trust that God is greater. He is greater than our worries, shame, and shortcomings. He can change it all “at once.” He is God…we are not. Let’s trust Him over our thoughts and opinions. Let’s trust Him to know and do what’s best.

After the two days He left for Galilee. (Now Jesus Himself has pointed out that a prophet has no honor in His own country.) When He arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen all that He has done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to Him and begged Him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at His word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

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Jesus was right…it wasn’t until the man saw the sign that he believed. But he did something noble…it says he took Jesus at His word. Maybe you struggle with anxiety and when Jesus says don’t be anxious you turn it off. Maybe instead of waiting for the sign you just start taking Him at His word…knowing that the sign will come. This could be true for anything we are going through…even things like doubt and self-worth. Maybe we just need to take Jesus at His word…and trust that the sign will come. So today…just start by taking Him at His word. Then…leave it to Him.

Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

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They first believed because of the woman’s testimony. People will come to believe through hearing the Word. How will they hear if we don’t tell it to them? If we we refuse to share this amazing Gospel story, how will they know? Here’s the best part about it…they may come to believe in Him through the Word you speak, but as they pursue Jesus…He will make Himself known and they will believe because of His presence. The Samaritans first believed because of the woman’s testimony, but then they believed more so because they pursued Jesus and they heard His words. God will show up…we just need to introduce people to Him.

Just then His disciples returned and were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward Him.

Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then His disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought Him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the slower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying, ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

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I can’t help but think, during all of this pandemic and unrest, that Jesus is telling us the same thing. Look! The fields are ripe for harvest! We have an opportunity during a time of great uncertainty to share with them the one thing that will always remain certain…Jesus. We have the opportunity to share with unbelievers a foundation that will never crumble. We can share peace, joy, love, etc. So what are you doing during these uncertain times? Are you just living your life in the uncertainty or are you getting to work? Look! The fields are ripe for harvest!