Jesus said some hard things. Would we have considered Him a novelty and enjoyed His company and teachings if things hadn’t become “real”? Or would we have truly loved Him and understood that His words were true and life-giving? Just what would we have done?
Hard Sayings of Jesus
Listening to Jesus, we would have heard Him say:
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Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-47)
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Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-42)
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You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24)
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Only a few find the gateway to life (Matthew 7:13-14)
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Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23-25)
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Love Me more than anyone else, even more than your own life (Luke 14:26-27)
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I am the only way to God (John 14:6)
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Take sin seriously (Matthew 18:9)
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Be perfect (Matthew 5:48)
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Being angry is the same as murder (Matthew 5:22)
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I came to divide, not bring peace (Luke 12:51-53)
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Whoever is not with Me is against Me (Matthew 12:30)
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If you don’t acknowledge Me, I won’t acknowledge you before God (Matthew 10:32-33)
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You’re forgiven; now stop sinning (John 8:10-11)
These words were not easy to hear 2,000 years ago, and they still challenge us today.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
After hearing another hard saying, many disciples deserted Jesus:
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:35-39).
What did Jesus mean when He declared that He was “the bread of life” and that one must “eat his flesh and drink His blood” to have eternal life? Were these words meant to be discerned spiritually or literally?
Jesus explained in John 8:47 that those who don’t belong to God can’t hear God. Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 2:14, saying that those who aren’t spiritual can’t receive God’s truths because “it all sounds foolish to them.” Perhaps those who walked away did so because they didn’t truly belong to God?
Jesus’ Words: Spirit and Life
Jesus said that the words He spoke were “spirit and life.” To those who did not belong to God, His words sounded foolish and incomprehensible. But to those who believed—like Peter—His words gave eternal life.
Whether or not we would have believed Jesus’ words 2,000 years ago is impossible to know. What we do know is that His truths never change. Many of Jesus’ sayings require us to step away from ourselves and step towards God in faith. When we do, we find His words to be powerful, living, and true.
Questions for Reflection
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Which of Jesus’ hard sayings challenges you most personally today?
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Why do you think so many disciples turned away in John 6?
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How can you respond in faith when God’s Word feels hard to accept or understand?
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, thank You that Your words are spirit and life. Even when I don’t fully understand, I trust that Your Word is true and unchanging. Help me to walk in faith, obeying Your hard sayings with courage and confidence. In Your name I pray, Amen.
Series Navigation
Previous in the Series:
Getting to Know Jesus: Jesus the Confronter of the Powerful
Next in the Series:
Getting to Know Jesus: Temptation in the Wilderness
If you missed earlier posts in this series, you can catch up here:
God Cares: Comfort in Sorrow, Faith's Unseen Sustenance #shorts
Making Him Known August 13, 2025 4:20 pm