20250122 [새벽묵상] 믿지 아니하는 자가 되지 말고 믿는 자가 되라 | Following Jesus: True Faith vs. Human Motives (요/Jhn 6:60-71)

6:60 제자 중 여럿이 듣고 말하되 이 말씀은 어렵도다 누가 들을 수 있느냐 한대

[Many Disciples Desert Jesus]

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

6:61 예수께서 스스로 제자들이 이 말씀에 대하여 수근거리는 줄 아시고 이르시되 이 말이 너희에게 걸림이 되느냐

6:62 그러면 너희는 인자가 이전에 있던 곳으로 올라가는 것을 본다면 어떻게 하겠느냐

6:63 살리는 것은 영이니 육은 무익하니라 내가 너희에게 이른 말은 영이요 생명이라

6:64 그러나 너희 중에 믿지 아니하는 자들이 있느니라 하시니 이는 예수께서 믿지 아니하는 자들이 누구며 자기를 팔 자가 누구인지 처음부터 아심이러라

6:65 또 이르시되 그러므로 전에 너희에게 말하기를 내 아버지께서 오게 하여 주지 아니하시면 누구든지 내게 올 수 없다 하였노라 하시니라

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

6:66 그 때부터 그의 제자 중에서 많은 사람이 떠나가고 다시 그와 함께 다니지 아니하더라

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

6:67 예수께서 열두 제자에게 이르시되 너희도 가려느냐

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

6:68 시몬 베드로가 대답하되 주여 영생의 말씀이 주께 있사오니 우리가 누구에게로 가오리이까

6:69 우리가 주는 하나님의 거룩하신 자이신 줄 믿고 알았사옵나이다

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

6:70 예수께서 대답하시되 내가 너희 열둘을 택하지 아니하였느냐 그러나 너희 중의 한 사람은 마귀니라 하시니

6:71 이 말씀은 가룟 시몬의 아들 유다를 가리키심이라 그는 열둘 중의 하나로 예수를 팔 자러라

70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

                  예수님을 따른 사람들 가운데는 여러 종류의 사람들이 있었습니다. 예수님의 말씀이 어렵다고 수군거리며 불평하는 사람들도 있었고, 믿지 않는 자들도 있었지요. 결국 예수님을 떠난 사람들도 많았습니다. 반면에 예수님의 말씀을 영생의 말씀으로 믿고 따른 열두 제자도 있었지요. 그러나 그 열 둘 중에는 예수님을 팔아넘길 가룟 유다도 있었습니다. 교회도 크게 다르지 않은 것 같습니다. 신앙생활을 어려워하는 사람들도 있고, 수군거리며 불평하는 사람들도 있습니다. 견디지 못하고 교회를 떠나는 사람들도 있지요. 그러나 끝까지 교회를 지키는 사람들도 있습니다. 그런데 어쩌면 그 중에 가룟 유다와 같은 사람이 있을 수도 있지요. 오늘의 본문의 말씀은 우리에게 묻는 것 같습니다. 여러분은 무엇 때문에 예수님을 따르고 있습니까? 여러분이 예수님을 끝까지 따르는 이유는 무엇입니까? 그것은 여러분의 인간적인 목적을 이루기 위해서 입니까? 아니면 오늘 베드로의 고백처럼 예수님께서 여러분의 삶의 주인되시기 때문입니까? 우리가 교회 안에 있더라도 때로 가룟유다처럼 교회의 중직을 맡고 있다고 하더라도 우리가 예수님이 아닌 다른 것을 추구한다면 우리는 반드시 걸려 넘어지고 말 것입니다. 제자들 중에서도 많은 이들이 믿지 아니하는 자였다고 합니다. 그리고 그들은 결국 예수님을 떠나갔습니다. 우리는 이같이 믿지아니하는 자가 되지 말고 믿는 자가 되어야 할 것입니다. 오늘은 본문 말씀을 통해 믿지 않는 자들은 어떤 사람들이며 믿는 자들은 어떤 사람들인지 함께 나누기 원합니다.

Among those who followed Jesus, there were various types of people. Some grumbled that His words were too difficult to accept, while others simply didn't believe. Many eventually left Him. On the other hand, there were the twelve disciples who believed and followed His words as words of eternal life. However, even among the twelve, there was Judas Iscariot who would betray Him. The church today isn't much different. There are people who find faith challenging, those who grumble and complain, and those who cannot endure and leave the church. Yet there are also those who remain faithful to the church until the end. But perhaps among them, there might be someone like Judas Iscariot. Today's passage seems to ask us: Why do you follow Jesus? What is your reason for following Jesus until the end? Is it to fulfill your human ambitions? Or is it like Peter's confession today, because Jesus is the Lord of your life? Even if we are in the church, even if we hold important positions like Judas did, if we pursue something other than Jesus, we will surely stumble and fall. We're told that even among the disciples, many did not believe. And they eventually left Jesus. We must not become like these unbelievers but instead become true believers. Through today's passage, I want to share with you who the unbelievers are and who the believers are.

                  먼저 믿지 않는 사람들입니다. 5천명을 먹이시는 기적을 베푼 후에 많은 이들이 예수님을 따랐습니다. 그들은 배불리 먹고 예수님을 억지로 붙들어 그들의 임금으로 삼으려고 했습니다. 예수님께서 이들을 피해 바다 건너편으로 가시자 다음날 이들도 바다 건너편으로 예수님을 찾아 올 정도로 그들은 예수님을 열심으로 따랐습니다. 그러나 그들이 열심으로 찾아 헤메었던 것은 그들을 먹일 육의 양식이었습니다. 그런 그들에게 예수님께서 스스로를 하늘에서 내려온 떡이라고 하자 먼저는 유대인들이 수군거리며 불평하고 오늘의 말씀에서는 제자들마저 수군거리며 불평하였습니다. 무리와 유대인들, 그리고 제자들은 각각 예수님을 따르는 정도는 달랐지만 그들이 추구하는 것은 같았습니다. 그들은 예수님을 통하여 그들 각자가 가지고 있는 인간적인 목적을 이루려 했습니다. 무리들은 먹고 살 걱정이 없는 떡을 원했고 유대인들은 모세와 같은 지도자를 원했습니다. 제자들은 메시아 즉 하나님의 기름부음 받은 왕이 로마의 압제로부터 이스라엘을 독립시키고 자신들은 그 독립정부의 내각이 되는 것을 원했습니다. 모두가 육의 일을 생각했기에 예수님께서 영의 일을 말씀하시니 이들은 그 말씀이 걸림이 된 것입니다.

First, let's look at the unbelievers. After the miracle of feeding the five thousand, many people followed Jesus. They had eaten their fill and tried to force Him to be their king. When Jesus withdrew to the other side of the lake, they were so eager to follow Him that they searched for Him there the next day. However, what they desperately searched for was merely physical bread to feed them. When Jesus declared Himself to be the bread that came down from heaven, first the Jews grumbled and complained, and in today's passage, even the disciples grumbled. Though the crowds, the Jews, and the disciples followed Jesus to different degrees, what they sought was the same. They all tried to achieve their human objectives through Jesus. The crowds wanted bread that would eliminate their worry about food, the Jews wanted a leader like Moses, and the disciples wanted a Messiah – God's anointed king who would liberate Israel from Roman oppression and make them cabinet members in the new independent government. Because they all thought about earthly matters, when Jesus spoke about spiritual things, they stumbled over His words.

60절입니다. “제자 중 여럿이 듣고 말하되 이 말씀은 어렵도다 누가 들을 수 있느냐 한대” 인간적인 목적을 가지고 예수님의 말씀을 들으면 우리는 그 말씀이 어려울 수 밖에 없습니다. 그 말씀이 걸림이 되어 우리 가운데 수군거림과 불평이 자연스레 나오게 되는 것입니다. 그런 그들에게 62절에서 예수님께서는 자신이 하늘에서 온 떡일 뿐만 아니라 만약 다시 하늘로 올라가는 것을 그들이 본다면 어떻게 하겠느냐고 까지 말씀하십니다. 그것은 제자들이 가지고 있던 인간적인 메시아에 대한 기대를 완전히 무너뜨리는 일이지요. 이것은 제자들에게 더 어려운 말씀이었을 것입니다. 예수님이 하늘에서 내려오셨다는 말도 예수님의 인간적인 출신 때문에 믿기 어려워하는데 다시 하늘로 올라가시겠다니 이는 불신의 문제를 넘어 우리를 놀리시는 것인가 하는 불쾌한 말이었을 것입니다. 그러자 63절에 예수님께서 분명히 말씀하십니다. “살리는 것은 영이니 육은 무익하니라 내가 너희에게 이른 말은 영이요 생명이라.” 예수님께서 말씀하시는 것은 육에 대한 일이 아니라 영이요 생명이라고 말씀하십니다. 그리고 그들이 품고 있던 인간적인 목적들, 육은 무익하다라고 그들에게 가르쳐주시는 것입니다. 예수님께서는 그들의 동기를 꿰뚫어보셨습니다. 그래서 제자들 중에도 믿지 아니하는 자가 있다는 것을 말씀하셨던 것입니다.

Verse 60 says, "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'" When we listen to Jesus' words with human objectives, we will inevitably find them difficult. His words become stumbling blocks, and grumbling and complaints naturally arise among us. To such people, in verse 62, Jesus goes even further, asking how they would react if they saw Him ascending to where He came from. This completely shattered the disciples' human expectations of the Messiah. This must have been an even harder saying for the disciples. They already struggled to believe He came from heaven because of His human origins, so His talk of ascending to heaven must have seemed not just unbelievable but almost offensive, as if He were mocking them. Then in verse 63, Jesus clearly states, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." Jesus teaches them that He's not speaking about physical matters but about spirit and life, and that their human objectives – the flesh – count for nothing. Jesus saw through their motives. That's why He said there were some among the disciples who did not believe.

                  그렇다면 믿는 사람들은 어떤 사람들입니까? 오늘 베드로의 고백을 통하여 함께 보기 원합니다. 많은 사람이 예수님을 떠날 때에 예수님께서 열두 제자에게 너희도 가려느냐? 라고 물으십니다. 그 때에 베드로가 이렇게 대답합니다. 68-69절입니다. “시몬 베드로가 대답하되 주여 영생의 말씀이 주께 있사오니 우리가 누구에게로 가오리이까 우리가 주는 하나님의 거룩하신 자이신줄을 믿고 알았사옵나이다.” 이 고백을 통하여 알 수 있는 것은 아직 베드로조차도 예수님이 왜 스스로를 생명의 떡이라고 말씀하셨는지 이해하지 못하였음을 알 수 있습니다. 그조차도 예수님께서 십자가에서 몸이 찢기시고 피를 흘리심으로 우리의 죄를 대속하시는 계획을 갖고 계신것을 전혀 알지 못했지요. 그러나 중요한 것은 그는 부분적으로라도 예수님께 영생이 있다는 것을 알았습니다. 이것은 그가 예수님께서 하나님이심을 믿고 알았기 때문입니다. 베드로가 고백한 ‘하나님의 거룩한자’ 는 구약성경에서 하나님께서 당신을 지칭하실 때 쓰셨던 ‘이스라엘의 거룩한 자’라는 표현과 일치합니다. 이사야서 43:3에 “대저 나는 여호와 네 하나님이요 이스라엘의 거룩한 자요 네 구원자임이라”라고 말씀하시지요. 베드로에게도 분명 인간적인 목적이 있었을 것입니다. 그러나 그가 예수님을 믿었던 궁극적인 이유는 바로 예수님께서 하나님이시며 예수님 안에 영생이 있음을 믿고 알았기 때문입니다. 믿는 사람들이란 바로 이런 사람들입니다. 성도란, 제자란 예수님을 우리의 목적을 이루기 위해 따르는 자가 아니라 예수님이 하나님이심을 믿고 예수님의 영생의 말씀을 따라 사는 사람들인 것입니다.

So who are the believers? Let's look at Peter's confession today. When many people were leaving Jesus, He asked the twelve, "Do you want to leave too?" Peter answered in verses 68-69: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." Through this confession, we can see that even Peter didn't yet fully understand why Jesus called Himself the bread of life. He had no idea about Jesus' plan to atone for our sins by having His body broken and blood shed on the cross. However, what's important is that he at least partially understood that eternal life was in Jesus. This was because he believed and knew that Jesus was God. Peter's confession of "the Holy One of God" matches the Old Testament expression "the Holy One of Israel" which God used to refer to Himself. Isaiah 43:3 says, "For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Peter surely had his human objectives too. However, his ultimate reason for believing in Jesus was that he believed and knew Jesus was God and that eternal life was in Him. This is what believers are like. Saints and disciples are not those who follow Jesus to achieve their own objectives, but those who believe Jesus is God and live according to His words of eternal life.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 많은 사람들이 예수님을 따랐지만 그들이 원했던 것은 그들이 갖고 있던 삶의 목적들이었습니다. 예수님의 말씀이 자신들이 생각했던 목적과 다르자 그들은 말씀에 걸려 넘어지고 결국 예수님을 떠나고 말았습니다. 그러나 예수님의 제자들은 예수님이 하나님이심을 믿고 알았습니다. 그들이 예수님의 말씀을 전부 이해할 수 없을 때에도 그들은 예수님 안에 영생의 말씀이 있다는 것을 알았습니다. 우리도 마찬가지입니다. 예수님을 따르는 우리들은 우리가 무엇을 믿고 있는지를 돌아보아야 합니다. 우리의 중심을 보시는 예수님 앞에서 우리는 믿지아니하는 자가 되는 것이 아니라 믿는 자가 되어야 할 것입니다. 기도하시겠습니다.

In conclusion, many people followed Jesus, but what they wanted were their own life objectives. When Jesus' words differed from their objectives, they stumbled over His words and eventually left Him. However, Jesus' disciples believed and knew that He was God. Even when they couldn't fully understand His words, they knew that in Him were the words of eternal life. The same applies to us. As followers of Jesus, we must examine what we truly believe. Before Jesus, who sees our hearts, we must not be unbelievers but believers. Let us pray.