QT 6 Aug 12, The early disciples wanted physical blessings and turned away when they learned of only spiritual blessing

John 6:53-66 (NIV) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 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. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."  59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

NOTE: Three phrases stand out quite strongly to me. First, "your forefathers ate manna and died." In other words, why do you want to settle for so little when you can have so much. Do we really consider an eternal inheritance as less valuable than the riches of this world? Secondly, many of Jesus' disciples consider it a hard saying that was difficult to accept, … Why? Because they wanted what the world offers more than what Jesus offered. Jesus made it clear that the issue was not cannibalism because the  words concerned spirit and life and were to be understood in the spiritual sense. The third thing that stands out is that many followers of Christ, disciples, turned back and no longer followed him because he did not offer the riches of this life as the promise for being his disciples. The church is right here today, we are more interested in the riches this life offers, than the eternal reward that God offers to those who believe in him. We are to live for Christ, not for the things of this world.