What do you do when you don’t understand Jesus? That’s not just a question—it’s something most people run into sooner or later.
There are moments when something hits you the wrong way—not because it’s wrong, but because you don’t yet have a place for it. You hear it, and your first reaction is simple: Wait… what?
That was my reaction the first time I read this:
“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.” (John 6:53, NIV)
If you’re new to faith, or even just searching, that can sound off. It doesn’t land clean. It doesn’t fit the way we normally think. And if no one slows down and walks you through it, it’s easy to step back and think, Maybe this isn’t for me.
But that’s not what I did. Not because I understood it—but because by that point I had already seen enough to know I shouldn’t walk away too quickly.
When You Don’t Have an Answer Yet
As I was learning and growing in my faith, there were things that made sense right away, and there were things that didn’t. This was one of those that didn’t.
But I had already come across enough that held up under a closer look—things that didn’t fall apart when I took the time to examine them. So when I ran into something like this, I didn’t feel the need to resolve it on the spot. I just set it aside and came back to it.
That’s a practical way to handle something you don’t fully understand. You don’t ignore it, but you don’t let it immediately undo everything else either.
There’s Usually More Going On Than You See at First
I’ve always leaned on common sense. Looking back, I’d say that’s something God wired into me. It’s helped me more than once, especially early on in the fire service.
When I chose this career and started training, it probably won’t surprise you that, at first, the idea of going into a burning building seemed a little crazy at a surface level. It felt backward. Most people are doing everything they can to get out of a building like that, while we’re going in..
But once you’re in the classroom, you start to see there’s a lot more behind it. It’s not just running in blindly and throwing water around. There’s structure, method, and purpose behind every move. What looks questionable at first starts to make sense when you understand what’s actually happening.
So you stay with it. You trust that there’s more to it than what you see on the surface.
That same approach carried over when I read something like John 6:53. I didn’t understand it right away, but I had enough sense to know there was more behind it than the first impression.
What Was Really Happening That Day
Leading up to that moment, Jesus had just fed a large crowd. Naturally, people followed Him after that. They had seen something real, and they wanted more of it.
But not all of them were there for the right reason.
“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.’” (John 6:26, NIV)
They came back because they wanted another meal.
That matters, because it explains why many of them left when things shifted. They were fine following as long as it met a physical need. But when Jesus began talking about something deeper—something that required more than just being there for what they could get—the crowd changed.
What Jesus Was Actually Saying
Jesus wasn’t telling people to literally eat His body or drink His blood. That would go against everything already established. What He was doing was pressing into something much more serious.
Just like your body needs food to stay alive, your life depends on something deeper than physical provision. He was pointing to Himself as that source.
Not something you observe from a distance. Not something you take lightly. But something you rely on completely.
It’s strong language, but the point becomes clearer when you step back and see it in context.
Why Some People Walked Away
Even with that, many didn’t stay long enough to work through it.
“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’” (John 6:60, NIV)
And then they left.
Not because there was no explanation—but because they didn’t stay long enough to find it.
They had come for something immediate. When that wasn’t what they got, they moved on.
Staying Without Full Understanding
Jesus didn’t chase them down. He turned to the twelve and asked if they were going to leave too.
Peter’s response has always stood out to me, not because it explains everything, but because it doesn’t try to.
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68, NIV)
He wasn’t claiming full understanding. He recognized who he was standing in front of, and that was enough for him to stay.
A Better Way to Handle What You Don’t Understand
What I’ve found is that handling something you don’t fully understand is usually simpler than we make it. I don’t ignore it, but I also don’t let it unravel everything else I’ve already come to see clearly. I try to stay with it, give it some time, and come back to it with a clearer head.
Not everything makes sense right away, and that’s just reality. Walking away too quickly can cost you something, especially when you’re dealing with something that may matter more than you realize at the time. In my experience, understanding tends to come over time, not all at once, and usually after I’ve stayed with something longer than I initially felt like.
For me, staying with it, coming back to it, and letting it unfold over time has usually been how clarity comes.
What Do You Do When You Don’t Understand Jesus?:
Final Thought
If you’re searching, or even just trying to make sense of things, you’re going to run into moments like this. Something doesn’t land right. It doesn’t fit clean.
That doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It may just mean you’re seeing it too early, before the fuller picture comes into view.
So the question stays the same:
When you don’t understand something…
and Jesus is still right there in front of you…
Do you walk away, or do you stay?
If this idea of staying when things don’t fully make sense resonates with you, it ties directly into something I wrote about how Jesus doesn’t really leave room for staying neutral: Jesus Does Not Leave Room for Neutrality
I Still Believe
Jeremy Camp’s song I Still Believe captures something a lot of people run into but don’t always talk about—the place where you don’t fully understand what’s going on, but you’re not ready to walk away either.
There’s a line in the song that fits this post well:
“Even when I don’t see, I still believe.”
That’s really what this comes down to. Not having everything figured out, but still deciding to stay.
Want More Real-Life Faith?
Looking for more straight talk about faith—without the sugarcoating?
If you’re searching for real-life encouragement and honest faith, check out my book, YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE: Christianity… From a Firefighter’s Perspective. It’s a short, straightforward read—something I wrote for regular folks, maybe especially guys, who want a no-nonsense look at faith that applies to real life. I often think of it as my own “tract”—just a simple way to point people to hope and honor God.
If it rang true for you or made a difference in your life, leaving a quick review on Amazon may help someone else who’s looking for the same kind of hope.
I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to leave a comment below. You never know—your comment might encourage someone else who needs it today.
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