Who has the words of eternal life… every day?

15.03.24

In the UK, January to March is a season of contrasts. The stark landscapes of winter are sprinkled with flecks of spring’s colours as new life begins to conquer the cold and dreary days, sketching a picture of radiance and warmth. Some of our Christian brothers and sisters will practice abstinence during Lent to remember Jesus’ wilderness trials, while the Western world will promote Easter as a means of selling decadent chocolate eggs and other treats. Springtime and Easter are both seasons of new life, yet while spring will give way to summer and only the wrappers are left of the chocolate, Easter promises something more, something eternal.

We are a hungry people. Whatever our circumstances are, we consume, it is in our very nature. Without nourishment, we tire, become weak, sick and ultimately, die. Jesus, well aware of His followers’ physical needs, fed them many times, and they ate and continued to follow Him until He told them what they really needed to live. The narrative in chapter six of John’s Gospel marks a literal turning point for Jesus’ followers. For He told them the truth – that, ‘” I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”’ (John 6:51). He continued His sermon, and because this was a hard teaching, after that time, ‘many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him' (John 6:66).

I imagine that this was a sad and discouraging moment, particularly for the Twelve disciples, left behind by the masses, but like the snowdrops that herald spring, Peter pipes up with a green shoot of hope for mankind, ‘You have the words of eternal life’ (John 6:68). Peter knew where to find the words of eternal life and so do we. Following Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, the disciples had the lived experience and memory of His teaching and later, these were written down for us so, ‘…that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (John 20:31). Belief in Jesus was the difference between those who turned away from following Jesus and the disciples who stayed. We are offered that choice to believe in Him every day. We stand on the other side of the crucifixion, where the risen Christ has died for our sins and lives – He has conquered death!

If you are hungry for life today, I encourage you to open a Bible and read God’s words of eternal life. Perhaps read John 11:25 – go on, look it up (if you don’t know it already!) and trust in God’s promise. We at IBRA believe that we need this nourishment every day, that’s why we keep producing our Bible reading plans and notes – to help people encounter Jesus, hear his words and receive eternal life.

God bless you,

 

Christian Education |IBRA

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