When Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum, many disciples said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” (John 6:59-60). What was it that was so “difficult” in Jesus’ teaching? Did He teach something that was hard to understand, or just hard to accept?
Through most of the chapter, Jesus was explaining that He was “the bread of life” (John 6:48). In contrasting this with the manna their forefathers ate in the wilderness, He said, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51).
It is not too surprisingly that there was a misunderstanding at first. They thought Jesus was telling them to eat His actual flesh (John 6:52). This would be “difficult” to accept. Yet Jesus explained what He meant: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).
Jesus’ point was that His disciples must take in His word and live by it. Yet even this was “difficult” to accept, so “many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore” (John 6:66). Yet Peter and the rest of the twelve remained because Jesus had “words of eternal life” (John 6:68). This is also why we follow Jesus.
So accept the difficult statements of Jesus. Let us allow the instructions and demands of His word to be our life. If we do this, the result will be “eternal life.”