6.5 - A Genius Teacher and Tough Coach
"I have no idea what he just said!"
“I have no idea what he just said!" I was between Birmingham and Atlanta, listening to Stephen Hawking's audiobook A Brief History of Time. I was interested in the concept of black holes, but after about an hour, I found myself saying, "I have no idea what he just said!" You guessed it. I switched to the radio and rode home to something with a pretty good beat.
About 2000 years ago, many of Jesus's students experienced a similar situation as he laid out the "eat my flesh, drink my blood" concept. Remember, these were his key students, his starting lineup, those who had walked with him, talked with him, and witnessed his “miracles." They quickly divided into two camps: those offended and those who collectively thought, "I have no idea what he just said!”
A Genius Teacher
As we join this group in today's segment, pay special attention to how Jesus teaches. He is a genius, and John wants us to see it. Watch…..
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Jesus’ analogy of flesh and blood is no more offensive than chatting it up with a Samaritan woman at the well or even the concept of a "Good Samaritan.” You see, flesh, blood, or a Samaritan (good or not) would all make you “unclean" and keep you out of the temple, detached from your whole support system. That was enough to "rattle the consciousness" of every well-meaning Jew in the first century. But that's the way Jesus teaches! Provocatively, because that's what was required.
In today's consumer Christianity, we have sanitized this stuff so much that it has lost its meaning and ability to affect real change in our lives. We have removed its saltiness by pulling Jesus’ words from their complete context and putting them on greeting cards, bumper stickers, and T-shirts. There's nothing wrong with that but think about it. When was the last time you've seen Jesus's words and been provoked or offended? Most often, I give a slight nod and think, "That's nice.”
A Tough Coach
I have to remind myself that Jesus is not in the business of selling swag. He is rattling consciousness and changing paradigms, and that can get ugly. He’s the football coach making you do one more tackling drill. He's the personal trainer pushing you to benchpress just a bit more. He's tough! He has to be. Looking back, John knows that Jesus has less than three years to assemble a team and get it in championship shape. Think of Gene Hackman as Coach Norman Dale in “Hoosiers.”
To my grandchildren's children: if you want to learn about life, observe how Jesus teaches. Swap your T-shirt for your workout gear, and brace yourself to have your paradigms punched and your core beliefs continually challenged. Be warned, Jacob wrestled with God—and God wrestled back, leaving him with an injured hip and a new name. My point? Following the spirit is not for the faint-hearted. It may take you to places you don't want to go and leave you marked for life, but it also brings you a sense of being fully alive and filled with joy.
Coach Dale in Hoosiers
I’ve concluded that Jesus has to be offensive if he stands any chance of opening his team’s spiritual consciousness. This is his “first team”—those who have been closest to Him. They’ve heard all the stories and watched him live and love, but they still struggle to grasp his ideas. “Does this offend you?” he asked them and quickly added..…
62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? Master the Basics
He’s saying, “If you don't get this, you'll never understand the deeper experiences.” Like math, you'll never get algebra if you don't get multiplication. “Master the basics,” John Maxwell says. “Then practice them every day without fail. Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” Jesus understood this. It's why he taught "love thy neighbor" before "making disciples of all nations." If you can't love your neighbor, you'll never make disciples. Likewise, spiritual consciousness evolves, building upon itself.
He jumps right in and continues teaching…..
63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning, who were the ones who did not believe and who was the one who would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”The main focus here is not on the physical body (the same way the "lost coin" was not about the coin), but he’s teaching basics here: spiritual consciousness, divine intelligence, creative energy, and life. Watch the connection. Spirit gives life; my words are spirit; therefore, my words give life.
It's like a logical equation: if A = B, and B = C, then A = C. His spiritual teaching is not something the rational brain can figure out. “Flesh is useless,” he says. Instead, my logical brain is busy generating good reasons why I should not "love my neighbor." “The spirit gives life,” he insists. So I do something nice for my neighbor anyway. The result: a little more “life” is breathed into our relationship. “Master the basics,” I hear the whisper in my spirit.
Where Does Desire Come From?
But where does this desire to tap into spiritual consciousness come from? Like your daddy's brown eyes, you can't buy or earn them. They must come from him. The desire, urge, and pull toward the spiritual life must come from the Father. It must come, and it will come, but we must be willing to learn the basics. Ancient wisdom says, "Be still and know that I am God.” Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be.
I think John wanted us to know that Jesus understood that everybody would not practice the basics, become sensitive to the spirit’s call, and make the team.
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 
He wanted his starting lineup to know that, even if you feel the call to the spiritual life, it's all voluntary. There's no pressure, no contract. But there's also no substitute.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” As I said - there is no substitute - and we’ve just selected the team Captain.
Let’s Not Stop Here
This project could end right here, but let’s not. I have read the following two verses for years and overlooked their powerful, practical lesson.
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
John is sending an early signal that trouble is brewing—an assassin is in the group. Jesus uses this as an example of how he lived his spiritual life. He was not managing outcomes but merely walking his life out each day, step by step. On the day he chose Judas, that was the step he knowingly took, and each day after that, he walked with this assassin by his side. “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” Jesus preached and practiced. Can I learn to do that? Can I learn to walk with uncertainty by my side, doing what needs to be done without concern about the outcome?
Five Fundamentals
Living today without being consumed by future uncertainty is a profound lesson from Jesus' life. Learning it will add years to our life and life to our years. Here are five fundamentals to practice:
1. Focus on the Present: Embrace the moment. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, can help you stay grounded in it.
2. Trust the Process: Like Jesus, who trusted the path he was on despite knowing the challenges ahead, try to cultivate trust in your life's journey with all its ups and downs and unexpected turns. Believe that each step has its purpose, even though the outcome is unclear.
3. Let Go of Control: Focus on what you can influence today and leave the rest to unfold naturally.
4. Daily Reflection: At the end of each day, reflect on what you have experienced and how following your spirit felt. This will reinforce the importance of each day's actions and help you see the value in the present moment.
5. Set Intentions, Not Expectations: Instead of planning firm, fixed outcomes, set intentions for how to approach each upcoming scene in your day. This mindset shift can reduce anxiety about the future.
Learning to live this way doesn’t just happen. It will require consistent practice and patience. But by practicing these small disciplines, you can gradually learn to do what needs to be done today with a peaceful heart and an easygoing mind, or as a friend of mine used to say, with “a made-up mind and a do-right heart.”
Plus Five Key Takeaways
Jesus often used provocative and counter-cultural methods to teach, intentionally challenging the norms and beliefs of his time to stimulate deeper thinking and transformation.
Jesus was a tough coach, pushing his followers beyond their comfort zones to prepare them for more significant challenges and spiritual growth.
Mastering the basic principles, such as loving one's neighbor, is crucial before tackling more complex spiritual tasks and gaining a deeper understanding.
Jesus emphasized that spiritual life and understanding come from the spirit, not the flesh. His teachings elevate spiritual consciousness and connect followers with divine intelligence and life.
Peter’s declaration, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life,” underscores the unique value of Jesus's teachings.
