In John 6:52-59, we have the conclusion of the conversation Jesus had with the Jews about Him being the true “Bread from Heaven” and the “Bread of Life.” This final section of the passage begins by describing the struggle they had comprehending the concept of eating His flesh, or in other words, spiritually feasting on Jesus in order to gain eternal life.
But, without even a hint of frustration, the Lord patiently explained it all again, providing them with yet another opportunity to grasp this truth. He was building a bridge of understanding from something they already knew – manna in the wilderness – to something they didn’t yet know – the cross. And even though we’ll discover that most of them chose not to cross the span, this demonstration of His patient willingness to escort them over is deeply moving to me.
Why? Because I’m often very slow to comprehend spiritual truth. And knowing that my Savior won’t give up on me and is willing to lovingly work with me until I get it, is profoundly soul-securing.
For example, after nearly forty-five years of my marriage, I finally feel like I’m starting to understand what Ephesians 5:25 means when it says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her.” And I can’t thank Jesus enough for hanging in there with me through that steep learning curve, because the impact on the sweetness of my relationship with Sue is simply indescribable.
We don’t know what we don’t know. So, in our human pride we assume we understand eternal things when we really don’t. The truth is that our earth-bound, sin-scarred, and materialistic frame of reference is so narrow and shallow that we are completely dependent on the Bridge Builder to lead us from ignorance to knowledge. So, thank God we have the promise of John 16:13 – “He will guide you into all truth.”
In light of the immeasurable kindness of our patient, loving teacher, let’s stay teachable today as He leads us from what we think we know to what we have yet to discover.