DIGESTING ALL THE WORD OF GOD
The Lord Jesus Christ said, people should “live by every word that come from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). But the biblical Word of God reveals that sometimes the Word can be sweet, other times it can be bitter (Revelation 10:10). However, to be accepted as a disciple of the Lord one must eat and digest all the Word of God.
An angel of the Lord delivered the written Word of God to the apostle John and told him to eat it all; and told him it would be sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly (Revelation 10:10). Some people are unwilling to stomach the bitter parts of the Bible. However, if anyone would be a true disciple of the Lord and become who God want them to be, they must accept the bitter and the sweet of his Word (Luke 9:23; Romans 8:29).
JOHN, A DISCIPLE OF JESUS, ATE AND DIGESTED ALL THE WORD OF GOD.
John said, “I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter” Revelation 10:10).
John had a sweet and bitter experience in walking with the Lord Jesus Christ. John closely followed Jesus. He ate with Jesus. He was called the disciples whom Jesus loved. He told others that Jesus is the Son of God who died to takes away the sins of the world that we might have eternal life (John 3:16; John 20:30).
Because of John having walked with Jesus and then preaching the gospel of salvation through the Son of God, he was reported to have been ostracized by authorities who rejected Jesus and banned to an island. John himself said: “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). While still on the island and being handed a scroll or book that was sweet and bitter, he said he was told, “You must prophesy again” (Revelation 10:11). “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
OTHER “DISCIPLES” WERE DIVIDED OVER EATING AND DIGESTING ALL THE WORD OF GOD.
The Bible gives an account of how disciples of Jesus were divided over eating and digesting the Word of God: Many disciples followed Jesus because he miraculously healed and fed them. On an occasion when he miraculously used two small fish and five small loaves of bread to feed more than 5,000 people, Jesus told them
They followed him “because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” But, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
Jesus said to them, “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.” On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “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.”
In another place in the biblical Word of God, Jesus told the twelve disciple that he was going to suffer and die for the sins of the world; and “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24; John 3:16). On an occasion with mixed emotions, Jesus said to the twelve “one of you will betray me.” But eleven of them were willing to take up their cross and follow the Lord (John 13:21).
HOW PEOPLE TODAY MAY EXPERIENCE THE SWEET AND BITTER IN EATING THE WORD OF GOD:
THE BIBLICAL WORD OF GOD MAY BE SWEET IN THE MOUTH.
Many people hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ and rejoice (John 3:16; Matthew 13:20).
- They are glad to hear that salvation from sin is a gift of God (Romans 6:23).
- They are excited about the promise of eternal life (John 3:16).
- They seek earthly benefits and prosperity they associated with Jesus (John 6:1:14).
- And they happily anticipate living in heaven with the Lord (John 14:2-3).
THE WORD MAY BE BITTERNESS IN THE BELLY.
Some turn away from the Lord when they learn there are troubles and hardships that come with following the Lord and obeying all the Word of God.
- When trouble or persecution comes some will fall away (Matthew 13:21)
- Some in the Bible stopped following Jesus when they decided they could not stomach “the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (John 6:53).
- A disciple named Demas departed from the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ because he loved the things of this world more than he loved the Lord who suffered and died for him (2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:16).
- Some today may stop following the Lord when they understand that he said, “if anyone would come after me let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
HOW WE ACCEPT THE BITTER WITH THE SWEET
- Like some disciples who accepted the bitter with the sweet, you may choose not to turn away from the Lord, but stayed with him. Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples that said, Lord, where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
- Like these disciples, some of us may choose to eat his flesh, drink his blood– deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow him (Matthews 16:24).
- You may rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).
- We may be of those who decide to be conformed to the likeness of the Son of God despite having to suffer for a while in this world (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 2:21).
- We may be among those who are committed, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to go with Jesus Christ through troubles and tribulations, and follow the Lamb of God wherever he goes (Revelation 7:14).
You may be one of those who are willing to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. If so you are one of his disciples who is willing to digest all the Word God.
