To Whom Shall We Go?

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69 ESV). Our reading today provides us a very intimate look in the earthly ministry of Jesus. After the miraculous feeding of the 5000, the people wanted Jesus to regularly provide food for them like the manna in the wilderness. Jesus told them that there was something much greater to seek after. He encouraged them to look for food that lasts forever. Then He explained that it came through His body and blood. This was a thought so difficult for them to grasp that many turned away convinced that He was not the One. After all, the law that God gave forbade such a thing. But as we see so frequently in John, the people are taking a spiritual expression to literal extremes. John explains it to us in the first verses of this gospel. He states plainly that Jesus is the Word made flesh. Some have taken these words just as the Jews of Jesus' day and said that the bread of communion is transformed into the flesh of Jesus and the wine becomes His blood. There are some today who still hold to that theology. However, when we come to verse 63 we see that he is clearly referring to His Word and His Spirit. At any rate, this teaching marks the end of Jesus’ popular period with the multitudes. The crowds would not be back until Jesus goes south in the last month of His earthly life. It is interesting to wonder why Jesus made it so hard. After all, by every standard of measurement, he was a success. People were coming to Him by the thousands. If Jesus were a modern preacher today, every news network would seek an interview; all the Christian media outlets would try to encapsulate his methodology for their use; and, no venue would be big enough to hold the crowds he would draw. However, most of the people had come to Jesus for the wrong reasons. They wanted food and health, not the Spirit and truth. There were a few who were desperate for the words of life. When Jesus asked if even His closest would leave too, Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." I find a great challenge in this passage for all of us. We ought to ask ourselves, why do we follow him? How desperate are we for Spirit and truth? Nothing and no one else can provide us with eternal life. There are no new programs or messages. It is the same “old, old story of Jesus and His love.” That’s the chorus we should sing… I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. How about you… to whom will you go?