To Whom Shall We Go?
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John 6:47-51, 58-69
47. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48. I am the bread of life. 49. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." 58. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." 59. This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 60. Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" 61. But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? 62. Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63. It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64. But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65. And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." 66. After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67. Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69. and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
“This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” Wow! I have found myself feeling that way in my faith journey so often. I am faced with a situation where I must make a decision and the choice may be obvious, but it is not easy. I reach a crossroads in my career and must decide the path to take -- money, “getting by,” having lots of “perks,” but having to compromise my beliefs; or giving up the “worldly” perks to seek a job where I can be true to my Christian values. Life is full of “hard” choices. Even deciding how to rear our children--do we attempt to make them “worldly” and teach them to survive in an ungodly society, or do we instill in them the values we hold dear -- compassion, love, peace, mercy. It’s tough.
On the occasions where I do choose the “right” path (don’t get me wrong--I’m far from perfect and too often have chosen the “path of least resistance!"), I am sometimes questioned. “Why would you give up _____?” My response is the same as that of Simon Peter in response to Jesus’ question about whether or not he wants to abandon Jesus. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69. and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
Jesus changed all the rules. He changed the entire dynamic of human existence! And we are ever challenged to live counter to our innate desire for immediate gratification and instant satisfaction. We want all of our wants and needs met --
now. We don’t want to wait for “eternity.” And yet, how can we make any other choice? A dear Christian brother commented recently that he just thinks Jesus is “irresistible.” I agree! The world may pull us, push us, prod us, entice us and try to lure us away. But in the end what Jesus offers, who Jesus is, his message . . . well . . . it’s irresistible!
So the decisions become easier with practice. The choices are less threatening and challenging, once we make the first few “right ones.” You see we not only have Jesus as our guide and model for living, he left us the Holy Spirit -- I sometimes think the Holy Spirit is my “conscience” helping me discern the right path--then leading me back to the irresistible Savior.
I hope today you find the wisdom and the courage to make the “right choices.” And that you cling to the words of Christ, “the words of eternal life.”
Mary
