Attraction Follows Desire

Scripture: "But some of you don’t believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe and knew the one who would betray him.) And he remarked, "That is what I meant when I said that no one can come to me unless the Father attracts him to me." John 6:64-65

Observation: It is a confusing statement, when Jesus says that only those whom God "attracts" or calls can come to Jesus. It has a ring of predestination, or favoritism, or judgment, all of which do not have positive connotations. We believe God knows all things and thus knows who will believe in Jesus, but it is a harder fact to think about God pre-selecting Jesus' believers. This would imply that some individuals do not have free will - they are mandated to follow Jesus - while others are cursed from birth to never receive the gift of salvation.

This is what seems to have offended others, and of course is not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is just saying something he has said other times, which is that only those people who accept the Holy Spirit and thus are open to having truth revealed to them, will then have that truth revealed. Someone must declare themselves open to the truth of God's love to then ... see that love, be attracted to it, and desire it enough to pursue Jesus.

Application: As our society becomes more and more bifurcated, I see there is this other division forming ... those who are responding to crisis with a longing for peace and hope and love, and thus may be attracted by God; and those who are responding with anger and a desire to take control themselves, and thus are rejecting anything other than earthly means of action.

It is that choice that opens or hardens a heart. It is that choice that aligns to what Jesus is saying about God "attracting" people to Jesus. It isn't an act of pre-selection, but rather it is a human choice to desire a renewed life, which then opens the relationship.

Prayer: Lord, all around us we see this strong division forming in the world. We all talk about it, and we all see it, and certainly you have always known it. While the world acknowledges this division along political and ethnic and social lines, I know it also exists when it comes to hope. May we find ways to blur that line. May we find ways to help those with no hope, at least desire some hope. This would be a first step toward your attractiveness toward them. Amen.