There are no obstacles to being healed by Jesus. (Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 5-6)

Matthew 14:4-9

It's hard to say unpopular things. No one loves to be ridiculed because of something he or she said. Try posting something controversial on Facebook and see what happens.

What if our statement would bring more than simple ridicule? What if what we said brought physical danger? What if your statement criticized the most powerful person in the area? This is exactly what John did. He told Herod the king that it wasn't okay to sleep with his sister-in-law. "For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her."

Because of John's criticism, John was put into prison. Herod would have executed him but he was afraid of the people because "they counted him as a prophet." He didn't want to cause a revolt among the people.

However, on his birthday, his sister-in-law's daughter danced for him and Herod "promised with an oath" that she could have whatever she wanted. Being asked by her mother, she asked for John's head. "And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her."

Okay, the thing I want to talk about is pride. It is Herod's pride that drove him to imprison John. He didn't like the criticism. It wasn't that Herod felt guilty - he didn't. He just didn't like someone criticizing him publicly. Herod's pride led to John's arrest.

It was likely the pride of Herodias that motivated her to have John executed. I'm sure she didn't like being criticized publicly either. In her pride, she wanted revenge. She obviously didn't care if John's beheading would cause a revolt. Her pride had been injured and she wanted John to pay with his life.

Pride can motivate us to do all sorts of things. When we feel pressure to do something, we should attempt to discern if the source of that pressure is pride.

14:13-14

Jesus was affected by John's death. "When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart." He wanted to be alone. He wanted to mourn. John and Jesus were connected even before they were born. They were close. Although Jesus had a firm understanding of the plan of salvation, he still would miss him. It's okay to be sad when someone dies even though we know we will see him or her again.

I'm sure he also wanted to connect with his Heavenly Father. His father could offer comfort. His father could help him understand this horrible event. Heavenly Father can do the same for us in the midst of our trials.

Christ's alone time was interrupted by a multitude of people. "...and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities." He could have been frustrated at this but, of course, didn't. "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."

Jesus didn't wallow in his sorrow. He took a minute but then turned outward. I'm afraid, when tragedy strikes us, that we often turn inward and stay that way. Our tragedy becomes our identity. Jesus focuses on helping others. This is a good example of how we should handle tragedy. Take a minute to mourn and then look outward.

14:15-21

Jesus healed and taught all day. "And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat." He cared about healing them and teaching them...now, he cared about physically feeding them. It would have been much easier to send the people away. Jesus appreciated the effort of the people and gave them what they needed.

The problem was that they didn't have hardly any food. "And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes." There are a lot of responses Jesus could have had at this point. He could have been disappointed that the disciples didn't think ahead. He could have been frustrated that the people didn't bring something themselves. Instead, Jesus said, "Bring them hither to me."

Jesus wants us to do what we can. He loves effort. He can take that effort and multiply it. If I ever have a demanding calling, I don't need to worry about being perfect at it. I just need to give what I have and he will do the rest. I witnessed this when we were given a heavy responsibility in the missionary department. We didn't know what we were doing but did what we could and it worked out. What was created was beyond what we offered. It was a miracle!

I do love that Jesus took the time to bless the loaves and fishes. He could have been focused on the miracle ahead of him but he took the time to thank God. Gratitude was one of Jesus's best qualities. He didn't have an easy life - but he was grateful for what he experienced. We can learn from that.

14:23

Another example of Jesus maintaining a close relationship with his Father was what he did after feeding the five thousand. "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone." Jesus prayed often. He built a close relationship with his Father. I'm sure that much of that relationship was built on the foundation of prayer.

It is no different for us. We all want a strong relationship with Heavenly Father. That relationship will also be built on a foundation of prayer. I'm pretty lousy at prayer - both in frequency and sincerity. It is one of those areas where I have much to improve. I want to. I want a deep, trusting, sincere, strengthening relationship with my Heavenly Father. I know that I have the same opportunities to communicate with God that Jesus had. There is no additional barrier between me and Him.

14:24-27

The apostles may have been offering sincere prayers but for a different reason. "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." The fourth watch is 3:00-6:00 am. It sounds like they were struggling for most of the night. It was almost morning.

No doubt that Jesus was aware of their struggle. Why did Jesus allow them to struggle for so long? Why does he allow any of us to struggle?

Struggle develops strength. They had to face this challenge. I'm sure it was a test of their faith. They maybe thought that they would be protected because they were the apostles to the Messiah. They may have thought that their way through life would be paved with gold. They needed to learn early on that their lives were not going to be sheltered. They were still going to struggle.

I'm sure that their faith was tested throughout the night. Did they believe in Jesus even though they were allowed to perish? They were probably at the peak of despair when Jesus showed up. The message to us is that we may be allowed to struggle but Jesus will always show up - even if it is during the fourth watch.

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." They had no need to fear. Nothing in this world could alter their eternal course. Jesus lives. We need not fear. This world presents no eternal threats.

14:28-32

This is the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water. Once Jesus identified himself, Peter made a request. "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Peter didn't hesitate to believe that Jesus could perform a miracle. He just wanted to confirm that it was Christ's will. This is a good pattern for ourselves when we are asking for a miracle. We should remember that God knows what is best for us and his will is what matters. Peter had to exercise faith, but it had to be Christ's will.

"And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."

I love that Jesus simply said "come." It is so simple. We don't have to figure out a complicated path towards exaltation. We simply need to come to Jesus. Often, we make our church membership too complicated. There is nothing complicated about coming to Jesus. He taught us, he showed us, he paved the way for us. We just have to follow.

When Peter was focused on "to go to Jesus" he walked on water. It wasn't until he "saw the wind boisterous..." that he began to sink. Our lives can become boisterous. There can be lots of distractions. When we take our focus off of the Savior, that is when we sink.

Peter knew that he needed Jesus to save him. He didn't attempt to walk harder to stay above water. It wasn't completely up to him. He was literally over his head. He called out to the Lord when he was "beginning to sink." I think this is a good example of when to turn to Jesus for help. Let's not wait until we are at rock bottom before we ask for help. Peter was the lead apostle. Even he needed help.

I love how Jesus "immediately" stretched for his hand and caught Peter. There is no delay between asking for strength and receiving it. Jesus may wait until the fourth watch to save us, but he doesn't wait to strengthen us. The moment Peter asked for help, he got it.

14:36

He was recognized in the land of Gennesaret. The people brought those who were diseased. "And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." I think it's interesting that it didn't mention that Jesus actively healed them. It only says that those who touched his garment were healed.

So the question is, did Jesus heal them? Or, did their faith heal them? I think it was their faith. Jesus and the hem of his garment were a focal point for their faith. His hem was something that bolstered their faith. It was not the hem of his garment that healed anyone. It increased their faith.

Of course, it increased their faith IN JESUS CHRIST. It wasn't just a generic faith that they could be healed. It's that way for us. The first principle of the gospel is not just faith. It is "faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." We must remember that. True faith doesn't exist if it isn't faith in Jesus Christ.

Mark

6:2, 36

"And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?" The people who were his neighbors and friends didn't understand where he received his wisdom and power. In verse 3, it says that "they were offended at him." Why?

I think the challenge is that we think we are smart. We think we understand how the universe works. We think we fully comprehend the purposes of this mortal life. We think we have a firm grasp on the entire plan of salvation. Fact is, we don't.

We are like children with our understanding. We don't know what we don't know. But, since we are prideful, we think we see as clearly as Heavenly Father. We don't. His ways are not our ways. Just because something doesn't make sense to us doesn't mean it's not true.

His friends and neighbors couldn't understand how he received his wisdom and power. It didn't are logical sense to them. So, they thought that he must be a fraud.

The lesson here is to understand that we don't always understand. We don't have the full picture. We need to remember that when our church leaders teach a principle or change a policy that we don't understand.

I think this point is also made in verse 36. The apostles are concerned about the 5,000 who have nothing to eat. They rely on themselves and their wisdom to come up with a solution. "Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?" They noticed the problem and devised a solution. When Jesus countered with a directive to feed them, they still relied on their human brains to solve this problem. Their solution was to buy "two hundred penny worth of bread." It wouldn't be enough to feed this huge group. Their solutions weren't great.

But, if they would have had more faith and a greater understanding of who they were with, they might have considered that their human brains weren't sufficient. They needed to rely less on themselves and more on Jesus. So do we. So do we.

6:12

"And they went out, and preached that men should repent." That doesn't sound like a complicated message. But, if that's all you ever taught, it would be okay. Helping others have the awareness that repentance is needed is important. Helping others have the strength to repent is important. Helping others know how to repent is important.

The plan of salvation is about progress. We are working to become like Heavenly Father. The process of repentance is the definition of progress. We are constantly refining ourselves. We should preach more repentance.

6:20,26

The king's character is evident in how he handled John the Baptist. "For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly." Herod respected John. He watched him. He listened to him. He followed John's direction with gladness!

But, when he might lose face with his friends, he was willing to order the execution of John. Herod murdered John "for their sakes which sat with him." It's pathetic. He was willing to kill someone he respected so he didn't look bad for his friends at his birthday party! How prideful and narcissistic must you be to do that?

While not many of us will murder someone to look good to others, we should consider what we are willing to do to look good for others. What choices do we make to appear righteous or wealthy? Do we go through the motions of church attendance so we look good? Are we valiant in our callings to have the respect of the members of the ward? Do we show up at service projects for show? We cannot let the opinions of others be a driving force for what we do.

6:31

"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." I love that Jesus is concerned that the apostles haven't had any rest. As I write this, I feel like taking a nap and Jesus is making me feel okay with that...

I am also impressed that Jesus and the apostles were working to serve others so much that they weren't taking the time to eat! It gives us a little insight into what Christ's ministry was like. It wasn't glamorous or easy. It was work.

In The Chosen, there was a scene where Jesus is in a tent and there is a long line of people waiting to be healed. The apostles are working to manage the group. It looked like work. I had to keep reminding myself that miracles were happening because it seemed like a job. The last scene of that episode shows Jesus stumbling to his tent after a long day of healing. Nothing about Christ's ministry was easy.

6:34, 52

"And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things." I have to think about the world today. There are so many of us who are sheep without a shepherd. People don't know where to turn to be a part of something greater. We are seeing young people getting caught up in social causes. Some are seeing wokeness as a religion. We see passionate arguments between true believers of opposing views. It's almost like people are looking for a religion that isn't a religion.

We are all in need of a shepherd. If left to our own devices, we get in all kinds of trouble.

This point is further developed when the apostles were "amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered" at the fact that Jesus was walking on water. They knew that they were with the Messiah. They had just witnessed the feeding of the 5,000. They must have known that Jesus could perform miracles. Yet they were surprised. "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened." They didn't understand what was happening and that was hard for their minds to comprehend.

We must believe that the creator of the universe can perform miracles in our lives. We shouldn't ignore the miracles he did for others. He is willing to do miracles in our lives if we soften our heart and have faith.

John

5:5-7

"And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." Jesus asked a simple question - if he wanted to be healed. Instead of simply saying YES, he talked about why he hadn't been able to get to the pool in time. He blamed two reasons:

1. He had no man to help him get to the water.

2. Others were able to step in before him.

These are legitimate problems that explained why things hadn't worked out for him in the past. The problem was that his past was preventing him from truly listening to Jesus who wanted to heal him. He was blinded by his past problems.

I can imagine how often he complained about his situation. He'd been there 38 years. He wasn't seeing or hearing what was right in front of him. Have you ever met someone like that? You're trying to help and offering legitimate solutions but they are paralyzed by their past trials. They can't see past their own experience.

I'm sure all of us have done this in one way or another. We ignore alternative solutions based on past failures. We are so caught up in the negatives that we can't even recognize something that might be a big positive. Don't do that.

Thankfully, the man exercised faith after Christ told him to rise and walk. He had to be the one to get up. We can all rise if we have the faith in Jesus Christ.

5:10-11

"The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk." Again I'm amazed at the ignorance and arrogance of the Pharisees. The fact that they focused on him breaking the sabbath after being crippled for 38 years is honestly astonishing.

I love that the man excused himself by essentially saying, "the same guy that healed me told me to carry my bed...that's good enough for me." He recognized that Jesus obviously had authority. If he had authority to heal, he had the authority to direct him to carry his bed on the sabbath.

5:14

"Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." What was Jesus saying? Was he threatening him that he would be even more crippled if he sinned? I don't think so.

The consequences of sin are much higher than paralysis if we consider both in an eternal scope. The resurrection will fix broken legs but won't fix a rebellious spirit. Sin has much longer-lasting effects - it is truly a worse thing.

5:17

"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." God's work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It is righteous work. The sabbath is set aside as a day of rest from the worldly work that we must do. It is a day to focus on God and recommit to following Christ's example. It is completely appropriate to do God's work. To help him in his work. Jesus was saying that. What's cool is we can say the same thing. If we are clearing the driveway of a widow, if we are teaching a lesson, if we are visiting a family in need - all of those things are righteous, godly work. We can honor the sabbath by doing God's work.

5:19-20

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel." There are a few important principles that are highlighted in these two verses:

• Jesus has witnessed his Father do many things. When did he witness this? It suggests that Jesus spent a lot of time with his Father that isn't recorded. It's interesting to think about.

• Jesus follows his Father's example. Jesus isn't blazing his own trail. His will is swallowed up in his Father's. We also learn that Heavenly Father doesn't just simply command - he leads by example.

• The Father loves the Son. This is why Heavenly Father shows him all of things that he does.

• There are greater works in store. Imagine all of the miracles that Jesus did. He's saying that he has witnessed his Father doing the same thing. It makes you consider all of the prayers that go directly to our Father and how he grants them if he wills it. Needless to say, God has performed infinite miracles over the course of human history as a result of prayers.

5:22-23

"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Why has God "committed all judgment unto the Son?" Here is an interesting thought. Consider that our Heavenly Father was once like us - he wasn't the Savior of his Father's universe but was a normal man who progressed to inherit all that his father had.

Of course he is all-knowing. But, can he completely empathize with us like Jesus can? It's an interesting thought. Jesus, unlike any of us, has experienced every type of pain and suffering that we do. Will I ever experience that, even as I progress to become like Heavenly Father? Probably not? So, it makes sense that Jesus, who endured the atonement, is the right person to judge us. He can perfectly empathize.

Knowing that Jesus will be our judge encourages us to give him honor. "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."

5:24, 30

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." I love how Jesus is continually giving credit to Heavenly Father. I think I am quick to accept credit when I do something good and someone compliments me. I should be better about pointing their praise towards God who grants me the ability to do anything. Without God, I wouldn't be accomplishing much.

"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." If our goal is to seek the will of God when judging someone or something, we have a much greater chance of being just. Jesus was perfect at this and judges perfectly.

5:39, 46

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Jesus was attempting to build on common beliefs. They believed the scriptures. They viewed the scriptures as God himself. They believed that eternal life sprung from the scriptures.

Of course, the scriptures prophesied of Jesus Christ. Jesus was building his credibility by citing a source that they would trust. "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me."

5:44

"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?" How stupid were they that they wanted the honor of men but didn't care about the honor of God? As you think about that, consider how you may be placing more importance on the honors of men than God's honor. Consider the amount of effort we exert to receive honor from our peers - or even strangers. We work pretty hard at it. Arguably more effort than how we strive for God's honor.

It's helpful to consider the similarities between us and those ancient Jews rather than imagine the differences. We're not that different I think.

5:45-47

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" There is no way that they were going to believe Jesus Christ. The writings of all ancient prophets spoke of Jesus. It should have been clear to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

But, they didn't really care about understanding Moses. They might have wanted to understand his writings insomuch that their knowledge might elevate them in their social circles. What Moses actually meant was definitely secondary.

How are we like them? Do we study the scriptures to appear more knowledgeable to our friends and fellow church members? We should study to truly learn and become closer to the Savior - that should be our motivation. If this would have been the pure motivation of the Pharisees, they would have recognized Jesus.

6:26

This verse is about motivations. "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." They didn't care about Christ's teachings. They weren't even impressed with the miracles. They were interested in Jesus because he fed them.

For them, their discipleship was about what they would get out of it. It wasn't about earnestly striving to learn more and improve and understand God. It was about free food.

Again, that than simply criticizing these people, we should look inward and consider what our motivations are. Why do we want to learn from Jesus? Why do we want to be righteous? Is our motivation grounded in loving God and loving our fellow man? Or, is our motivation the promise of eternal reward?

For many of us, our primary source of motivation is future rewards, glory, etc. I know that is a large part of my motivation. I'm afraid that it won't be enough to become like our Heavenly Father.

These motivations are self-interested. For us to even desire to be like God, we must have a sincere love for God and other people. I think we will be able to achieve the glory of the celestial kingdom with lesser motivations. To become like God, our motivations must be to serve others. I have a lot to work on......

6:28-29

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." These people wanted the list of things to do to do "works of God." They wanted specifics to check off a list. Christ's gospel isn't like that.

This religion isn't complicated. We must simply believe in Jesus Christ. We must follow what he taught. We must put our faith in him. That's it.

This religion can get complicated. There are a lot of moving parts. There are a lot of objectives. There are a lot of programs. We can get distracted from the main point if we don't focus. If we want to do the work of God, we must simply believe in Christ.

6:27, 30-32

"They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." They wanted food. They wanted Jesus to perform tricks. They brought up Moses as an example of what a prophet should do. If Jesus claimed to be a prophet, then he should give them stuff so they believed.

In verse 27, Christ taught, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." They needed to change their motivation away from getting some free food from the Savior. They needed to elevate their desires.

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." Jesus is telling them that they weren't going to get manna but were getting something even greater.

6:35

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." This is the point of this gospel. If we come to Jesus, we will be fulfilled. There is no earthly substitute as a source of happiness. No amount of fame, power, prestige, riches, beauty will ever satisfy us.

But, if we are following the Savior, life is fulfilling and we feel content. There isn't anything missing. We understand our purpose. We aren't suffering with a yearning that can't be fulfilled.

6:37-39

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." This is an interesting thing to say.

Those who are coming to Jesus aren't doing it based on their wisdom and strength. God has soften our hearts. He has blessed with intellect that understands. He has softened our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Any desire we have was given to us. If we are disciples of Christ, it is because of what our Heavenly Father has done. We have to view it this way.

Christ doesn't talk about his will. It is always his Father's will. We must be more like that. We must follow the example of the Savior and learn how to truly submit to God and give up our will. Jesus was a perfect example of this.

Jesus will not reject anyone who is coming to him. His atonement is meant for everyone. Jesus has the capacity to save everyone and intends to. Jesus doesn't plan on losing any one of us.

6:51-61, 66

This is a confusing few verses. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum."

What was Jesus saying? We learn later that he used this language to describe the sacrament. To me, he is essentially saying that we must accept Him fully and follow his teachings. We must rely on him the same way that we rely on food and water. Those of us who rely on him become a part of him and he becomes a part of us. The spiritual food that we receive from Jesus is much more essential to our eternal lives than real food. Those who ate manna physically died. Those who eat this bread of life will never spiritually die.

Rather than think of the symbolism of what he was saying, it sounds like they told it literally. "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" It sounded weird. It sounded gross.

Jesus knew this. "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?" The question for me is, if Jesus knew that this would offend his disciples, why would he say it that way?

I'm not totally sure but I think it was a way to separate those who could see things spiritually from those who couldn't. I think this served a similar purpose as his parables.

Unfortunately, we read in verse 66 that "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

6:63

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." This is an interesting point. What does it mean that the "flesh profiteth nothing?"

Obviously, a major reason we came to this earth was to gain a physical body. So, our body has a divine purpose. We will benefit from it.

However, part of having a body is overcoming the temptations of the body. The body wants us to be lazy and lust and seek pleasure and avoid pain or discomfort at any cost. The weaknesses of the flesh are what pulls many of God's children away from the iron rod. The flesh serves an eternal process. But, it is part of our struggle through mortality.

If it's our flesh that pulls us off track, it's our spirits that pull us towards heaven. Our spirits are ancient. They were tutored by God himself in the spirit world. Our spirits are on a higher plane than our bodies. The words that Christ spoke are tuned for our spirits.

6:67-69

After some of the disciples left, Jesus asked the apostles what their intentions were. "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter and the apostles understood who Jesus was. Knowing that, they were tied to him - even when they maybe didn't fully understand what he was saying. It's about faith.

We must be this converted. In the days to come, there will be events happen or doctrine taught that we don't understand. Will we be the ones who leave or the ones who stay? If we believe this is the true Church, where else will we go?

I've listened to those who have left the Church. To what other source have they gone? In most cases, it's that they feel liberated to live however they choose. They don't have the confining and constricting rules and policies of the Church. Freedom to make bad choices leads to bondage in one way or another.