Title: Three Attitudes that Block the Truth
Gospel of John (45) Three attitudes that block the truth (John 6:41-52)
1. Gossiping behind each other
When the Jewish crowd was murmuring about what Jesus said was the bread of life (verse 41), the Lord admonished him. “Do not gossip with one another” (verse 43). If you think alone, you can think about the truth relatively calmly, but if you gossip together, you will be swept away by the atmosphere and move away from the truth. Gossip strengthens the sense of companionship and friendliness, but it is of little help to the life of faith and the life of the church. Talking behind your back is the most cowardly thing.
In Western movies, there are scenes in which witnesses fight fairly with guns or swords. If we ask each other to turn our backs and shoot after ten steps, we risk our lives. However, some evildoers turn around and shoot their opponent before taking ten steps. “Stupid! Even if you shoot from behind, you just have to win!” But he is forever buried in that society. The worst thing to do is to shoot your opponent from behind.
Always do your best to live justly and sow good seeds. If you sow good seeds, you will reap good fruits; if you sow bad seeds, you will reap bad fruits. You sow the seeds of despair, you cannot reap hope, you sow the seeds of negative language and you cannot achieve positive results. If you want to try true love, sow the seeds of true love, and if you want to find joy in human relationships and live a dynamic life of faith, do your best to evangelize. A good seed always produces good fruit.
2. Attitude towards outward appearance
Look at verse 42 of the text. “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph? We know his parents, so why do I say that I have come down from heaven now?” They could not accept the truth because they knew the Lord's family and faith from a long time ago. When we see and evaluate such outward things, we distance ourselves from the truth.
When judging people, don't judge them by their looks or the past. Human possibilities are endless. Especially in God. Also, do not evaluate God's Word only rationally, but believe it as it is. If you wear glasses of worldly standards, you will not be able to see the truth properly. That's why Augustine said, "Stop judging by the outside!" Judging by appearances will distance you from the truth and further away from true happiness.
The future will be happy only when we look inside rather than outside. The person most admired by the Indians was Mother Teresa. Why did so many Indians fall in love with the short and ugly Mother Teresa? It is because of her beautiful inner life that embraces countless souls across races, religions and countries. After all, a person who is handsome on the inside is really handsome Truth and blessings also come to those who look within and choose.
3. A cynical, questioning attitude
The crowd then asked too many light questions (verses 42, 52). Proper questioning serves as a seasoning for mood, but tenacious questions are bad. Such tenacious questions are often not seekers who really want to know the truth, but rather a means of revealing themselves and their will. Such a question that already has an opposing spirit in the heart makes it impossible to fully accept the truth.
Seriously try to learn before asking questions. Questions without a willingness to learn drive away from the truth. Faith comes from hearing. So, try to be serious before asking questions. It would be nice to say that faith comes from a sign, it would be nice to say that it comes when my physical needs are met, and it would be nice to say that it comes from an appropriate answer to a question, but the miracle of Obyeong-Eye and the events after that clearly show that this is not the case.
Unlike people's thoughts and feelings, faith comes from hearing, not from miraculous experiences or logical and accurate answers to life's questions. Without the willingness to listen and learn, no precious truth can be yours. So, for a life of listening and learning, let go of your stubbornness and at the same time forget about your merits and achievements. New wine must be placed in new bottles. The truth is revealed when you let go of your stereotypes and try to learn.
4. Attitude to turn away from God's grace
The most important thing for salvation and blessing is God's preemptive grace and love. Unless God leads us, we cannot go to the place of truth by ourselves (John 6:44). No matter how much we learn, understand, and experience, we cannot realize the truth unless the Holy Spirit moves our hearts.
Former President Bush of the United States was a drug and alcohol addict for 20 years from his youth. On July 7th, at the age of 40, he stopped drinking and drugs at the invitation of a friend during his birthday party. After believing in Jesus and quitting alcohol and drugs, I gained confidence, courage, and diligence. So he gets the blessing of the business and eventually goes from the governor of Texas to the president of the United States. It was because of God's grace before because of his power.
Of course, as President of the United States, Bush did many things wrong. Looking at it, one realizes that there is no hope without God's grace at any one time. On the other hand, even the worst sinners can be renewed if they are in God's grace. If you give up your faith right away because of trials, it will be difficult to understand the true taste and truth of faith. However, if you have unshakable faith in God's grace, the truth will be revealed.
5. Attitude without understanding of the Word
The crowds understood the word of the Lord literally at that time. So, they took the word about the Bread of Life absurdly and said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (verse 52). This scene makes you realize how important it is to think deeply and listen with understanding. Human relationships are strengthened based on that understanding. How often do misunderstandings arise and develop into quarrels due to different ways of expressing love?
The territorial sea does not mean only a strange interpretation. The greatest territorial sea is ‘understanding love’. To interpret the Bible well spiritually should be the same fruit as forgiving the unforgivable in life. In the same way, when we try to interpret the Bible well and interpret the situations that occur in human relationships, the truth will be revealed.
6. An attitude of understanding driven by lust
At that time, the purpose of the crowds coming to the Lord was not for the truth, but because they ate and were full. However, you will come to realize the truth of the pursuit of carnal interests. In order to get closer to the truth, the heart to give oneself to a precious thing must precede the heart to gain something. Before you seek to be filled, do a good job of giving first. To give oneself is to feel and rejoice in God's presence in all circumstances of life, and to see the life of following Jesus as the best life.
If you give yourself, God will never harm you. If you give the first hour of your day with the Word and prayer every day, grace and blessings will overflow. In addition, if we strive for missionary work and charity, our love for God and neighbor will deepen, our ministry capacity and our driving force for the future will become stronger. If we rejoice and give thanks even in the midst of hardship, our souls will become more abundant.
In the United States, Anne Rice was the best-selling author of novels about vampires and witches. One day she said “From now on, I will only write novels for the Lord.” After that, she gave up her career, her lifestyle, her fame and her money for the sake of her sincere beliefs. Along with that, a mysterious feeling of happiness was given. To have a good life of faith, it is more necessary to have an attitude of giving up what you have to give up rather than focusing on blessings.