The Words Of Life

by Doug Morrell

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66).

Jesus says some arresting things to His disciples, things that are hard to hear, things that command attention. Here we learn that many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. We focus much of our attention on how attractive it is to follow Jesus, how He drew multitudes to Himself, but as you read through the Gospels, you see that there were times when Jesus deliberately said hard things and people chose to leave. When Jesus saw the crowds turn and leave, He asked the 12 disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?" (John 6:67). What is implied is, “If you feel you have to go, I will not keep you here against your will. If, after having heard and considered what it will cost to be My disciple, you decide to leave, please go. Because my way is the only way, the narrow way and only those who continue in My word, those who love one another, those who bear much fruit, those who choose Me over all others, those who die to self-centeredness, those who are willing to endure suffering and even death can be my disciples.” (John 14:6; Mth. 7:13; Luke 14:25-34; John 8:31; 13:35; 15:8) And in his wonderfully bigger-than-life way, Peter responds as we would all like to think we would by saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

Peter had been thinking about this beforehand. And, as was his usual practice, Peter said what everyone else was thinking. In effect, Peter was saying, “Jesus, you are a hard man to follow. You are bitterly sweet, demandingly attractive, disturbingly alluring. Just when we think we have You all figured out, You throw us into a tailspin. We have examined the cost, looked at our options, walked away from our businesses, our homes, everything, and quite honestly, there is no other place we would rather be than by Your side.”

That is the word for today. Are you still following Jesus as you once did or have you turned back to building your business, your fortune, your kingdom? Those who have been once enlightened, and have tasted the good word of God are difficult to bring back (Heb. 6:4-6).

"Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace." And with that sharp warning to his own church, Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his book entitled The Cost of Discipleship. Originally published in 1937, it soon became a classic exposition of what it means to follow Christ in a modern world. At its center stands an interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount: what Jesus demanded of His followers - and how the life of discipleship is to be continued in all ages of the post-resurrection church.

"Every call of Jesus is a call to death," Bonhoeffer wrote. His own life ended in martyrdom on April 9, 1945.

Halfhearted discipleship minimizes Christ’s maximum purpose for you in this age. This does not automatically mean that those who turn away are apostate or have lost conviction. It simply means that Jesus’ discipleship enterprise demands undivided attention and commitment – discipleship is costly and dangerous.

Often, we take middle ground with Jesus instead of choosing to traverse the road less traveled. When He asked the disciples if they would also leave, He was showing that they could either follow or leave Him. He simply told the truth. The more we hear Jesus' real message, the more we are divided into two camps - disciples who want to obey and who will follow, and those who turn away because they do not like what they hear.

The Bible describes faith as being “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). How deep is your conviction? If you were arrested for being a disciple, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

There is no other way. Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Who are you following?

Copyright 2005 by Doug Morrell, CORE Discipleship Group Ministries, http://www.coregroups.org. You may copy this article for free and distribute as long as you do not change the content, make sure this copyright statement is included, and you distribute for free. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.