John 6:41–44
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.
”They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’? ”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Scripture Insights
God is the Great Initiator, the First Actor in all of creation. Gaze at a mountain, consider the vast oceans, or peer into the face of a newborn. In all these, God has moved first, and we are stunned by his creative genius. God is also the Great Initiator in our redemption. God sent his Son, Jesus, long before we had any awareness of our deep need for him.
In today’s scripture, the Jewish leaders are grumbling. Though they can be recipients of God’s grace in the person of Jesus, they have refused to accept him. Their hearts have grown cold and unreceptive to the overtures of the Initiator.
We must guard against a similar mindset. God’s grace always invites our response. The Creator God whose creation so humbles us made us with a soul vacancy only he can fill. Like the Jewish leaders who knew Jesus’s parents and where he grew up, we must be careful not to let our proximity to and familiarity
with Jesus become so commonplace that we fail to respond to his proposals.
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have searched us and know us. Overwhelm us today with a fresh awareness of your astonishing love, and move us by your Holy Spirit to respond to
you with a consistent, “Yes, Lord! I’m yours! Use me as you see fit.” a little more help.
—Sam Barber
Global Director, Nazarene Discipleship International
