Sunday Homily / John 6:60-69
“To Whom Shall We Go”
In today’s Gospel passage, we reach the conclusion of John Chapter 6, a chapter that has taken us /on a profound journey / through the teachings of Jesus on the Bread of Life. Today’s passage / captures a moment of crisis and decision. Jesus’ followers / have heard His teaching / on eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and they are deeply troubled. Many of His disciples find these words / hard to accept. “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” they say. What follows is a moment of great consequence, both for the disciples / and for us / as we reflect our own / journey of faith.
The Challenge of Jesus’ Teaching
The initial reaction of the disciples to Jesus’ words / is one of shock and confusion. For a Jewish audience, steeped in the Law and the Prophets, the idea of consuming flesh and blood / was not only offensive / but blasphemous. Yet, Jesus does not soften His message. Instead, He reinforces it, making it clear / that His words / are spirit and life. This is the moment of decision. Some disciples cannot accept this, and as a result, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer / went about with Him.”
This reaction raises a critical question for us today: What do we do / when the teachings of Christ challenge our understanding, our comfort, or even our traditions? Faith is not always easy. It asks us / to trust in something beyond / our full comprehension. It requires us / to surrender our judgement to God’s wisdom, even when it seems counterintuitive. This passage reminds us / that following Jesus / means embracing both / His comforting words / and / His challenging ones.
The Crisis of Faith
For those disciples who walked away, the words of Jesus / were too much to bear. Their departure is a stark reminder / that faith / is not a given; it is a choice. Every believer / must confront moments / when the demands of discipleship / seem overwhelming. The crisis of faith / comes when what we believe / and what we experience / seem to be in conflict. It is in these moments / that our faith / is truly tested.
The disciples who left / were likely looking for a Messiah / who would meet their expectations—someone who would liberate them from Roman occupation, restore the kingdom of Israel, and bring prosperity. Instead, they found a Messiah / who spoke of sacrifice, self-denial, and eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Their departure / is a reminder / that when we impose our expectations on Jesus, we risk missing the fullness of who He is / and the life He offers.
Peter’s Confession: A Model of Faith
In contrast to those who left, we have the response of Peter, who speaks on behalf of the Twelve. When Jesus asks, “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter answers with a profound confession of faith: “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe / and know that you are / the Holy One of God.”
Peter’s response is remarkable / not because he fully understands / what Jesus has said, but because he recognizes that Jesus / is the source of life itself. He doesn’t have all the answers; he may even share / in the confusion of the others. But he knows one thing for sure: there is no where else to go. Peter’s confession / teaches us / that faith / is not about having all the answers; it’s about / trusting / in the One who does.
This moment is a turning point for the disciples. It’s a moment where they must decide / whether they will follow Jesus / even when it is difficult, even when His teachings challenge them / to the core. Peter chooses to stay, not because he has it all figured out, but because / he knows that in Jesus / is found life itself.
Our Own Response
This passage / invites us / to examine our own faith. Are there teachings of Jesus / that we find difficult to accept? Are there moments / when we are tempted to walk away / because the demands of discipleship seem too great? In those moments, we must ask ourselves / the same question Peter asked: “To whom shall we go?”
Our world offers many alternatives to Jesus—promises of happiness, success, and fulfillment through material wealth, power, or pleasure. But none of these / can give us / what Jesus offers: eternal life, a relationship with the living God, and a share in His divine nature. Like Peter, we are called to recognize / that only Jesus / has the words of eternal life.
Conclusion
Brother and sisters, Faith is a journey / with moments of clarity / and moments of doubt. There will be times / when Jesus’ teachings / challenge us deeply. But in those moments, we are called to remember / Peter’s confession. We may not have all the answers, but we know / where true life is found. We know / who we are called / to follow.
As we continue in our Eucharistic celebration today, let us ask the Lord / to strengthen our faith, to give us the courage / to remain with Him / even when the way is hard, and to help us / echo Peter’s words with conviction: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Amen.
John 6:60-69
Today Gospel is the completion of the Gospel we read yesterday. John writes: “Many of Jesus’ disciples heard Jesus speak and they said to one another: “This is too hard for us to understand.” Jesus realized that his disciples were grumbling to one another, and he questioned his followers. Finally, Jesus asked them: “Does this bother you?” He then said to them: “What if you see the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? The Spirit is the One who gives life. The words I speak to you are spirit and life.” Jesus then says: “You cannot come to me unless the Father wants you to come. That is why I have told you all these things.”
Take a moment and put yourself in the disciples’ shoes. How would you respond if Jesus were saying all of this to you? Would you be overwhelmed, excited, frightened, or elated? John tells us: “Many of Jesus’ disciples turned their backs on Him and went back to their homes.” However, Simon Peter approached Jesus and said: “Lord, there is no one else whom we can go to. You alone have the words of eternal life.” Peter then affirmed his belief that Jesus truly was God’s Holy Son!
Imagine the impact Peter’s profession of faith must have had on Jesus. A few minutes before, a good number of people who had been following him turned away from Him. He was not acting as they had expected Him to act, and they had walked away from Him. Yet, here was Peter boldly professing his belief in Jesus as the Christ. Peter’s strong faith and deep belief in Jesus must have bolstered Jesus’ spirit. Jesus was divine, yet He also was human and thus he experienced the same emotions we experience.
Peter’s deep conviction that Jesus truly was the Lord was pure gift to Jesus. How deep is your conviction that Jesus is the Lord? I invite you to take a few moments and reflect on that question, then go to Jesus. If you truly do believe in Jesus, profess your conviction and your commitment to Him. If you are uncertain, take your uncertainty and doubts to Jesus. He will hold your hand and lead you closer to Him.
We all have doubts in Jesus at times. Often these are the times we distance ourselves from Jesus. Yet these are the times when we need to approach Him and talk with Him. We may question Him or perhaps simply sit in His presence and allow Him to wrap us in love and light. We are the ones who leave Him. Jesus will never, ever leave us! 66-69)Decisions…decisions… our lives are filled with decisions. Each day we decide when to get out of bed, what to wear, what to eat, where we go, when to leave, how to get there and a host of other decisions.
Some decisions affect our lives more than others. A decision to spend $15 or $20 on a meal is far different from spending thousands of dollars on an automobile or house. A decision to take an aspirin for a headache is far different from undergoing major surgery. Some decisions are greater than others because some have more of an effect on the outcome of our future.
This weekend, God’s Word speaks to us about some MAJOR decisions that not only affect our lives on this earth, but our eternal future! In our Old Testament reading, Joshua (the leader after Moses died) called upon the Children of Israel to make a choice: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15) Joshua clearly laid out that there are only two choices: either continue serving their sinful nature and the false gods of their day (rejecting the true God and salvation in Him alone), or they would forsake their sinful nature and serve the only true God. Joshua encouraged them and led the way by boldly proclaiming: “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15)
The same encouragement is given in the Epistle reading: Ephesians 5: “Live as children of light … Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness… Be very careful, then, how you live -not as unwise but as wise, (wise & unwise choices) making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil… Instead, be filled with the Spirit…”
And in our Gospel reading (the final verses in John 6) we are presented AGAIN with the only two choices concerning our spiritual lives, either Jesus’ way or our sinful way. This week we continue reading… Jesus declares: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” The confusion and offense at Jesus continued. This is not a matter of understanding, but of accepting – they understood clearly what Jesus was saying – but they heard it as scandalous words! Sounds like cannibalism – eating flesh… drinking blood… (Jesus says it six times in seven verses); certainly NOT kosher / definitely offensive to the natural man! These words from a mere man would be shocking and repulsive; but the point is that these words are not from a mere man – these are words of Jesus – the promises of God!
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”… From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus’ disciples were RIGHT – this IS a “hard teaching” / not hard to understand (it is very clear what Jesus is saying!) but hard to accept! And Jesus’ response to their complaint is just as hard. Jesus gives these people the “shock treatment” – to jolt them away from the mere materialism of this life (they were still only thinking of the bread and fish He had provided in abundance for the 5,000 just the day before, they had come seeking out Jesus for another “free meal”). But Jesus came to “feed” them and us with “the living bread from heaven. (with the promise) If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” (v.51)
On our own we can NEVER choose to accept these “hard teachings” of Jesus, and there is NO WAY of explaining away the scandal of Jesus’ words. Jesus’ message is “out of this world” – it is a Spirit-filled and life-giving Word. Apart from His Word there is no salvation, and apart from believing Him and in Him there is no salvation.
Therefore, we REJOICE in the same confession Peter speaks on behalf of all disciples of Jesus. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Through God’s gift to us of saving faith through Baptism, His Word and the Lord’s Supper, these are NOT “hard sayings” for us – neither hard to understand nor hard to accept. Rather, these are our confession, our statement of faith, that God would affect every decision we make.
We believe it because Jesus says it / we boldly teach it to our children in our homes and through our church and Lutheran schools. With Joshua we proclaim: “as for me and my house / as for me and my church and school / we will serve the LORD!” Jesus IS the Living Bread for us. We are daily fed by His Word and regularly come at His gracious invitation to receive His true body and blood in, with and under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. This guides and directs every decision in our lives – all to the glory and service of our Savior, Jesus Christ and for the invitation and inclusion of others in His Kingdom.
Many of the disciples of Jesus were listening and said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
There are many things in life that are shocking and true. There are many things people say that are hard to accept yet are true.
Recently, I went on a three day vacation with another priest. I took a cut-rate airline to keep my vacation cheap. Little did I know that it would end up being the most expensive trip of my life. They told me that my flight would be delayed until the next day; that I wouldn’t make it back to Dallas until the next evening. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! They told me that there was nothing they could do; that I was stuck here. Hard to believe! When I protested they left me high and dry. Hard to believe, yet true. I will never fly with SPIRIT airline again! Stuck, I went to American Airlines and bought a brand new ticket. They were more than helpful…for five hundred dollars. I had to pay it. I had no choice. I needed to get back before Saturday. I had two weddings and three Masses to celebrate. Hard to believe. When we finally began to taxi away, I thought all my worries were gone. But then when we taxied back to the gate, because of a mechanical problem, I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to cry. When they told us that we needed to get off the plane I wanted to curse and yell. Hard to believe, yet true. When I finally made it home late Friday night I wanted to kiss the ground. Hard to believe.
It must have come as a surprise to his disciples to hear their Master speak of his impending doom. It must not have been easy for any of them to hear the conditions to follow Him: “Leave all behind and pick up your cross.” It must have come as a shock when the Lord told them, “Love your enemies” and “Forgive seven times seventy times”, etc. Hard to believe.
“Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you”. Perhaps, none of the above examples compare to the shock of the Lord’s latest revelation. But isn’t the Lord ‘the line’ that connects all the dots to Him since the very beginning of time? Isn’t he the Alpha and the Omega? Isn’t He the reason for some of the most bizarre personalities, behaviors and commands found in the Old Testament, especially Moses and Exodus? Isn’t true slavery the slavery of sin? Isn’t the “Promised Land” really Heaven? Is Jesus not the real Moses? Is the Lord not the true Lamb of God? Is the Lord not the sacrificial offering, the holocaust that must be consumed before we are declared free? Is the Lord not the unblemished Lamb that must be eaten before we depart?
He is…and much more. The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord. Is this so hard to believe? It is if you are annoyed with Jesus.
Everything is hard to accept if the heart is hard and the brain is dead.
Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” He knew who he was talking about. The Lord knew that one disciple was already lost, yet still remained. Judas betrayed the Lord because He was annoyed at the Lord. He didn’t like what he heard because he didn’t hear what he wanted to hear. He couldn’t stand the Lord because He couldn’t stand for what Judas stood for. The Eucharist is the climax of our faith, but it is also the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. Judas had a problem: Jesus Christ. And He is our problem too.
I would love to believe in Jesus Christ. Really! But he said something that bothers me. If only He were just a little bit more like…me. I wouldn’t have a problem with the Catholic Church. Really! If only she thought a little bit more like…me. Yes, all of us would follow her if she appeared to be a bit more like us, like me rather than like Him. All of us would love the Lord if only he appeared to be a bit more like us, like me rather than like the Father.
The problem with us isn’t that the Eucharist is hard to believe. That’s not the problem. We all have had our share of hard-to-believe-yet-true experiences. That’s not our problem. Our problem is our lack of faith in the Lord. That’s our problem! That’s been the historical problem with Christians. That’s been the historical problem with non-Christians too. We all have a problem with God like we all have a bone to pick with our parents.
Martin Luther’s problem wasn’t that the Pope was a sinful man. For crying out loud, everyone in Rome knew that he was a sinful man, including himself. The Pope’s problem wasn’t that Luther was a sinful man, even Martin Luther admitted to being a sinful man. Luther’s problem was the same as the Pope’s: it was with the Lord. And both men took out their frustrations on the Lord in the way they lived out their vows. This is the shocking truth. Martin Luther felt as if he had been duped by the Lord when he took the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He felt as if the Lord had fooled him that stormy night when he asked to be saved. He was saved but forgot the part about dying to oneself. So instead of taking his frustration out on the Lord, he chose to take it out on the Church; to take himself out of the Church.
Is that not our problem? Do we not start a fight with our Bishops because their a softer target than the Lord? Is it not easier to say I disagree with the Church than to say I disagree with Christ?
The Church, like the Eucharist, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. He is the true ‘grain of wheat’ that falls to the ground and dies; but once it dies it bears much fruit. Our problem with the Eucharist (with Jesus) is the part about being small and insignificant; the part about falling, appearing weak; the part about dying and surrendering; and the part about giving by sacrificing. Our problem is kind of big, as big as our pride.
It’s no wonder we have a hard time believing in the Eucharist. But the reason why we have a hard time believing in it is because we all have a hard time living it, doing it.
The Psalmist asks, How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? Peter, the Pope, responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
John 6: 60 – 69 / A Hard Teaching
Intro: A young man from the city was visiting a dude ranch and wanted to appear as if he was used to the surroundings. So, he went out walking with one of the hired hands. Walking through the barnyard, the visitor tried starting a conversation: “Say, look at that big bunch of buffaloes.” The hired hand replied, “not ‘bunch’ but ‘herd.’” “Heard what?” “Herd of buffaloes.” “Sure, I’ve heard of buffaloes. There’s a big bunch of ‘em right over there.” — Have you ever had the frustration of trying to be understood or get your point across.
- Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt in dealing with the disciples? Vs. 60 – “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
- The words of Jesus are not difficult to understand, they are hard to tolerate, hard to absorb, hard to hear. They may offend some people’s sensibilities.
- Vs. 61 – “Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’” Grumbling was not a new response to God and God’s ways. — From the Israelites in the wilderness to modern humanity / people complain about the difficulties of their lives and their misfortunes.
- The people take offense. Jesus does not give offense. He gave truth; they took offense.
- What the people wanted, Jesus was not willing to give; what Jesus offered, the people would not receive.
- They wanted easy words, a message that would boost their self-esteem. He offered a message that would bring them to the end of themselves in full dependence on God’s grace through the Holy Spirit.John 6:60-69
III. Vs. 66 – 69 “From this time many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the 12. Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’”
- The words ARE hard! The way is not easy! Nonetheless, God calls us to come and follow. To accept Christ Jesus. To “feed on Him.”
- The teachings are not hard to understand; they are hard on us. They are hard on our pride, hard on way of life, hard on our ego.
- People QUIT Jesus for all sorts of reasons: they don’t get what they want when they want it. They have difficulties and blame God instead of their own foolishness. They have difficulties because it requires time, effort, or commitment. They fail! — They quit because it is too hard. They want it all sugar-coated, easy, and entertaining. They fail because they don’t really know Christ Jesus as a constant companion and friend.
Conclusion: A four-year-old boy was at the doctor for a checkup. As the doctor looked in his ears he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here? The boy was silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down his throat asking the little boy as he did, “Do you think I’ll find Cookie Monster down there?” Again, the boy said nothing. Then, the doctor placed a stethoscope to the boy’s chest and said, “Do you think I will hear Barney in your heart?” The boy looked up and said, “Oh, no! Jesus is in my heart. Barney is on my underwear.”
You may wear a cross on a chain or carry a Bible to church; but it means nothing unless Christ Jesus is in your heart. And that, my friend is a hard teaching.