Earlier in John chapter 6, Jesus had announced to the crowd that He was the bread of life sent from God, His Father, to satisfy their spiritual hunger. But now, in verses 41-42, we’re told that they – especially the religious elite who are described as “the Jews” – we’re choking on this truth and unable to receive it because of what they thought they knew about Jesus. They thought they knew where He came from. They knew He was raised in Joseph and Mary’s household. So, they just could not accept it when He claimed God was His Father. Their familiarity with Jesus hindered them from hearing what He said about Himself – a truth they desperately needed to embrace.
We all face a withering assault from the Devil attempting to keep us from the spiritual fulfillment God has provided in His Son. And he does this by trying to convince us we are unloved, forsaken, and forgotten. If he can’t undo our salvation, he intends to at least diminish its impact on how we live by using those lies about God’s heart toward us to keep us bound in lives of frustration, discouragement, depression, dishonor, and destruction.
But the truth sets us free. When we believe what our Savior declares is true about Himself and His love for us, chains shatter, strongholds break. I’ve witnessed this miraculous transformation in people’s lives countless times over the years of my pastoral ministry. And I’ve experienced it myself.
But I’ve also noticed that one of the greatest challenges to being able to hear Jesus when He speaks truth over us is familiarity – that sense that we already know where He’s coming from so to speak. Our knowledge ABOUT Him can get in the way of our knowing who He really is.
This morning, I was trying to connect a credit card reader to my phone via Bluetooth. Now, I’m computer savvy and I know my way around digital gear. But I just couldn’t get it to work. So, after several failed attempts, I determined it must be broken. Have you ever been there? I was just about to go buy a new one when I decided to try one more time. But this time, I opened the device’s app on my phone first before doing the Bluetooth pairing. And for some reason, that did the trick. Everything worked perfectly. But I came very close to allowing my familiarity with technology to keep me from discovering something I needed know to be able to benefit from using that device.
I think you can tell where I’m going with this. Is there an area of your life that isn’t working and has left you feeling spiritually trapped? If so, there’s a lie from hell keeping that chain in place. Can you identify it? Jesus wants to shatter that with the truth. What falsehood has the enemy convinced you of regarding who the Lord is and wants to be for you? Don’t allow your familiarity with where you think the Lord is coming from regarding your bondage to keep you from hearing what He’s trying to say.
Lay that lie out before Him. Open His Word. Quiet your heart. Hear His voice. Live free.