After one of Jesus’ teachings most of those listening, including many of his followers, left Jesus saying things like, “This teaching is too difficult to follow.”  Jesus asked the 12 disciples if they wanted to leave as well but Peter responded on behalf of the group saying, “Where would we go?  You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6.68).

There is something that happens within the person who hears the words of Jesus.  Although it is intangible it can be, at the same, very tangible.  The internal sense of weightiness, conviction and hope are all thoroughly tangible sensations that one can experience when the words of Jesus are heard.

The Prophet Jeremiah described the words of God as a fire in his belly that he could not contain (Jer 20.9).  Paul described the words of God as a purifying, cleansing water (Eph 5.26). The author of Hebrews said the words of God are ‘sharper than a sword that divides spirit and soul’ (Heb 4.12) And the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognised their hearts were burning as the risen Jesus spoke to them (Lk 24.32).

All of these sensations – these tangible manifestations within those who hear God’s words – are a component of what Jesus described when he said, “my words are spirit and they are life” (Jn 6.63).  The alive-ness of his words and the substance of his Spirit cause a sensation in us that is often difficult to describe – yet it initiates an experience that leaves an indentation in our thought process.

The words of Jesus do not just stir, burn or stimulate; they are an ongoing source of life within us affecting who we believe, the way we think and, consequently, how we live.