ALIVE: Chapter 137, Hard to Hear

In the morning Levi and Eli, with the rest arrived in Capernaum, disembarked the boat and walked into the town square where the two men spotted Jesus who they sought walking into the synagogue followed by His disciples. Eli flashed Levi a surprised expression that said, ‘There He is! How did He get here?‘ Levi shrugged his shoulders and said aloud, “He must have been in the boat with the disciples after all. He could not have walked here [in such a short time.]” 

Eli said, “I am sure that He didn’t get into the boat. I was watching every minute.  Look there are two of His disciples, let’s just ask them.” Levi replied,  “Stop. It doesn’t matter how Jesus got here, I’m just glad we found Him so soon!” The two men entered the crowded synagogue. Still curious, Eli spotted Peter and wormed his way over to him with Levi at his heels. 

When they were close, Eli tapped Peter on the shoulder. Levi was looking around the crowded room for Jesus above all the heads. Peter turned to see who tapped him.

“Excuse me,” said Eli. “Hello. Yesterday, Levi here, and I were there at the mount and last night I went down to the lake after you; we saw you get into your boat, but without Jesus. We did not see Jesus get in the boat. How did He get here so soon? Was He hiding in the boat before you all got in? We’re just curious.”

Peter pulled the two men out of the crowd with a jerk of his head and they followed him out of the synagogue. Before he started to speak to them Simon Peter thought for a moment whether to tell them what He saw. A voice in his heart said, ‘Yes, tell it’, Peter said, “You’re right. Jesus was not in the boat. We got in without Him because it was late and we had to escape the throng. We figured that He had already started walking and that Jesus would meet us in Capernaum eventually. We went several miles and then it became windy. Thank God for the stars that gave us a little light. The winds blew harder and harder, and it was still dark, when all of a sudden we saw Jesus walking on the water towards us! At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought it was a ghost or a vision. But through the splashing waves, I saw Him! Jesus was walking on the water as if He was on dry ground!” 

“NO!!” Gasped Levi. Eli was stunned into silence. 

“Seriously, you don’t have to believe me, but it’s true, as God is my witness. That is exactly what happened. The closer He came, the more I had to believe it was real. He reached and I bent over, afraid I would fall into the turbulent sea because the boat was rocking so much, I reached for Him and grasped His hand and pulled Him into the boat. No sooner was He in the boat than we reached the shore! As God is my witness. We went to my house last night and slept there. This morning, when I woke up, He was already up and told us to go to the synagogue with Him and here we are! I haven’t even had time to digest all that.  This man is superhuman, I tell you. There is no one born of woman like Him. Come, let’s go back in and hear what He has to say now. He never ceases to surprise me.” Peter’s admiration of Jesus exuded a big smile. “Come, let’s go back inside.”

Levi and Eli nodded heartily and followed Peter into the crowded synagogue. 

Meanwhile, Eli and Levi were not the only ones from the mount who had taken the boat to Capernaum in search of Jesus.  Isabel and her husband Joel also followed Jesus into the synagogue. They managed to reach Him and tapped Jesus to get His attention and asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 

Jesus recognized them and answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill, Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Joel asked, “How do we do the work of God?”

Jesus answered, “Simple, the work of God is this, to believe in the One whom He has sent.”  clearly referring to Himself. 

Isabel added, as if she had already forgotten how two days earlier Jesus fed them by miraculously multiplying bread and fish. “What miraculous sign will You give us that we may see and believe You? Our fathers ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” She was still fixed on eating. 

Jesus looked into Isabel’s eyes with a look that pierced her heart. He had the look of a frustrated but tolerant parent with a teenager who should know better.  Deciding to stay with the theme of eating food, He said,  “I tell you the truth it was not Moses who had given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father for the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Isabel lowered her eyes in humility. “Sir,” she replied, “from now on, give us this bread.”

At this point, several people, including Eli and Levi overheard the conversation between Joel, Isabel and Jesus, as did others who realized that it was The Miracle Worker who was in the synagogue with them that morning. Soon, Jesus was at the nucleus of nearly an hundred curious people. Even the rabbi of the synagogue gave up trying to preach and paused to listen. 

Jesus, aware of His audience, declared loud enough for all to hear, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never grow hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” The thick warm air sent the sound of murmurs and quiet gasps around the room. The rabbi didn’t know what to say to stop that kind of blasphemous talk, but he didn’t have the strength to silence Jesus. His congregation was mesmerized by Him. 

Jesus continued, “But I have told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe Me. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I will never drive away for I have come down from heaven not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I shall NOT lose one of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.”

Tears spilled out of Isabel’s eyes, and not just hers. These words, as shocking and bold as they were, comforted her. It was being handed a long and warm fur coat on a freezing desert night. Such security she had never experienced, even in her imagination. And this Man spoke with such assurance and authority.  She was a sandy desert being rained upon. Joel felt that way too, but without the tears to show for it.

Jesus had much more to say. He knew that several of these people were from the mount, and some of the locals in the synagogue that day were able to hear, while others were not. Nevertheless, He boldly said, “For My father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Zeke who was raised in Nazareth snickered and murmured to everyone around him after Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” since he knew that he was the son of Joseph the carpenter over in Nazareth, and Zeke knew His mother Mary. Zeke said aloud for everyone to hear, “I know His parents, so how can He say that He came down from heaven?”

Jesus turned His head and boldly flashed Zeke a defiant authoritative glance and said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I will raise him (perhaps not you Zeke) up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets. They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me.” Jesus knew that not everyone in the crowd was called by His Father, but He continued to speak to them all.  

“No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” To people who came to the synagogue regularly, who had worshipped God from the cradle, these words were shocking, hearing someone refer to the almighty Creator, the God of Abraham and Moses with such familiarity, it was like Moses descending Mount Sinai with the Tablets of Commandments in his hands. So many of the people were mesmerized, that even the naysayers like Zeke didn’t have the gumption to debate Him. Then came the most unusual and alarming statement anyone on planet earth, man or beast, had ever heard, since the serpent lied to Eve.  

Jesus declared again, “I AM the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert and they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, of which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever.” Jesus paused to give His audience time (believers and non believers alike) to digest what He had to say. How easy it would have been for Jesus not to say this. How comfortable it would have been to stop and leave the people with a metaphor. But that omission would have been dishonest and worse, it would have been weak. The truth is shocking but it was also healing and life-giving. It was with the same power that healed lepers and gave sight to the blind that prevented Jesus from making His statement more palatable. 

Jesus declared with the voice of a trumpet, “This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.”

At that pronouncement cascading gasps resounded throughout the walls of the synagogue. Shouts and one person tore his shirt from revulsion. The rabbi closed his eyes tightly hoping God would tell him what to do. He was paralyzed by confusion. 

Zeke sprayed this shout around the room, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 

Jesus said to him matter-of-factly,  “I tell you the truth, 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 him up at the last day. For My for flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in Me, and I in him.”

Zeke stormed out of the synagogue pushing away everyone in his path. The rabbi saw him and wanted desperately to follow. 

Hearing that, even James leaned over to his step-brother, elbowed him and said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” A few other disciples standing behind James nodded.

Jesus, looked askance in response to James as only a brother could, and hearing in the background the murmur of widespread grumbling Jesus brashly said to him, “Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven where He was before!” James’ emitted a grunt of exasperation salted with confusion and a little concern but he wasn’t sure if he was more concerned for himself or for his young step-brother. 

Jesus continued loudly, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Then turning to His left and right, to the crowd projecting His voice even more He said,  “Yet some of you do not believe.” Jesus knew which of them did not believe and who would soon be yelling ‘Crucify Him, Crucify Him!’ “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it has been given to him by the Father. [to believe.]’

At this point many of some disciples followed Zeke out of the synagogue and out of Capernaum. They didn’t even say good bye. 

Watching them walk away, Jesus turned to the remaining twelve and said, “Do you want to leave too?”

Peter answered for them, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.” Jesus looked over at Levi and Eli, and Joel and Isabel who nodded in agreement. 

Jesus said to them and to his disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the twelve? Yet one of you is evil. Judas Iscariot who was to betray Him.