To Whom Shall We Go?

 John 6: 60-69

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

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

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.”

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

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

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.”

It's not hard to understand the difficulty the some of the disciples had with the extraordinary teaching of Jesus that he is the "Holy One of God."  For centuries, the Jews had believed in ONE God, as opposed to the many gods in the pantheons of other civilizations.  Now here is this "upstart" claiming to be one with the Father and the Spirit, too much for many of them to accept, so, sadly for Jesus, they turned away. Peter spoke for the Apostles, and, hopefully for us, affirming belief in Jesus as the Son of God, however vague that might still have been in their minds at that time, and staying with him.

In this day and age when so much is being questioned and revised, may we stick to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and dwells very much with us, and in a special way, under the appearance of bread and wine.

Bro. Rene