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 signs 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." (John 6:25-27 NIV)
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? (John 6:60-61 NIV)
Pastors, preachers, and teachers are always making choices. They have so much about God that they've learned from their schooling, studies and Scripture. Whey they teach, they have to choose what part(s) to share from what they've learned. All of it is truth, so what part of the truth do you share today?
To make things more complex, we regularly "tell" the teacher what we want to hear and what we don't want to hear. Sometimes we are bold enough to tell the teacher to his or her face, but usually we simply "vote" with our eye-contact, wallets, or, more simply, our attendance. We don't like what they say. We simply don't show up.
You may think this isn't true, but it's hard to argue with numbers. Preachers know they can pack the house with a sermon entitled, "Great Sex." On the other hand, a sermon on the same topic entitled "Sexual Immorality: It's time to stop it!" will leave seats empty and have only crickets singing.
I've spoken with enough preachers/teachers over the years to know that they recognize this dilemma: Teach the topics they want in the way they want so they show up, or teach them what they need to hear...knowing that many of the people who need to hear it simply won't show up. How do we get the truth into the hands of those who need it most?
Jesus faced the same dilemma. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (John 6:66 NIV) He recognized that crowds really gathered over things like healing miracles and feeding of thousands. They weren't really hanging out with him to hear the "convicting sermon." They even voted against him in the same way. When the teaching got tough, the not-so-tough left him. Not only did they leave, but they "no longer followed him." They weren't going to church services anymore. They didn't want to hear about him and his "crazy ideas." They were done.
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