Lord to whom can we go?

Ephesians 6:10-20 & John 6:56-69

If you think only the disciples lived in perilous times…then I want to say to you today that the world feels as threatened by the gospel today as it did some 2000 years ago.

Jesus calls us to stand firm for the faith when the rest of the world is weary of Jesus and demanding we soften the message.

Jesus is saying a lot to us in this passage from Johns Gospel…about spirit and life (v63)

And in verse 68 the apostle Peter’s response…
"Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood?

One possibility is that he was speaking figuratively…if this is true, the meaning would be similar to that of Paul's phrase…"in Christ"…this would emphasise the close relationship between Jesus and the disciples… the gospel expresses the same idea in various ways…such as the shepherd and sheep (John 10)…the vine branches (15:5-6)…and oneness with Christ (17: 20- 23).

It is also possible that these words were a response to the Docetic heresy circulating which said that Jesus was purely Spirit and thus denied Jesus' humanity.
No upper room story mentioned in this Gospel…are these verses the 4th evangelist's way of instituting the Eucharist…perhaps the truth may be found in a combination of some or all of the above.

What we do know is that the gospel is offensive…in part…because God's ways are not our ways.

It is also offensive because it is costly…in some cases…disciples were called on to recant their faith…or die!

When Christ calls us to eat His flesh and drink His blood…He is inviting us to participate in His death so that we might have eternal life.

The 4th gospel written at least three decades after the establishment of the church…no doubt the author had seen many fall away when times became tough.

The church is always tempted to remove the offence…that outside of Jesus we tread a perilous path…by tailoring the message to fit the world's shape.

However if the gospel does not challenge us… it is like a surgeon without a scalpel…who can neither wound nor heal…because while it has no offence…neither has it any power!

Jesus had gone too far!
The disciples had been excited about His miracles…they had accepted his demands for total commitment…left everything to follow him…had tolerated his mysterious language…
that often left them puzzled.

They said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

For the disciples…the shadows of night are falling…as for being with the Lord…well time is running away…while it's not dark yet…for the disciples it is getting there.

For many of the disciples…all their hopes have gone down the drain.

"This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"
"Many of the disciples turned back and no longer went about with him."

Where did they go…we don't know…perhaps they went home…left the world outside…and shut the door…no more constant challenging …a place where they could relax …spend Sunday morning reading the paper or watching the rugby reruns…a place where they could relax in an easy chair.

Being around Jesus was not easy…He pushed them…prodded them…keeping them off balance…always keeping them pressing on and on…now they could leave that all behind…get on with their lives…put their affairs in order…and enjoy themselves.

A leader is always caught in a tension…how far do you push…when to back off…how much to demand…when to praise…when to critique…who to promote…what to say.

Had Jesus gone too far…said too much…and lost His crowd.

A close look at what Jesus said will show us what He said went to the heart of His message…"Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I am them."

We have the advantage of hindsight… because we know the rest of the story…we know about the upper room…we know about the cross…we know about the open tomb… we can incorporate the body and blood of Jesus into our worship and think nothing of it…there is no offence…it's just something that we do.

The first disciples didn't have a clue what was coming…just that it was beginning to look very dark…Jesus had hinted at it…but His words had gone over their heads.

But let's not be too critical of those who left… if we had been there…we might have done the same…caught the camel train out of town

Those who left were not part of the 12…now Jesus turned to the 12…"Do you also wish to go away?"

How much do we know about these apostles…actually not very much at all…we have no idea what they were thinking…don't know if they were fully convinced that Jesus had the words of eternal life…at this time we don't know whether they truly believed that Jesus was the Holy one of God…but they stayed.

I believe they had faith…I believe they were hanging on…to a solid rock…made…before the foundation of the world.

Simon Peter answered for them all when he said to Jesus…"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."
When you're trying to work out which way to jump…and the future betrayer Judas was probably watering the seeds of doubt…then Peters wonderful comforting words probably made all the difference.

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."(68)…and the confusion in their minds was dispelled as they said… "We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."(69).

Who could say NO after hearing Peter say YES…we know on another day Peter will falter…but right now…Peter is hanging on to a solid rock made before the foundation of the world.

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."

It is hard to overestimate the impact of Peters words…at this pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry…Peter truly was the property of Jesus.

Peter held the little band of apostles together…like John the Baptist…he smoothed a pathway for the Lord.

We can learn from that…most of us think of ourselves as ordinary people…and we are right…just a few of us will find our way into the history books…only a few of us will leave a legacy that will be remembered outside our family and friends.

Because we see ourselves as ordinary people …we doubt that we have much influence…we don't think our vote counts for much.

Peter shows us how wrong we are…he shows us how a few words spoken from heartfelt conviction at the right time…make a tremendous difference.

He shows us how a person of faith strengthens other people's faith…he shows us that one person can change lives…can change history.

Whose property are you…what do you want to be remembered for…have you been caught up in the gospel story…are you the property of Jesus…Peter was.

Jesus had said some things that had offended the disciples…so they went home…but not the apostles…they stayed…Peters bold stand helped their faith…the other disciples left because Jesus had offended them…He had gone too far…moved them outside their comfort zone.

Some think of this as ancient history…but it is not…Jesus still challenges us to walk down roads…roads that we don't want to walk down.

Challenges us to give up behaviours that we want to keep…we dare to stand in the doorway of temptations angry flame…vainly hoping all will be well.

How many roads will you walk down before you give yourself totally to the Lord?

Jesus was difficult to live with in the 1st century…and…if we take Him seriously… then…He is difficult to live with in the 21st century.

He is a demanding Lord…we want Him to comfort us when are afflicted…and sometimes He does…but He also afflicts us when we are comfortable…and then we want to go home.

But then if we then pause and those words come back to us…"To whom shall we go? You, Lord, have the words of eternal life."

When was the last time you told someone what Jesus has done in your life?

The Bible does not tell us what happened to those who turned away…probably not much…possibly they raised a few children grew a few crops…caught a few fish…they died…and it was over…until the judgement!

But those who stayed with Jesus started a movement that continues to this day…they spread the word of eternal life to the utter most parts of the earth…planted the seeds of eternal life.

Now Jesus calls us to be faithful to Him in the face of the world's opposition…we can make a difference…we can help people to know God's love and salvation…when times get tough…we too must choose whether to stay with Jesus or leave.

What seeds will you plant…what seeds will you water…what seeds will you tend…what can you thank God for doing in your life this week?

Are you saying…"To whom should we go? You, Lord, have the words of eternal life.

Let us pray.