NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 6: 10 - 20 (RCL)

Ephe 6:10 (NRSV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.


1. Ephesians 6:10-20 warns us about the reality of our dreadful enemies but also informs us about what God gives us to combat Satan and all the evil forces. The Christian is anything but an idle, easy-going person. He is aware of the grim battle with Satan. He is equipped for the battle and is assured of victory before the battle begins.

2. "Full armor," the metaphor is that of the Greek hoplite, the heavy-armed soldier who puts on his full armor. This consisted of shield, sword, lance, helmet, greaves and breastplate

3. against the devil's schemes are the tricky methods of the devil

4. These demons are spirit, spirits only, without flesh and blood, conscious beings, endowed with reason and will, but spirits of wickedness, whose entire thought, effort and seeking is pure wickedness, whose sole purpose is to destroy the works of God. They are actively evil. Think of what Satan did to our first parents, King Saul, Solomon, Judas, Peter and countless others who began so well but who were trapped so miserably.

5. The evil day denotes an occasion when Satan strikes with fury in his attempt to overcome us with evil.

6. The fiery darts here represent the doubts, lusts, temptations, fears, etc. which Satan uses against us. Sooner or later every Christian understands what is meant by these words of Paul. Fiery arrows are destructive, a frightening prospect. With Christian faith we can quench them.

7. The Holy Spirit owns and gives this sword to us. What is it? The Word of God.

8. For this Gospel Paul was an ambassador in chains, a paradox. He is God's ambassador, God's messenger. But Rome considered him a prisoner. Usually ambassadors live in splendor and are treated royally. Not this ambassador.






GOSPEL: John 6: 56 - 69 (RCL)

John 6:55 (NRSV) for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Caper'naum.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

1. As has been Jesus' habit throughout this conversation, he meets objections by sharpening the point of his message, raising the offense rather than softening it,

2. Jesus' statement that the "flesh" is useless (verse 63) cannot be read as a rejection of bodily life or a denial of creation's goodness. After all, this is the Gospel which joyfully declared that "the Word became flesh" (1:14). Rather, "flesh" here indicates the normal way of seeing reality, the way of viewing life judged to be "sensible" by the world, which cannot see that eternal life comes through the exaltation of Jesus on the cross,

3. "This is more than we can stomach! Why listen to such talk?"

4. In contrast to the response of some of his disciples, we have here the response of the Twelve, whom Jesus then questioned concerning their loyalty to him. This is the big test, and the Twelve, with Peter as spokesman, pass with flying colors. The confession here differs considerably from the Synoptic accounts (Matt 16:16, Mark 8:29, and Luke 9:20) and concerns directly the disciples’ personal loyalty to Jesus, in contrast to those other disciples (6:66) who had deserted him.
h/t bible.org and bul's notes