John 6:63
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

This verse stands as a power packed statement about the nature of God’s word. It is  true concerning all of Jesus’ words. They are spirit and they are life. My last post was focused on this reality. In this post, my attention is drawn in another direction. This statement which is generally true about all of Jesus’ words is specifically true about the very words they have just heard him speak.

Previously in this chapter, Jesus has been giving his multitude of followers an encouraging devotional about how they need to drink his blood and eat his flesh if they want eternal life. Understandably, they didn’t understand. Many were offended. Many walked away from Jesus as a result.

Contextually, the specific words of Jesus which are “spirit and life” are the words that weren’t understood, the words that brought offense. I think there is an important truth here. Very often it is in the challenge of Jesus’ least understood words to us that the greatest potential to receive life is found.

Is our “understanding” the proper criteria for receiving the life of the Spirit present within his words? Not according to Jesus. Of course there is no intrinsic value in failing to understand. The Bible puts no premium on ignorance or error. One of the things Jesus’ redemptive work frees us from, however, is our tendancy to rely on knowledge. After all, what was the tree Adam & Eve were NOT supposed to eat from?

At those moments where my understanding fails I can still receive life, for my understanding isn’t essential. In fact it is often my reliance upon understanding that is the biggest obstacle to receiving his life.