To Whom Can We Go?"

Are you Leaving or are you staying?

In John 6:60-69, the followers of Jesus have heard words they do not understand. They are repelled! It simply is impossible to believe that Jesus is inviting them to eat his flesh and drink his blood…so, many of those who had followed Jesus up to this point, now walk away. They have reached an obstacle in their belief which they cannot overcome.  

It is not difficult to imagine Jesus' sadness as he watched them leave… Fearing that he was going to be completely abandoned, he turns to the twelve apostles and asks them what they are going to do...Peter speaks for them and us when he responds “Master to whom can we go?”

We do all that we can in life to avoid being placed in position of vulnerability, yet in this gospel we have the twelve willing to be vulnerable by surrendering control and choosing complete dependency on Jesus. That dependency reveals an ultimate statement of faith: Lord, we have no options. We have no choice but to keep following you. 

Faith is deepened in situations where self-reliance is no longer possible, a place in which it is difficult to rely on intellect, reason or abilities. Faith is the willingness to let go of "conventional wisdom" and listen to a voice within. 

The ability to listen to what Jesus is saying to each of us and then asking whether we are going to continue following him is part of our spiritual journey. For most of us, it can happen many times in our lifetime when we are challenged to acknowledge that we must leave the "training wheels" of religion and grow into a personal deep-rooted knowing, and ask, if not to you than to whom do I turn? In end our response has to be personal…walk away…or stay and delve deeper into the mystery. ( adapted from Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Bible Study Blog by Bob Reina)